The autonomus region of Navarra in the centre of northern Spain, is shaped by the rocky, white waters of the Atlantic coast in the north west, the dramatically eroded Pyrenees and its foothills in the north east, and the dry basin around Pamplona and the banks of the river Ebro in the south. This fairly sober description accurately reflects the natural diversity of the former kingdom.

The mountain land in the north is known for its many forests, meadows and rain showers, with up to 1,800(!) milli metres falling every year, while the south is hot and dry, and described as an arid steppe. Here, annual precipitation barely reaches 300 millimetres. Holiday suitcases should thus include some headgear, sturdy shoes and a rain jacket – as well as a Basque phrase book. Navarra is part of the Basque country, and alongside Spanish, the Basque language is omnipresent.

In the fertile, artificially irrigated valleys, grain and grapes are grown alongside fruits and vegetables. Together with fish from the Atlantic, and meat and poultry from the north, this ensures the greatest possible culinary diversity.

Pinchos and male cooks
Particularly tasty examples of this diversity are pinchos – small bites to eat that are similar to tapas. Served at the counters of bars for a couple of euros, they are generally enjoyed with a beer or a glass of wine before going to an actual restaurant. The local chefs are hugely creative, with dishes such as shrimps and spinach or monkfish, shrimps and courgettes with a cream sauce in puff pastry, sea urchin cream in ist shell, salad of hard-boiled egg, pepper and pickled sardines on bread, croquettes filled with fish, meat and/or vegetables, chorizo and salami, slices of smoked pork fillet, small fried cuttlefishes, pickled pepper, cep omelette, tiny lamb chops and of course chips and bakailao (stock fish) prepared in every manner imaginable.

Since 1998, the Semana del Pincho competition has been held every spring in Pamplona, when chefs from over 100 bars and restaurants present their creations to a strict panel of judges, before guests enjoy the gourmet treats.

Pablo, Jose, Javier and Carlos meet up every Thursday night in the old town of Pamplona at a well-stocked cellar kitchen that would make many restaurant chefs envious. There they cook and eat together, as they have done for over 20 years. The four, roughly 50-year old men are members of one of the 30 gastronomic societies in Pamplona. Theirs is known as “Chanclazo” and is named after a once famous local football club.

Women, as in all other male cooking clubs in the region, are not welcome. An exception is made for the annual couples’ dinner, when the women enjoy their partners’ creations. The first of these traditional societies, the “Union Artesana” was founded back in 1870 in San Sebastian. The members reasoned that it was simply cheaper to buy food and cook it together, than to dine in a restaurant. In addition, it is also much more enjoyable, as can be seen when watching Pablo, José, Javier and Carlos.

Women’s wines in a man’s world
The Romans planted the first vines in Navarra. However, after various rulers had taken over the region, preferring other drinks, wine growing came to a standstill. It was not until the 12th century, when monks from Cluny in the Loire valley and Cîteaux in Burgundy built monasteries in Navarra, that wine growing experienced a renaissance. This history is still clear today on the local wine route, the Ruta de los Vinos de Santiago, which follows the world’s most famous pilgrimage, the Way of St. James. The road passes by countless old, beautifully preserved villages, churches, monasteries, palaces and bodegas.

Nowadays, Navarra’s five wine-growing regions stretch over 15,280 hectares south of Pamplona. The majority of vintages produced (over 70 percent) are powerful, full-bodied red wines made of the old Spanish Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes, as well as modern French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 25 percent of production is accounted for by dry, fruity rosé wines (rosada or clarete), while five percent are dry whites with floral notes made of Chardonnay and Viura grapes, as well as sweet Moscatel.

Navarra has some of the most liberal wine-growing legislation in Spain, and as a result practically every type of wine is available: there are single-variety vintages and cuvées in every combination possible, magnificently old-fashioned country wines and modern designer wines, wines from 70-year old vines, and three-year old “children”.

The spectrum of reds ranges from young, unrefined and lively numbers to gran reservas from a single vineyard (pago in Spanish) that are oak-aged for 36 months and should only be drunk after ten years. These then leave many a Bordeaux in the shade when it comes to elegance, complexity and smoothness.

Unfortunately many white wines are also aged in barrique casks, which often deprive them of their fruitiness. Things are currently changing in the region though, as both in bodegas and cooperatives, incredible numbers of well-educated women can be found at work. As well as reducing the time wines are stored in casks, these women are also making major progress in replanting the older grape varieties. And best of all, ever more of these fantastic wines are being shipped off for export.

Text: Rainer Meier

Information

Recommended Reading:
“Navarra à la carta/Navarre à la carte” (Spanish/English) by Pedro Luis Lozano (text), Patxi Uriz (photography), Instituto de Calidad Agroalimentaria de Navarra (ICAN),
ISBN: 978-84-612-9879-2

www.vinonavarra.com (Spanish)
www.navarrawine.com (English)