After a great night at Kabila, we would like to thank its staff and organizers for the event which was absolutely free for IE students. We’d like to share these pictures to remember the night that took place between tapas, cava, wine and snacks. Enjoy them, and thank you everybody for joining us.

Después del éxito en Kabila sólo nos queda agradecer a la administración de Kabila y a los organizadores por el evento que no tuvo ningún costo para los alumnos del IE. También les enviamos estas fotos para recordar la noche que transcurrió entre tapas, cavas, vinos y piqueos. Disfrútenlas y a todos gracias por la marcada asistencia!!

The Gourmet Club’s first dinner was an inviting, high-level culinary experience. People from different IE programs came to share in the fun and the feast. Those who attended had the pleasure of enjoying good wine, Piamontinos (the chef’s specialty), salmon parmetier and homemade ice cream. Thank you to all of the people who joined in the experience, and we especially thank Fortuny Restaurant for lending us their facility and for being so kind.

La primera cena del club Gourmet fue acogedora y de buen nivel culinario. A ella asistieron personas de las diferentes especialidades del IE, quienes gozaron de una variada cena que se festejó entre buenos vinos, Piamontinos (especial del chef), Salmón sobre parmentier y helados artesanales. Agradecemos a todos por asistir, y en especial al restaurant Fortuny por las facilidades otorgadas.

Durante los pasados días 24 y 25 de enero, el Club Gourmet del IE estuvo presente en el conocido evento gastronómico, Madrid Fusión.

En esta sexta edición, han tenido la oportunidad de asistir algunas conferencias como:

Aromas: Cocinar con aceites esenciales
Escuelas de corte del jamón ibérico - Auspiciado Jamones 5J
La magia de la plancha - Chef presentes Miguel Palomo, Raúl Aleixandre y Francis Paniego
Pastelería fantástica - Christian Escribà y Jacob Torreblanca

Los representantes pudieron participar en la muestra de los mejores productos que el paladar puede sentir. También pudieron conversar personalmente con chefs de la categoría de Ferran Adrià, Sergi Arola y Juan Mari Arzak. Finalmente, degustaron productos bandera de las distintas regiones a nivel nacional e internacional.

En nombre del Club Gourmet, aprovechamos en agradecer la amabilidad del departamento de Prensa de IFEMA.

SALUDOS

Walter León (MBA08)
Presidente
Club Gourmet

The Gourmet Club first gathering of 2007 took place in “Maceira”, a charming Galician tapas bar located in the very heart of Madrid, close to Calle Huertas. About 20 IE students attended the lively informal dinner. This was yet another opportunity for students from different classes to enjoy each others company. Spirits were high all night and as the evening came to an end, the promise of a new reunion was agreed. (but only after exams!)

Dear Colleagues,

During the next few months we will take you through a journey of discovery of the scent and flavors of Iberia.

This will be an informal way of getting to know everybody at the IE, while enjoying good food and wine.

We will be organizing tapas tours and wine tastings around Madrid, so bring your partners if you wish, that’s the all idea!

If you have any suggestions as to activities that you would like to see happening, drop us a line!

We are organizing our first "Tapas Tour" of Madrid this week:

When: Tomorrow Thursday, 1st of February at 20h30 sharp
(If you arrive earlier it will be closed, if you arrive after 21h00 there might be no table)
Where: Gathering at Taberna Maceira
Taste: Simple Galician food and Albarino wine;
How much: There is no fee, you pay what you eat and drink.

Taberna Maceira (the small one)
Calle Jesús 7
91 429 15 84
Madrid
(Its close to Calle Huertas)

Please enroll ASAP, the bars we are going are usually small, so only a limited number of people will be able to go.
Please reply to: gourmet.club@ie.edu

Let’s get moving!
Saludos
Ricardo Mesquita (Gourmet Club coordinator)

The Gourmet Club 2006, coordinated by João de Sousa Barroca, David Millán, Susana Sariego and Christopher Perras, all IMBA06, has organized a series of 4 events this year to display the rich gastronomy and wine culture of Spain.

First, in November 2005, the Club hosted a wine tasting by Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen (CRDO) Ribera del Duero, a region famous for its intense reds, full of ripe aromas and elegance – one shouldn't expect less from the region home to Vega Sicilia’s reputed wines!

Shortly thereafter the Club welcomed the turrón makers “Hijos de Manuel Pico Llórens” of Jijona, a family owned company that presented a wide variety of the typical Spanish delicacy and demonstrated how they manage to keep the manufacturing authentic.

In April Mr. Agustín Lago from CRDO Rías Baixas conducted a wine tasting of this Galician denomination, renowned for its superb, fruity whites. He presented four Albariño wines, including a rare bottle served at the Wedding Reception of HRH the Prince of Asturias!

Finally, in July the Club hosted Ms. Carmen Aumesquet from CRDO Jerez. After the "Jerez discovery" session, all agreed with Shakespeare's famous quote: "If I had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach them would be to abjure all insipid drinks and dedicate themselves to sherry wine" .

We thank all these sponsors for making possible the IE Gourmet Club!!!

Once more, an initiative from Instituto de Empresa alumni has attracted the attention of a prestigious magazine such as Business Week.

Four graduates from IE Business School International MBA program have launched Smart Wine Selections (www.smartwineselections.com ), a business project centred on the export of Spanish wines to Mexico and the U.S.

The founding of the company has appeared in Business Week on the 15th of February, in an article referring to the increasing importance of the wine industry and of career opportunities for MBA graduates that this industry can offer.

It all started last summer, when Juan Galí (IMBA05), one of the founders of the IE Gourmet Club, got the idea of creating this wine exporting company, taking advantage of the group´s contacts in the industry and the framework set by Instituto de Empresa with the AVE projects.

Juan Galí and Miguel Ángel Pérez from Spain, and Mexicans Isaac Ezban and Jerónimo del Villar, all of them IMBA05, decide to implement this project when they finished the International MBA. The team was perfect to set up a business related to wine: Miguel Ángel´s family has vineyards in Valencia, Juan Galí´s partner is American and works exporting Rioja to the U.S., and the Mexican graduates had good knowledge of international trade and contacts in Mexico who could help them introduce Spanish wine there.

Hence the 4 joined forces and decided to draw up a business plan for their company, Smart Wine Selections, with the help of professors from Instituto de Empresa Entrepreneurship Department. The company is now taking its first steps, offering a dual service to Spanish wine producers who are not large enough to have their own network in the U.S., and to American importers, to whom they offer what Miguel Ángel Pérez, one of the company´s 4 partners, describes as "a high-quality selection of wines and unique varieties of grape that would otherwise be extremely difficult to find, because they are only grown here in Spain".

Miguel Ángel is confident that the US market is open to new flavours, and is demanding "wines that are a bit different from the usual cabernet-sauvignon, with a hint of cherry or a full-oak flavour" he explains. That´s were Spain comes into play, with its potential, its exquisite wine-producing processes and its different varieties of indigenous grape. "They call Spain 'the sleeping giant' ", he adds, "because we are the world´s third biggest wine producer and our quality is constantly improving, but we have a long way to go where the international market is concerned".

Read the article in Business Week Download file

•The Gourmet Club provides IE students with the unique opportunity of getting to know the best of the Spanish wines and gastronomy by hosting several talks and tasting events with invited speakers and tasters. The Club members are in contact with several companies and official entities who wish to show their products to the international body of IE and thus raise international awareness on their gourmet brands.

•Fine wine tasting events were hosted, from the regions of Ribera del Duero, Rias Baixas and Jerez as well as a tasting of Turrón, a Spanish sweet delicacy. With part of the Club’s earnings we contributed with a whole jamón and wine bottles to the Global Village cocktail fundraising for “Children with West Syndrome”.