Rioja Wine Tasting Featuring Bodegas Ontanon, Bodegas Montecillo, CVNE and more with Special Guest Ana Fabiano Celebrating Rioja Women’s History Month

"With bread and wine you can walk your road"



Spanish Proverb quotes

I will never forget my first trip to Spain in 1994.  The Spanish government had a program where they gave wine industry professionals an opportunity to win an all expenses paid trip to visit several of the major wine producing regions in Spain for FREE.  All you had to do was take a test and be one of the two highest scoring individuals in your market and your on your way to Spain business class airfair, all accommodations and meals were courtesy of the Spanish wine industry.

The leader of our group of industry leaders was none other than Ana Fabiano, who at that time was considered one of the foremost experts on Spanish wines living in the United States.  She was a wealth of knowledge, and the trip was a "Once in a Lifetime" opportunity to learn about Spanish wines visiting some of Spain's top wineries in VIP fashion.  I remember every winery we visited rolled out the red carpet and we finished our lunches with Spanish brandy and Cuban cigars. 



We had a great evening at the Wine Bar with Ana in 2022 and when she contacted me about featuring Toni in a promotion called Rioja Women’s History Month happening during the month of March we put Friday March 21st on the calendar to feature these wineries for a special night along with a themed dinner prepared by chef Toni.



Join us as we welcome Ana back to South Florida for a special evening of Rioja wines from three great wineries celebrating women in the world of Spanish winemakers and of course our chef Toni Lampasone.  Join us as we experience wines from Bodegas Ontañón, Bodegas Queirón, Bodegas Montecillo, CVNE along with older vintages from the Wine Watch cellar along with a special meal prepared by Chef Toni Lampasone.  The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $225 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com











Rioja Wine Tasting Featuring Bodegas Ontanon, Bodegas Montecillo CVNE and more

with Special Guest Ana Fabiano

Friday, March 21, 2025

7:30 PM

2018 Cvne Monopole Clasico Blanco Seco

2022 Ontanon "Kaori" (100% viura)

2023 Ontanon Tempranillo Blanco

2015 Ontanon Rioja Reserva

2019 Queirón Rioja Vino De Quel Mi Lugar

2017 Bodegas Montecillo Reserva

2017 Bodegas Montecillo Edicion Limitada

2015 Montecillo Rioja Gran Reserva

1994 Bodegas Montecillo Gran Reserva Rioja

2019 CVNE Cune Reserva Rioja

2017 CVNE Cune Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja

2007 CVNE Cune Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja

Menu

Jamon De Serrano Manchego

Sardines Tacos with Roasted Red Pepper Relish

Patas a Rioja  - Chorizo Stew

Torta Espanola with Olive Tapenade

Pork Belly with Tempranillo Natural Sauce

Dulce de Leche

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $225 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any food allergies or aversions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you. 

Celebrating Rioja Women’s History Month

A bit about Toni Lampasone

My professional career began in the restaurant business but not in the kitchen as a manager in the front of the house.  When I met Andrew in 1997 and we bought Wine Watch in1998 I was not even a modest cook as I never really spent any time in the kitchen until our children were born in 2003 and 2004.  I wanted to make sure our children ate good healthy food, so I began cooking for the family.  When Andrew suggested that I start preparing the food for our wine events at Wine Watch, I was a bit hesitant at first but after he assured me that if my cooking was good enough for him and our children it is good enough for our “Wine Drinking People” at Wine Watch.  One of the guiding forces in honing my skills in the kitchen were two dear friends I worked with at Café Maxx, chef Oliver Saucy and chef Mike Saperstein.   While working with these two chefs at Café Maxx I saw food creativity that I had never experienced before and as I began my career in the kitchen these two friends answered hundreds of questions about preparing certain dishes at the wine bar. 

Mercedes Garcia - BODEGAS MONTECILLO

Mercedes Garcia grew up in Madrid yet her family owned land in Soria which is south of Rioja. There they cultivated various crops but in early childhood, she fell in love with the vineyards that inspired her to study viticulture and winemaking in Madrid. Thereafter, she joined a winery of the prestigious Sherry House Osborne as a winemaker. In 2008, the offer to join the winemaking team at their centenary winery Bodegas Montecillo in Rioja was presented to her, and in her words, she hightailed up to Rioja in a nanosecond embracing the opportunity. By 2015 she became chief winemaker driven by the potential, challenge, and centenary history. At Montecillo, she has instituted brave and groundbreaking changes with growers, barrel management, and aging. Most importantly, a fresh new selection of wine offerings some of which we are tasting tonight.

Raquel Perez Cuevas BODEGA ONTAÑON

Raquel Perez Cuevas is the Managing Director for Bodega Ontañon and the 4th generation family member responsible for the family vineyards, winemaking, and a fabulous cultural and tasting center located in Logroño the capital of La Rioja. A proud ancestral heartbeat pulses strongly in Raquel and she cherishes childhood memories in the prized family vineyards such as “La Pasada”. Today, together with her three siblings they are at the helm of the winery, producing world-class wine anchored in quality, loyalty to their land, family vineyards, and sustainability. The family are passionate pioneers for their village of Quel located in the Rioja Oriental (Eastern Rioja) of the DOCa Rioja. The label for their Queirón Estate astounding Tempranillo Blanco reads like an old printer's press and is both intentional and informative

Maria Larrea CVNE

Maria Larrea has been the chief winemaker at the prestigious centenary winery CVNE (Compañia Vinícola del Norte de España) for over two decades. It is owned by the fifth-generation Urrutia family and is located in Haro, the epicenter of centenary wineries. A Riojan, as a child, Maria tended to family vineyards and felt that it was impossible to not fall in love with winemaking. Today she leads a tight full female winemaking team, many of whom graduated from the University of Rioja, in Logroño. She explains that she was not seeking a female team but made her selections purely on merit and it turned out they were all women. She shares her greatest moment as when their Imperial Gran Reserva 2004 won #1 wine of the year from Wine Spectator magazine in 2013. It was the first Spanish wine ever to receive this iconic award and for her and the family a tremendous professional and personal milestone.

Ana Fabiano AUTHOR, THE WINE REGION OF RIOJA

Ana Fabiano is recognized in and outside the DOCa Rioja as a leading expert on the Rioja wine region and has carried out countless visits to the region. She was a co-founder and Managing Director of RIOJATRADE, the wine government entity dedicated to the business development of Rioja wine in the USA and Canada. During her tenure, Rioja USA shipments more than doubled in volume and increased in value. At that time, she also researched and authored the first and only Rioja book by a USA publisher titled The Wine Region of Rioja. It is award-winning and in its 2nd edition. She maintains her expertise daily through continual research, and exchanges with her mentors and colleagues in Rioja. Her vast research, Rioja’s successful plan to position the region as world-class, along with the strong lineage and presence of the female in Rioja inspired her to create this Tribute.