The soul of Bierzo came alive in an unforgettable night with The Howell Co.

Last February 20, the Taberna Arallo in Madrid was the setting for the first edition of “Faces of Wine”, an intimate meeting where the protagonists of the wine world reveal the secrets of their creations. On this occasion, Miguel Ángel from the winery Luzdivina Amigo guided us on a sensory journey through its history and wines.

Cozy atmosphere, menu of 10

From the very first moment, the atmosphere was buzzing with expectation. Taberna Arallo, with its rogue and cosmopolitan air, reserved an intimate and cozy lounge for the club. The restaurant team, attentive to every detail, surprised with their impeccable adaptation of the menu for those with seafood allergies and celiacs, ensuring that all attendees enjoyed the experience without reservation.

The dinner was a display of gastronomic creativity, a seven-course tasting menu designed to highlight the nuances of the selected wines. From the seafood croquette (the evening’s favorite) to the sirloin katsu sando to the torreznos confit in mole verde, each bite seemed to dialogue with the glasses served, accentuating the richness of each Luzdivina Amigo reference.

2 known, 2 unknown and 1 surprise wine

The wines were the real stars of the evening. Miguel Ángel Amigo shared the essence of his winery through several labels. Two of them were already known to club members, who had received them at his home days before:

• Baloiro Blanco 2024 (Godello, Sherry-Palomino and Doña Blanca). We nicknamed it “Las hormigas” (The Ants) because of its label and it was a hit with subscribers.
• Baloiro Crianza 2021 (Mencía). At home we received the 2017 vintage, but Miguel Ángel brought us this new vintage exclusively, and we were the first to taste it!
  

To these were added another white and another red that we were not familiar with from their winery:

• Los Pedregales 2022 (Godello). A still photo of a single grape, in a single plot.
• Baloiro Reserva 2017 (Mencía). A wine that is produced only in specific years, when the fruit profile comes out as needed for long traditional barrel aging.

We started with the whites pairing the seafood dishes, continued with the reds accompanying the meats and closed the dessert with a great surprise: the Baloiro Godello 2015. Hand-selected from the winery’s oldest vines, planted by Miguel Ángel’s great-grandfather. With one year of oxidative aging followed by eight years of reductive aging, this wine dazzled the attendees with its evolution, showing a depth and elegance that only time can bestow.

The conversation flowed from glass to glass, the attendees shared impressions and anecdotes with Miguel Ángel, who with passion and closeness unraveled the secrets of his winery. At the end of the evening, many did not want to say goodbye without taking a piece of this experience with them and bought their favorite wines directly from the winery.

Thus we close the first installment of “Faces of Wine”, with the promise of many more nights where wine is not only tasted, but also takes on a voice of its own.