Beef chops and wines that catch the eye

Some years ago, researchers from the University of Granada scientifically demonstrated that foods which looked good and well presented dishes stimulated an emotional bond felt towards the food by diners. For example, isn’t the appearance of a bright, juicy, marbled beef chop the best way to awaken our appetite, or in plain language, to make our mouths water?

The beef chop is the noblest cut of meat. Nothing can overshadow it in a carnivore’s greatest dream. From north to south, from east to west, there are many people who will travel miles just to taste the beef chop of  a particular place. And it all began, according to the oldest gourmets of the place, in the famous grill house  Casa Julián in Tolosa. After much trial and error its founder, Julián Rivas, managed to create the perfect iron grill. Years later, in the 60s, he introduced for the first time a variation which would change everything: he swopped beef from the cow for ox. This was an astounding success and cemented the current popularity for the beef chop or chuletón.

Where do the beef chops most highly rated by cooks and customers come from?

Many places stake a claim for their quality and excellence, among them Ávila, with their autochthonous breed of beef raised on the slopes of the Central System, or Navarre, where the cattle graze on the high prairies of the Pyrenees mountain range. The Roxa breed from Asturias is also outstanding, like that from the Gerona Pyrenean region.  But if one type of meat is especially admired then it must be the beef from Galicia.  

One of the most prestigious grills in the world, Etxabarri, in the heart of Vizcaya, always uses Galician beef. Their chef and owner, Bittor Arginzoniz (Premio Nacional de Gastronomia 2016), says that the best-tasting beef is that which comes from the hills and prairies of Lugo and Ourense. And another secret: to make the fire on which his famous txuletones are grilled, Bittor normally used vine twigs which provide powerful aromas which are really good for meat with a certain maturation.

You provide the chuletón, I will bring the wine

The reference to using wood from the vine leads us to speak about wine. What is the best choice to go with a beef chop? It must be a red wine with backbone, with a certain potency and firm, soft tannins at the same time. It must also be complex, with layers of depth so that you can continue to taste it and combine it with each mouthful, slowly and juicily. It has to have fine, pleasant persistence and a lot of character. Mouth-wrapping without overpowering, with a flavour and a mouth feel which match and raise the meat.  

Conde de los Andes is our proposal. The perfect choice due to its character, its roots and its vocation. Moreover, see how good they look together. Going back to where we started off, this pairing of beef chop and Conde de los Andes stirs our appetite with even ore intensity than if we were smelling the appetising meat which has just been put on the embers of the vine twigs.