Dinner with clients and educators in the Windy City as we prepare to lead an all-day training course tomorrow at the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago. Yes that is a fantastic tuna tartar, mushrooms, and a smear of something creamy–squash? potato?–on my plate. I’m not sure in hindsight but know I absolutely crushed it like a viking and left only the faintest hint of dressing on my plate. Old friends and new spent a few relaxing hours together at this restaurant…

2011 Bodegas Avanthia Godello, Galicia, Spain.

…As an accompanying beverage, we selected the 2011 Avanthia Godello–my first of this varietal. It’s been rated well by experts, but we were the most important critics on this particular evening. This Godello, which is aged in French Oak barrels for seven months, did not disappoint in the slightest.

Located in the mountains of Spain next to El Barco de Valdeorras in the province of Galicia, this winery brings a bright, minerally white to the table in the 2011 Acanthi Godello. I know that you often hear the wine bourgeois talk about “terroir” when referring to grapes, and this is one of those occasions when I agree with them. You can almost picture the soil where these grapes were growing as you sip contentedly. The vines were planted in 1975 nearly 1,500 feet above sea level in soil consisting of slate and quartz.

According to the winemaker, “The 35-year-old vines are grafted from the gnarled 300-year-old Godello vine planted by monks but now resides in the courtyard of the present-day winery.” Sounds cool, doesn’t it? The wine steward was very happy with our choice when we selected this 2011 Avanthia, and I was too when having it with my tuna dinner. Fun to research, and even more enjoyable to drink.