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Chapter 14
They loaded up the bags into the rental that was waiting for them, and Jason held open Elizabeth's door before getting behind the wheel. Since there was no time difference between the two countries, they didn't have to worry about jet lag. After checking into their hotel, they were going to do some exploring. It was short flight, less than three hours, between Amalfi and San Sebastian. From the airport they were going to drive another hour or so to get to their hotel in Elciego. Although the Bilbao Guggenheim was the thing that Elizabeth wanted to see the most Jason intended to show her as much of this portion of Spain as he could in the month they would be here.
From their time traveling together he knew better than to try to engage her in conversation during the ride. His girl would be taking all the surroundings in, and dealing with sensory overload. It still hadn't completely registered for her that she was getting to see the places that she had longed dreamed of. So he gave her a bit of space to process and grinned as he thought about what her reaction would be when they pulled up to the hotel.
"Close your eyes." He said as they neared their destination.
"Okay." Elizabeth did as he asked wondering why it was necessary. She was enjoying this first view of Spain.
Jason grinned as he parked the car and looked out the front window. The building was not at all to his taste. If he was being honest he thought it was pretty strange, but Elizabeth would recognize it and understand why they were staying here. He got out of the car and helped her out as well. Turning her so that she would see the hotel first he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Open your eyes."
"OH!" Elizabeth said looking at the hotel and then back at Jason. "We are staying here?"
"We are." The Hotel Marques de Riscal was considered one of the best in Spain. But that wasn't why they were here. Nope they were staying here because of who the architect of this ultra-modern building was.
Frank Gehry designed the structure, and it was considered his second Spanish masterpiece. The first was the Bilbao Guggenheim, which they would see in a week or so. The hallmarks of his unique style were all over the structure. Tilted walls, zigzag windows, and cathedral height windows were all waiting to be explored.
"I studied Gehry in school." Elizabeth told Jason.
"I know. You and Johnny had a three hour debate on him." O'Brien was an architecture fan, but not a Gehry fan. He thought the man went too far with his designs. Elizabeth had defended the architect's outside the box thinking. "We are staying in the Frank Gehry suite for the duration of our stay in Elciego."
"Thank you Jason." Elizabeth said looking back at the building. She knew he would be more comfortable in a private villa, but had made the choice to stay here for her.
"You're welcome. Besides how often do you get to stay in a building that looks like that?" He asked laughing. "Come on, we'll check in and decide what to do with the rest of our day." It wasn't that late in the day so they had a lot of time left to do something fun.
They opted to stay in Elciego. It was one of the smallest municipalities they would visit while in the Basque region of Spain which was in direct contrast to Bilbao which was the most populous city. Still for such a small town it was world famous for something other than its five star hotel. Elciego was situated in the award winning Rioja wine producing region. Making it a must destination among foodies around the globe.
So since they were here Jason figured it was a good time to get a wine lesson. The concierge at the hotel had arranged a private tour at one of the local vineyards. Jason knew squat about wine, but Francis did. He said this would be an outstanding experience.
"Mr. Morgan, Ms. Webber welcome to Valdelana. I am Isabel and I will be your tour guide this afternoon." The smiling young woman said greeting them.
"Thank you." Elizabeth spoke for her and Jason. "We are excited to tour the vineyard."
"It's very beautiful, just like the rest of the town, and I don't just say that because I grew up here." Isabel said laughing. "I see you have your camera, there are many places to get fantastic pictures. Let me know if you would like to stop to photograph something. Nothing on the tour is off limits." They didn't have any secret ingredients to protect. Their success was based on the soil and the amazing grapes it produced.
"What will we see today?" Jason wanted to know as they followed their guide.
"We will start out in the vineyard, and I will show you several varieties of the grapes that we grow. If you would like to sample some that will be fine, just please don't pick them without asking first. Not all the grapes are ripe enough to eat and will leave a bad taste in your mouth. That will affect the wine tasting at the end of the tour." Isabel explained. "From there we will come back to the production area. You will see how we process and store our grapes, finally ending with the tasting where you will sample some of our reserve wines which will be paired with some local delicacies. It will take about four hours depending on how often you wish to stop." This was Isabel's only tour today so they could take as long as they liked. "Shall we get started?"
"Yes please." Elizabeth said excited about everything they were going to see.
"Very good. My rig is right this way." Isabel said walking toward a row of cars. They drove out a bit until they reached rows of grapes. Elizabeth hadn't ever seen so many in one place. "There are three reasons our region produces such superior wines." Isabel began as they walked down the rows. "The soil is the first. It is a chalky clay consistency not found anywhere else in the world. The second is our climate. We are protected from the winds that come from the north by the mountains, and because we face southeast we get optimum ripening conditions. Lastly, and the most important, are the grapes. Our wines are Tempranillo and Graciano varieties. Both of which were cultivated here in the Rioja region. We never use foreign grapes which means we can better control our product. Would you like a sample?"
Jason looked at Elizabeth who nodded. "Absolutely."
"Right this way." Isabel took them a few rows over to an area with ribbons tied around the vines. "These are ripe. They will be handpicked tomorrow." She plucked a few fat orbs and held them out to her guests.
"Very mild." Elizabeth said as the flavor burst on her tongue. "Not as sweet as I expected."
"Not as sweet as snacking grapes." Isabel nodded as she ate a grape. "If we start with an overly sweet grape then as it ages the sugars come forth making it sweeter still. More like a dessert wine." They reached the end of the row and she pointed to the North. "Ms. Webber there are the mountains. It is a favorite photography subject."
"I can certainly see why." Elizabeth said raising her camera and firing off a few shots. It would be a stunning picture to hang in the house. "Which type of grape did we try?"
"Graciano." Isabel answered as they got back in the rig. "The next section we visit will be the same type, but a different variety. After that we will visit the Tempranillo section and you can compare the two."
"Having fun?" Jason leaned over and asked his girl.
"I am." Elizabeth would be sure to use her new found knowledge when planning menus back home.
The production portion of the tour was riveting for Elizabeth. She began to see that making wine was its own art form. One that took years of study to master. Everything from how the grapes were picked, to how they were pressed, and then to how they were stored had to be learned. They did get a chance to see some barrels being filled and Elizabeth found herself learning about how the wood of the casks influenced the final flavor of the wine.
"Now comes the fun part." Isabel said smiling. "Our sommelier has selected a few of our wines for you to sample. First we will try a Pinot Noir and that is paired with a smoked salmon bruschetta."
Each glass contained one swallow and each food item was one bite. Just enough to allow the visitors to see how they married well together. Four of their wines were Reserves which meant they had been aged a minimum of one year in the oak barrels and two years in the bottles before being sold. One wine was a Gran Reserve with meant two years in the barrel and three in the bottle before being released to the public.
"Did you enjoy the tasting?" Jason asked as they sampled the last offering.
"I did." Elizabeth assured him. She'd had about a half a glass of wine total so she wasn't at all tipsy.
"Which did you like the best?" He wanted to know.
"They were all good." Elizabeth said not wanting to offend their host.
"Which could you see yourself drinking a bottle of with dinner?" Jason tried that knowing what his girl was doing.
"The Pinot Noir, I guess." Elizabeth had liked that one the most. The wines had just been a bit intense for her palette.
"Would you like to try a white?" Isabel asked her guests. "Not everyone likes red." She also got the unspoken message. She did not like for visitors to leave unsatisfied. "Wait here." She met with the sommelier who quickly poured three more samples. "This is our white, our rose, and the Pinot Noir Joven which is aged less than twelve months in the bottle only."
Elizabeth sampled each taking a sip of water between them. "I like those, the rose the best." She said smiling. These wines didn't over power her palette.
"We will take a case of everything sampled. Two of the rose." Jason told Isabel.
The guide blinked in surprise before answering. "I will get an order form."
"That's a lot of wine." Elizabeth said looking at her boyfriend.
"It's not all for us." Jason said laughing. "Francis wants a case of the gran reserve for his wine cellar. I figure we'll split the rest with our friends and family. Keeping a case of the rose for the house. We'll have it sent home tomorrow." With them staying a month the flight crew would be returning to Port Charles, just like they had during the stay in Italy. He wasn't asking them to be away from the families for the better part of a year. They could take the wine back with them since the Zaccharas were not shipping items purchased outside of Italy. Isabel returned and Jason signed the order form.
"What shall we do now?" Elizabeth wanted to know. The tour had wrapped up in time for siesta.
"I think a nap is in order, and then maybe something to work off the calories of the wine." He answered on a husky whisper. "Then dinner. I made reservations at the hotel's restaurant."
"Sounds wonderful." Elizabeth couldn't wait.
They made love and then rested for a bit. Looking at the clock Jason saw it was time to start getting ready. "I'll shower first and then get dressed." That would leave her the bedroom to get ready.
"Okay." Elizabeth said not moving. She did however take the time to enjoy her boyfriend's body. Walking around naked still wasn't something she was comfortable doing, and she was still sleeping in her pajamas. One day at a time she told herself knowing that she would get more comfortable with Jason seeing her back. But maybe she could get some nicer sleepwear. They would be here for a while, long enough to have something sent to her, so she picked up the phone and made a call.
She wore another incredible ensemble to dinner. A black and topaz floral embellished sleeveless dress, paired with sky high black heels, and the earrings that Lila gifted her. He noticed his girl wore them all the time, only removing them to swim. Jason couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Which was a problem as he needed to look at the menu to order his meal.
"See something you like?" Elizabeth teased she was enjoying that he couldn't stop looking at her.
"Yes." Jason said with a wicked smile. "You are entirely too distracting."
"If you like I can order for you." Elizabeth offered. "That way you can keep looking at me." She finished on a laugh.
"Okay." Jason said closing his menu, he'd never had someone order for him before. He wanted to see what she picked.
When Jason closed his menu the server returned order pad at the ready. "I will start with The Seeds." Which was langoustine, avocado, quinoa, and white garlic. "The gentleman with have the red shrimp carpaccio over tomato tartar with white garlic. For entrées I will have the sea bass, and the gentleman will have the lamb, medium rare. We will share strawberries, bread, and cheese for dessert."
"I had wine sent over." Jason added on. "Some rose from the vineyard."
Elizabeth hadn't known that. "So how did I do?"
"Perfect. You know me well." Jason would have selected those items himself. The wine arrived and was poured. "To fabulous adventures in Spain." Elizabeth tapped her glass to his as their appetizers arrived.
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