Festa l'Ermita

Last Saturday we had the Festa l'Ermita at the hermitage outside of El Masroig. It's about a 35 minute walk from our house. Next to the Festa Major, it's the biggest party of the year. Almost everybody in town shows up to cook paella with their families. I learned a lot of important things about cooking paella. The most important thing is it needs to happen outside! It's kind of like the Catalan equivalent of barbeque. I've had some uneven experiences with paella over the years. This was the best I've ever tasted with Jodie Ray's being a close second.
The weather was abominable. The Ermita sits on a mountain top and there is no protection from the wind. It was cold and blowing like crazy. There were some rain squalls that mostly missed us but, every thirty minutes or so, it looked like we were going to get soaking wet. The warmth of the company made up for all of it. Most of Montse's family was there including her brother, Marc. Marc did most of the cooking. There were half a dozen kids running around and having the times of their lives. Altogether, it was a wonderful experience.
A couple of hours after I got home, the orchestra assembled in front of our house. I went downstairs to talk to the neighbors and discovered that the Virgin from the church in El Masroig had been taken out to the Ermita. They brought her back through our street and the orchestra fell in behind.
I'm coming home on April 13 but will have to return here sometime in May for a week or so. The people who were supposed to make my boxes got messed up and now the project is delayed. I will bottle some samples to take back so we're not too far behind, all things considered. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody, especially my Babycita!

Festa l'Ermita

¿Que tal?

If you'll scroll down through the pictures, you'll get a pretty good idea of our new place. Spring has finally come both technically and physically to Catalunya. The peach trees are in bloom and there are vast areas of pink blossoms across the countryside. The picture hardly does it justice. I saw the first poppy of the season on the way back from the vineyards this afternoon. Work has been going on the vineyards. The wildflowers have been knocked down and the buds are beginning to swell. I expect we'll see some tiny leaves in a week or so.
Our Barcelona Celler project is moving forward. I will do some minor adjustments on the Tinto on Monday. The Blanco and Rosado will come from some very nice people near Batea. There is still some blending to be done on the Rosado but I'm grateful to have found some people who really want to work with me.
The labels will be printed by a family in Gandesa. I'm really happy with the way they are coming together.
My new friend, Cooper, is a sweet boy but not the brightest enchilada on the plate. I'm trying to teach him to speak English but all he wants to talk about is food. Que lo haces?
The coming week is Semana Santa and everyone here is ready to some time off. It appears that the whole country will shut down and the Catalans will also take the Monday after Easter. Our friends Neus and Barry have talked about coming for Easter and I hope they do.
I hope all is well with you and yours. More to come.
¡SALUDOS!

Our new house...

You can just make out the hundreds of acres of peach blossoms.

My new buddy, Cooper.

Our front yard with menacing guard-knome.

Another front yard view with menacing old olive tree.

Nuestra casa. We've got the middle floor.

Nuestro piso

Springtime update

I've been back in Catalunya a little over two weeks and thought you might like an update. We've had tons of rain here and all the irrigation reservoirs are full. There is water running strong in the Siurana River and the Ebro is bank-to-bank full. Needless to say, the farmers are ecstatic. It's hard to put too much water on this area at this time of year.
There are wildflowers almost waist deep in our vineyards. I don't mind because they prevent erosion and you wouldn't believe how good they smell. I would estimate there are about five honey bees per square foot. If you stand out there and close your eyes, it's like being in a perfume store next to a saw mill.
The wines are coming along although a bit slower than I'd hoped. I'm chasing around all day trying to get things done. I've come up with a new slogan;
"Spanish wines with a Texas accent."
Please let me know what you think.
The snowy pictures were taken one morning from our new balcony. It only lasted until noon but you can get an idea of the view. Our new landlady and her family have been very welcoming. I'll post some interior views sometime soon.

Spring in Montsant