Our Head Chefs the wines of Mallorca
Having landed on time at Palma Airport on the island of Mallorca, our Head Chefs were whisked off to their hotel to unpack and enjoy a light tapas lunch before heading by train to the famous Bodega Macia Batle. We serve Macia Batle wines in our pubs and the Head chefs’ trip was a big thank you for their efforts over the year but also a trip to help them better understand food and wine matching. The short train journey out of Palma took no longer than 20 minutes, as we arrived in Santa Maria Di Cami where the Bodega is right next to the station. We were hosted by Kars who is a young Dutch sommelier with great passion. He entertained the team and the tour was excellent. Then to the tasting, which celebrated 8 magnificent wines made largely from indigenous grapes from the island. Owner Ramon popped out to meet everyone and entertained the chefs with tune on his famous Mallorcan bag pipes! The wines were tasted with accompanying nibbles. We are shipping in some special wines from Macia Batle for Christmas for our guests to enjoy.
We bid farewell to Kars and Ramon and headed back to Palma to enjoy a great meal at La Bodeguilla a MICHELIN recommended restaurant of some distinction. A great time was had by all.
The next day we headed out in cars to Bodega Castell Miquel in Alaro not far from Binissalem, in the thick of the main wine region of Mallorca. Castell Miquel, as you will see in the photos, has spectacular views and the wines certainly do match those views! Castell Miquel is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc and various red wines under the brand name ‘Stairway to Heaven’ appropriately named after the tiered vineyards that lead to the top, where the wine is produced and tasted. Small nibbles accompanied our tasting, and the sun shone over us as we savoured each of the four wines we tasted. It was a memorable tasting and journey back to Palma as we were driven then back to the small local station to catch the train into Palma for lunch at El Camino. All the chefs ordered their own favourites from the tapas menu and the beer and the wines flowed after a great day again. A stroll around Palma in the warm sunshine was the order of the day before we took the flight home! A massive thanks to our head chefs. They are heroes! It was a pleasure for Mary and I, to honour their incredible work in Mallorca. Well done!
