The chop In this region, it is always a source of pride and celebration due to its high gastronomic value. Therefore, year after year, it is honored with generosity and wines of legend as in the recent IX edition of the 'Chops and wine day'organized by Manu Méndez from Vinatería-Viniapolis, with more than two decades making noise in the region's gastro scene. He is a restless and curious vintner, dedicated to trying and experiencing wineries, vines, fermentations, aging and chops, of course, because there is always something to discover.
He explained that we would taste four wines, whites and reds: Thiom, Lar de Paula, Altos del Corral and Jesús Madrazo. The first, for the starters and the first chop, was a 2020 Rioja white described as powerful, with barrel and marked acidity. “It is Jorge Muga on his solo path with his new, small winery in Haro.” He praised the winemaker for combining grapes from cold areas of Rioja Alta such as Garnacha, Maturana and Viura, and making alchemy in fermentation between tank and barrel and aging separately in oak barrels. Likewise, he expertly preserves it in a concrete tank for another year before bottling. He asked to serve at standard temperature: 9-10 degrees.
A small group of professionals from the gastronomic sector were invited to the feast: wine, cooking and literature, social networks, photography, journalism. I was excited because tastings of ox chop (castrated bull) are rare.
The chef Iker Zabaleta of the Aratz steakhouse, headquarters of the meeting and with more than thirty years of history, commented that they occasionally receive beef, because it is difficult to obtain. Use the ribbons for the letter, vacuum and freeze. Cooking on an electric grill, a revolutionary proposal in the realm of grilling by his brother Xavier Zabaleta, candidate for the World Prize (2018), the gastronomic Oscar of the Basque Culinary Center, the gastronomic faculty. The result is a juicy, tasty meat, and above all, appreciated by those who prefer it without the aroma or taste of smoke or charcoal.
“There will be three chops” he sang and showed the large pieces of low loin, his favorite part. The first, a terrestrial breed, native to Valderejo Park (Álava), four and a half years old and three years old with fat infiltration. The second, sanabresa – a breed of Zamorano origin -, from Régil (Guipúzcoa) with five years and four fat index. The third from Rentería (Guipúzcoa) classified as cattle over nine years old and fat of five.
It should be noted that the provinces of the Basque Country are Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya and Álava. Likewise, that the terreña and sanabresa breeds come from the same ancestral stock as the famous fighting bulls, Bos taurus ibéricus.
The question about fat infiltration came up in the conversation, while we were at the starters: Cantabrian anchovy, sautéed mushrooms, small fresh broad beans and Huelva prawn with farmhouse egg yolk. “Five is the maximum,” I said and Josema Azpeitia, editor of Ondojan magazine, with 25 years as a gastronomic reference in the Basque Country, corrected that, and “up to twelve in Japanese beef.”
“The topic in this culture is very well worked on,” said Azpeitia, an expert in the Japanese country due to his professional comings and goings for several years. I added that some say it is because they massage the animals, they exercise. Others, that it is a question of race.
In his opinion, this “tremendously infiltrated” fat is due to growing up in absolute tranquility. He clarified that waygu is beef in Japanese. “The most sought-after is from Kobe – an area with a designation of origin – whose production is limited and at a prohibitive price.” For him, there is meat beyond this area that has impressed him with quality and moderate prices, “such as that from Matsusaka, in the Mie prefecture (central Japan) or beef from Hokkaido, the northernmost island of the archipelago.”
Fat and ripening
We were in the second chop, the sanabresa with a fat index of four, when the Lar de Paula Reserva 2016 arrived, with 60-year-old vineyards, described by Méndez with vines on limestone soils that provide elegance to the tempranillo. They also mix with viura and malvasia and it is made in stainless steel tanks. It has two alcoholic and malolactic fermentations in barrels and then passes into new French oak barrels for a minimum of one year. The aging ends in the bottle, twelve months minimum. “You don't have to put it in the cold,” she said, because aromas and flavors such as honey obtained in the barrel are hidden. The ideal is to serve it at around 12-14 degrees of temperature.
It was described as having a bright straw yellow color, a fine and complex nose, notes of honey and fruits. I added that I got the aroma of roasted pineapple, others mentioned apple, a little anise and a caramel aftertaste. We comment that wine is a world to explore and play with flavors that reach the nose, the memory. It is an intimate relationship between the wine and those who enjoy it.
In the analysis of the third wine, a red from Bodegas Corral, between the end of the second chop and the arrival of the third from a nine-year-old ox with five-year fat, someone asked about the maturation times of the meat. “Between 30 and 45 days,” responded Nagore Rodríguez from the Jakitea association. For Méndez, enough. “I'm not interested in more than that,” he stated emphatically.
“There are those who eat for 40 to 50 days,” observed Azpeitia, leading the conversation to turn to matured meat, a matter of taste and countless opinions, which implies perfection in temperature and humidity control in refrigeration.
Xabier, Iker's brother, commented on the other hand, that when they receive beef, they take advantage of everything: cheeks, tail, legs, tripe, snout and they put it on the menu. “We cut the rib thick and use it in stews,” he said. Regarding maturation, 21 days is enough. “Although if the pieces have a lot of fat, they can last up to two to three months, but optimally, 21 days.” He added that it all depends on the breed and age of the animal.
Subsequently, we continue the description of the 2018 Altos del Corral Crianza from a century-old winery, 100 percent Tempranillo, 12 months in new American oak barrels, balanced with spicy notes, intense cherry red, complex aroma between red fruits and vanilla. “The palate is intense, voluminous,” said the vintner. He added that it is produced only in great vintages and 2018 was good.
“And excellent in 2019. Just like those in 2011, 2010, 2005, 2004,” stated Adolfo De Pedro, salesperson at Lar de Paula wineries. “In the same way they were in 1964, 1982, 1994, 1995,” recalled Xabi Gutiérrez, chef and writer, precursor of the crime novel genre, the 'gastronomic noir'.
The fourth wine: red Jesús Madrazo No. IV 2019 Rioja, is the creation of the winemaker of the same name, former leader of Viñedos de Contino. It is Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha with 14 months of aging. It was defined as complex, structured and careful, tasty and elegant in the mouth and glass due to its intense cherry color.
In reference to the chops accompanied with lettuce and chives, we commented that the first stood out for its mild flavor, the second for being redder and with an intense flavor, possibly because it had a little more salt. The third was the smoothest due to the high fatty infiltration, five, which causes a sensation of melting on the palate. The accentuated flavor was due to the prolonged maturation of 40 days. We conclude that the three were poetry, the wines were odes to the Rioja and the dessert cheeses were an exaltation of the terroir.
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