So last night’s dinner was amaze. After we tasted through a bunch of Frank Family wines, we had a massive paella feast! This guy Gerard cooked it all for us, and he actually beat Bobby Flay in a paella throwdown so you knew it was gonna be insane.
First we got this sick spread of cheeses, fruit, and killer garlic-saffron shrimp, which did not suck with their Blanc de Noirs (all-Pinot sparkling).
Then we basically just stalked Gerard as the paella bubbled. Some of his secrets: excellent saffron, hot spice, and no stirring (has to form the hard soccarat bottom). He added the ingredients by layers and let them each sit for about 10-15 minutes; it got prettier and prettier til finally it was time to eat. 
I liked the Winston Hill Cabs and Petite Sirah best in the tasting before dinner, but surprisingly the best pairing was the Sangiovese. The gritty and rough spice was close to Spanish reds in that way and held up like a champ to the paella.
Gorgeous dinner next to the vineyard. I love wine country.
grapefriend 
If you visit Barcelona, I can cook a Catalan paella for you & your friends. Enjoy !
Sounds amazing š
That paella looks amazing!!
Yum!! I haven’t had paella in YEARS . . . a real PITA to make, especially if you don’t have a fantastic paella pan like that! Salud!!
Wow-I thought I could “throw down” on paella until I saw this. So cool and the size of his pan is crazy! love it!
Great pictures and of course the paella and of course a red wine with it. good choice, seems delicious.
why oh why did you do that to me….taking my nutrisystem and going to sit in a corner!
The paella looks great, but those shrimps need an adjective beyond awesome.
AV
beautiful photos with a lovely feeling
Like a seven layer dip but only better! Forget visiting the Caribbean: I need to visit wine country!