Category: seville

XI Christmas Market

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This year marks the eleventh edition of the annual Christmas Craft Market, to be held in the Plaza Nueva from this Thursday December 16th until the arrival of the Magic Kings on January 5th.

There will be 72 stalls, more than half with artisans from Sevilla, and others featuring crafts from all over Spain.

Let’s hope the weather conditions this year are better. I remember feeling so sorry for everyone during last year’s rainy winter as this must have kept at least some shoppers away. This is my favourite market of the year and, especially at night with the trees all wrapped in pretty Christmas lights, it’s a very festive atmosphere.

Hours: 11.00 – 15.00 / 17.00 – 21.00
Closed the afternoons of 24th & 31st December
Closed all day 25th December and 1st January

Mejor Cocinero Novel 2010

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Francisco Javier Rivas

On November 15th the Best New Chef competition took place at CEA in the Cartuja, with six young chefs competing in this Iron Chef event. And while they were busy trying to impress the judges by creating a unique dish with surprise Andalusian ingredients, we were treated to several cooking demonstrations by top Spanish chefs Dani Garcia, Francis Paniego, Quique Dacosta and Angel Leon, as well as local restauranteurs including Puratasca, Zurrutraque, Gorki, Simun and Sur (Gastromium).

Just before lunch break (which was much later than planned due to technical difficulties getting started) the Best Chef award was presented to Grenadian Francisco Javier Rivas for his “Ibéric ‘dam’ of Sierra Mayor filled with false risotto, potatoes, pear and herbal air”. He also received 3.000 euros, a training course and a trip to next year’s Andalucía Sabor conference.

Congratulations Francisco!

After the cocktail lunch featuring tapas made from regional products, the book Andalucía destapa Andalucía was presented, followed by the final ponencias of the day.

[click on images to enlarge]

Cata Habla at La Azotea

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Another fabulous wine tasting evening was held last Thursday at La Azotea Vinos & Más, this time featuring wines from Bodegas Habla in Extremadura. This young winery (they have only been selling commercially for four years) produces top quality wines in limited editions. Each wine is numbered and unrepeatable, a unique expression of the soil and grapes in the specific climatic conditions of a particular growing season and harvest.

We were invited to try three varieties: Habla numbers 4 & 6, and Habla del Silencio, which is a separate vintage from the numbered wines. The wine tasting was introduced by Cristina Rojas,  the wines presented by Javier Compass, and then we had the opportunity to have Juan Tirado, the owner of Bodegas Habla, give us a talk on this very special project and the philosophy behind it. I’m very much looking forward to visiting the Trujillo bodega soon!

La Azotea Vinos & Más
Jesús del Gran Poder, 44
Tel. 955 11 67 48
Open: 12.00 – 15.00 / 20.00 – 23.00
Closed Sunday & Monday

Copea Andalucía

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Over 300 restauranteurs gathered last Monday for the first Copea Andalucía, organised and hosted by Federico Flores and his brothers Alvaro and José Vicente. It was a special wine tasting event created to promote regional wines and featured 12 Andalusian wineries:

Huerta de Albalá – Bodegas Ximénez Spínola – Bodegas Emilio Hidalgo – Bodegas Cadysa – Bodega Marenas – Bodega Spira – Bodegas Sauci – Bodega Marcelino Serrano – Bodegas Doña Felisa – Bodegas Bentomiz – Bodegas Jorge Ordoñez & Co – Bodegas Colonias de Galeón

Copea Andalucía will be held every other year, alternating with CatAndalucía, an event which features Andalusian food products, so the next one will be in November 2012. Meanwhile, you can stop by the store and check out the wines for yourself.

Vinos Federico Flores
Fernández de Ribera, 44 (Nervión)
Monday-Friday 9.00-14.00 / 17.00-20.00
Saturday 9.00-14.00
Tel. 954 09 51 92