Refinery 29: 14 desserts you MUST try this fall -
Our dessert was featured on Refinery 29 and touted as 1 of 14 desserts you MUST try this fall. Click the link above to see the post!
“Boqueria: Tarta de Manzana. The Spanish just know how to do things right: siestas, epic lunches, Ibiza. And, now, Boqueria highlights the warm flavors of fall with its take on a classic apple tart: the Tarta de Manzana, a flaky puff pastry decorated with slivers of Granny Smith apples, a scoop of almond ice cream, caramel sauce, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.”
~ By Jennifer Einhorn, Refinery 29
WHAT A GREAT NIGHT!
Follow our Hong Kong Team and the recent opening: @BoqueriaHK
Telmo Rodriguez is an acclaimed winemaker throughout Spain. He began his career as the winemaker at his family’s winery, Remelluri in Rioja, and left in the early 90s to pursue his own projects. 
[Remelluri’s picturesque and sprawling vineyard nestled in the hills of Rioja]
http://www.remelluri.es
Focusing on varietals indigenous to Spain, Telmo helped reinvigorate interest in such grapes as Godello, Verdejo, Monastrell, and Moscatel all the while insisting on biodynamic farming in all his vineyards. Telmo now boasts properties in 8 D.O.s with wines that run the gamut from everyday drinking to special occasion gems. 
[This map from Telmo Rodriquez depicts the vast area from which his wines hail.]
Click the Map to enlarge
We invite you to join us in celebrating the wines of COMPAÑIA DE VINOS TELMO RODRIGUEZ as we feature 5 selections from his portfolio at all three Boqueria locations:
Gaba do Xil Mencia, Valdeorras, Galicia 2010
Made from 100% Mencia in the town of Santa Cruz, this lush, mineral studded red reflects the steep granite slopes dotted with chestnut trees that make up the vineyard named La Falcoiera. The wine has an intensity of red fruits, tart acidity, and delicate tannins.
[Vineyard, Santa Cruz, Galicia, February 2008]
© Compañia de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez S.L.
MR Moscatel, Malaga, 2011
A hand-picked, late harvest Moscatel fermented in stainless steel that Telmo has made in the style of “Mountain Wines” (The 17th century English term for sweet Moscatel wines from in and around Malaga). The wine shows aromas of peach and nectarine and delivers a palate of ripe oranges and gingerbread. The finish is bright with minerality from the slate mountail soil.
[From the winery and vineyards of Competa, September 2007]
© Compañia de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez S.L.
Dehesa de Gago, Tinto de Toro, Toro 2011
The Gago is a Spanish breed of bull that is elegant and powerful. The vines are bush-trained and hand-picked at harvest. Fermentation is done in cement and stainless steel, and then aging returns to cement for 4-6 months. The wine captures the concentration of dark fruit with a balance of acidity and tannins.
Gago, Tinto de Toro, Toro 2008
Like all the Telmo Rodriguez wines from Toro, Gago is 100% Tinto de Toro (the local clone of Tempranillo). It is picked by hand, fermented by natural yeasts in neutral cement casks, and aged in a combination of foudres and new and seasoned French barriques for around a year. The wine shows serious structure with beautiful, deep and intense fruit and spiciness.
[La Grulla, Argujillo, Toro, February 2008]
© Compañia de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez S.L.
Pegaso, Castille y Léon, Garnacha 2004
The vineyard at Cebreros near Madrid sits in the shadow of the La Paramera mountains. The bush-trained vines are all 60-80 years old with deep roots dug into the schist slopes of the mountains. The wine is vinified by native yeasts in large wooden casks, and then aged in seasoned French barrels for 24-30 months. Fewer than 400 cases were made. The palate reminds one of smoky red berries with hints of mocha and herbs tied together with a bracing minerality.
We were disappointed to learn that Amaya Arzuaga wouldn’t be presenting at the NYC MBFW after the stunning showing of her Fall/Winter 2012-2013 collection in Paris:
Photo Source
PARIS FASHION WEEK – “Look after look at the Amaya Arzuaga show in Paris emulated chicness to a tee. The F/W 12/13 collection showcased streamlined silhouettes in deep wintery hues with slight touches of art deco details that elevated them to a whole new level. The show featured necklines in deep cuts, square-necks, and turtle necks alike.” [1]
Amaya, a Spanish designer hailing from Burgos (Northern Spain in the autonomous community of Castile and León) completed her studies in fashion design at the Madrid Polytechnic University in 1992. In a short two years she created her own label, launched her first ready-to-wear collection in Paris and organized her first show at Barcelona Fashion Week.[2] Even more impressive, she was the first Spanish Designer ever to show at London Fashion Week.[3] 
Photo Source
What makes this bold and daring Spanish designer even more endearing to us is that her design aesthetic transcends the borders of fashion and enters the world of wine. Amaya and her brother, Ignacio Arzuaga, make their own collection of wine, Amaya Arzuaga Coleccion, of which the first vintage debuted in 1996.[4] The wine is produced at their father’s winery, Bodegas Arzuaga, in Ribera del Duero and is comprised of 100% Tinto Fino (local name for Tempranillo). Amaya’s impeccable taste shines through in her work on the runway and in the bottle and we look forward to many more vintages. ¡Salud!
The Peñín Guide 2011 Tasting notes: Colour: cherry, garnet rim.
Nose: ripe fruit, red berry notes, sweet spices, mineral.
Palate: flavourful, ripe fruit, spicy, round tannins.
A sneak peak at the Fall/Winter 2012-2013 Line of Manolo Presents a much more sober collection in darker, lush and rich autumn colors with many styles on a new thick stacked heel.
Some of the inspiration from surrealism that was visible in the Spring-Summer 2012 collection is still prevalent in the new line. The bright, contrasting colors derived from the works of Henri Matisse and the fluid shapes of sculpture artist Henry Moore are seen in the VULGARA, PERPETA and MOLO styles.
Some of the new styles incorporate quirky shapes and chunky stitching (COROLLA) and almost arts and craft like shapes, as seen in the ENCAJE, while favorite Manolo styles such as the PITITA remain steadfast in the intricate details we’ve come to love from this designer. Manolo never ceases to push the envelope of creativity and imagination and we can’t wait to see what else is in store.
Source: manoloblahnik.com
Where to buy: 31 West 54th Street, NYC, 10019
A Short History by Britt Nelson, Boqueria, Washington DC
Informally know as the “holy man of shoes” Manolo Blahnik has dominated the shoe business since he first opened his boutiques in the 1970’s. Born and raised in Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands, Manolo Blahnik and his family would often make trips to Paris and Madrid where his mother would order clothes from her favorite couturier. Although Manolo Blahnik was destined to be a famous fashion designer his parents sent him off to the university in Geneva to study politics and law. In 1965 however, he left Geneva to study art in Paris. After a few years in Paris he moved to London and made a living by working in various boutiques as well as dabbling as a stage set designer. It wasn’t until a trip to New York that Manolo Blahnik was truly recognized for his talent. Paloma Picasso, a dear friend of his from Paris soon introduced him to Diana Vreeland, the editor of US Vogue. She told Manolo he should pursue a career in shoe making. He returned to London to design men’s shoes but found it very limiting. It wasn’t until much later that he found his niche in the art of shoe making and started designing women’s shoes. By now many Hollywood stars, young actresses, and even vogue editors sought after his shoes. He became the first man to appear on the cover of British Vogue and even broke into the US by starting his first collection for Bloomingdales. He opened his first US store on New York’s Madison Avenue. Known as the innovator of women’s shoes Manolo Blahnik was able to change mainstream shoe styling from clumpy platforms to a sleek stiletto heel. Manolo Blahnik still remains solely responsible for designing every shoe out of the thousands that carry his name.
Victorio Y Lucchino are two of the most authentic Spanish fashion designers whose work truly embodies the traditions and origins of the Spanish culture. José Victor Rodríguez Caro was born in Palma Del Rio, a city located in the province of Cordoba. José Luis Medina del Corral was also born in Spain however in a city called Seville. Both cities are located within Andalusia, an autonomous community within Spain. Since the team works and lives in Andalusia, much of their inspiration and style hails from this part of Spain. The duo met while in Seville in the design department at the Seville-based company Disart. Soon they started designing clothes together imitating the Spanish culture that surrounded them. Their clothes consisted of sensual textures such as velvets, satins, silks as well as organza and other admired fabrics. The clothes drenched in deep olive green tones, Burgundies, as well as bright yellow and orange shades were the essence of Mediterranean glamour. In 1984 the duo also became well known for their bridal wear collections. In 1992 they decided to expand their label by creating their first fragrance inspired by the famous opera Carmen whose opening act takes place in Seville, Spain. Despite the ever changing times, Victorio Y Lucchino continue to be leading figures of the Spanish fashion scene.
Photo Credit: From the 2012 Bridal Collection
~ Britt Nelson, Boqueria, Washington DC
As New York Fashion Week continues, we celebrate Francisco “Paco” Rabaneda Cuervo, a designer who has contributed greatly to the ever-evolving world of fashion. Once known in the French fashion world as “enfant terrible”, Paco Rabanne was born in San Sebastian, Spain located in the Spanish Basque country. Like many others he drew inspiration from his mother who was Chief Seamstress at the Spanish salon of Balenciaga. Although Paco Rabanne was born in Spain he eventually fled France during the Spanish civil war. It was here that he started his career in fashion by making jewelry for the most distinguished of designers such as Dior, Givenchy and even Spain’s own Balenciaga. It was in 1966 that Paco Rabanne decided to break into the world of Haute–Couture clothing. He soon introduced his first line of dresses named “ the unwearables”. The collection consisted of 12 contemporary dresses and one that stood out in particular; Paco’s first dress made out of pure plastic! He was also the first Spanish fashion designer to use African American fashion models during this time period, which created quite a fuss. His next collection consisted of disposable clothing; actual paper dresses sold in paper envelopes. Once again this proved that Paco Rabanne was not just a fashion designer but also a true innovator offering a new perspective on traditional clothing. Paco Rabanne soon became a famous costume designer, designing clothes for theater, ballet and cinema. His most famous costume was designed for Jane Fonda in the science-fiction film “Barbarella”. Not only an inventor of clothes, Paco Rabanne also made his own fragrances for men and women. Towards the end of his career, Paco Rabanna decided to change with the times and instead work on ready- to wear lines instead of haute couture. Paco’s brand is no longer uni-sex and continues to focus on reinventing the women’s wardrobe!
Photo Source: www.pacorabanne.com
View the Fall/Winter 2012-2013 Collection Online
~ Britt Nelson, Boqueria, Washington DC
Today we are going to honor one of fashions greatest pioneers, Cristobal Balenciaga! Creator of the Balenciaga fashion house, Cristobal Balenciaga was born in a small fishing village named Guetaria located in the Basque region of Spain. It was in this village he spent many of his early years working with his mother who was a seamstress. As a teenager Balenciaga started to work for the most prominent woman of his town, Marquesa de Casa Torres, who ultimately sent him to Madrid for formal training. He soon found great success all over Spain eventually opening his own boutiques. His designs soon became very popular amongst Spanish royalty and aristocrats. Despite the fact Balenciaga was doing so well, with all success comes many obstacles. With the Spanish Civil War taking place Balenciaga was soon faced with the closure of many of his boutiques. This soon forced him to make the decision of moving his boutiques to the most noted fashion capitol of the world, Paris. It was here that he began to join the ranks of the most prominent fashion designers, such as Dior, Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. It was in Paris that Balenciaga soon became famous for his new silhouette for women. He invented fluid clothes without waistlines, elegant ball gowns, high- wasted baby doll dresses, cocoon coats, and balloon skirts. Much of his work was inspired by the Spanish renaissance, young Spanish princesses from portraits by Diego Velazquez, and by toreadors in the Spanish bullfighting rings.
Photo Credit - balenciaga.com
View The full F/W 20012-2013 collection online
~ Britt Nelson, Boqueria, Washington DC
There are two very important questions everyone asks themselves when they wake up in the morning. What am I going to eat? And what am I going to wear? However, taking into account that fashion week begins today, I can only assume what am I going to wear will prevail as the most important question!
There are approximately 138 fashion weeks worldwide, therefore one could say it’s always fashion week somewhere but we all know there is a pecking order and Boqueria is located in the Mecca! In celebration of fashion week we are going to give you a little history about some of Spain’s very own fashion designers who have graced the fashion world with their simplistic yet elegant ways of designing.
Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo
It only feels right to start off fashion week with one of its greatest innovators, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo. Born in Grenada, Spain Fortuny was the son of Mariano Fortuny y Marsal a leading Catalan painter of his day. A man of many talents Fortuny began his early career as a painter, lighting engineer, architect, set designer and director. However Fortuny was most known in fashion design for creating new methods of textile dyeing and printing processes onto fabric. Along with his wife Henriette Negrin, who was a dressmaker, Fortuny was able to reproduce the beauty of ancient brocades, velvets and tapestries.
The Delpho Dress by Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo
Photo from “The Collection” at MoMa online
Fortuny also created the delpho dress, which consisted of finely pleated silk weighed down by glass beads along with Knossos scarf made of silk that was printed with geometric and asymmetrical patterns. Fortuny’s work remains un-replicable, seen in many museums (Palazzo Fortuny) as well as many personal collections.
~ Britt Nelson, Boqueria, Washington DC