2018

S4.E1 ∙ Episode #4.1

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Ilja starts his new season in Spain in mass tourism provinde Alicante. Its homonymous city's castle is a layered panaorama of its long, violent history, from Antiquity to Franco's civil war. Among the many remants frm seven centuries of Morrish presence/rule are Arabian date palms, so he visits a plantation and tastes their date wine, - bread and - liquor. Developper Francesco prouldy shows his luxurious novel posh estate and serves its most expensive wine Fondillon. Pirate island Nueva Tabarca was cleaned up when popular king Carlos III resettled there Italo-Tunesian fishermen, whose descendants still serve as speciality caldero, a dish combining fish soup and paella. Blasted tourist tumor Benidorm is a vulgar hell for inquisitive men like Gorts, who warns against realizing a dream like the fisherman who got the development ball rolling in the former village which now annually hosts 13 million. Finally to Benissa for its moscatel table grapes and mistela wine cooperative.

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S4.E2 ∙ Episode #4.2

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Ilja visits Asturia(s), a rural, little-known mountainous region in the north(west). Its kings played a proud part in preventing the Moors conquering all Iberia, resisting Arab conquest in caves and battles, making them and a local Madonna still-revered heroes of Christian survival. Caves are still used, as for ripening 14 months the world's most penetrating cheese. Life is hard, on land and at sea, where Gorts joins a fisherman yet releases the huge lobster he bought aboard. Running a vineyard is quite a challenge on steep rocky slopes, but Ilya finds proof it can be done and yields good wine.

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S4.E3 ∙ Episode #4.3

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Back in Andalusia, Ilja visits the southwestern-most province of Huelva, between Portugal and Gibraltar, reputed for its exceptionally hot temperament and chauvinism. Every town has its Catholic festival, usually devoted to some miraculous Virgin, with a competition and active veneration. Atheist Gorts sneaks out to visit the craftsman who makes the drums used only therefor, by hand from from scratch. And of course there's good wine.

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S4.E4 ∙ Episode #4.4

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Ilja visits the most different and now richest region of Spain, Catalonia, which was long poor and oppressed but is proud of its own culture an language. A remnant from the poor agricultural days is the typical breakfast, based on bread with modest doses of tomato and olive oil. Th pride of the significant wine industry is the Catalan invention 'cava' (term adopted in half of Spain), its own version of champagne, using the French method with other grape combinations, as in the estate Ilja visits before popping into a school which trains people of all generations in a confidence-building Catalan tradition: building human pyramids, often demonstrated during Catholic festivals.

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S4.E5 ∙ Episode #4.5

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Ilja visits the natural and historical, but official nor administrative region of Tierra de Campos ('land of fields') within Castile and Leon. Its a naturally dry but fertile plain of Central Spain, essentially devoted to growing wheat. Since the Roman age, the rare wine produced is stored in cool underground 'caves'. Ilja is shown around a typical wheat farm by an immigrated farmer who also became the alcalde (mayor) of one of he many tiny villages. Finally he enjoys a visit to the region's (and provincial) inconspicuous, quiet capital Palencia, especially the market complex, where on can enjoy free tasting of the limited but sufficient offer of regional produce, deal for a simple meal.

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