Top Press Quotes

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 Top Food & Wine Experts Writing on Gerry Dawes &  The Spanish Artisan Wine & Spirits Group – Gerry Dawes Selections

“You have worked on Spain like no one else.  You have done it a step at a time, little by little, but I think it is great that you are finding success with The Spanish Artisan Wine & Spirits Group - Gerry Dawes Selections and that after so many years of trips to Spain and of knowing and loving Spain, that your efforts are finally going to pay off.” - - José Andrés, Chef-Partner, ThinkFoodGroup; James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef 2011

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“The Spanish Artisan Wine Group-Gerry Dawes Selections wines are like the man, unassuming, sophisticated, and a constant source of joy.  Those wines you left were delicious.  Dawes, you’re an amazing man.” - - Dan Barber, Chef-Partner, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant 2015 

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“Long-time Spanish wine expert and journalist, Gerry Dawes has finally tossed his hat back in the ring of the wine trade here in the United States, creating a new Spanish wine import company that is focused on searching out old school Spanish wines of great character that have resisted (or studiously ignored) the modern trend towards high alcohol and over-oaked wines that have plagued . . . the Iberian peninsula during the last couple of decades.  I have now had a handful of opportunities to taste through the wines in Gerry’s new import portfolio, which he has dubbed The Spanish Artisan Wine & Spirits Group – Gerry Dawes Selections.  

Not surprisingly, given Gerry’s long history of visiting in Spain and knowing the wine regions of the country inside out, his roster of small and very serious winegrowers is as fine a group of Spanish wines as one is likely to find under one umbrella.” - - John Gilman, View From The Cellar.  (John Gilman is considered by many experts to have the best fine wine palate in the country.  Click on link to see article) 

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“Gerry Dawes is a true gastronomad, walking the culinary and cultural by-ways of the Spanish soul and then sharing every bit of his passion and knowledge (both considerable) with the reader.  I once overheard someone say that James Michener said Gerry was the only one qualified to write the sequel to Iberia.  I have learned so much from his experiences -- he is the "go-to" guy for anything authentically Spanish and is unparalleled in his experience with Spanish wines.  Gerry has introduced the world to Spanish chefs (including Ferran Adria), Spanish food products, wines, history (I especially love his respect for Spain's Jewish culture -- and he's not Jewish), and travel.”  - - Rozanne Gold, Four-time James Beard Foundation award-winning chef and author.

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"You have been the lone voice of Spanish food and wine for many, many years.  Finally, the people in the U. S. heard you about wine!  I’ve always appreciated your fine palate.  Now you can truly share your wine discoveries in your portfolio." - - Janet Cam, Restaurant Consultant, Washington, DC. 

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“I have said this before and I’ll say it again, nobody knows Spain like Gerry Dawes. I sincerely doubt that the is another American, and very few, if any, Spaniards can approach, let alone surpass his knowledge of the people, food, wine and culture of Spain. He has been frequenting the depths, breadths and heights of the country as a second home for nearly fifty years, leaving no stone, and especially no wine, unturned during that time.” -- Wining and Dining Around Spain with Gerry Dawes: Part 1 (of a 6-part series) by John Sconzo, Docsconz: Musings on Food & Life, March 10, 2015 

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"Your Spanish Artisan Wine & Spirits Group - Gerry Dawes Selections collection is not just the strongest voice in wine from Spain, but very likely the most distinctive I've seen from anywhere. It's so very you, Gerry, and that's saying it's the best."-- Andy Clurfeld, Pulitzer Prize finalist, restaurant critic, James Beard Restaurant Awards Judge coordinator and a top wine consultant-wine educator in New Jersey. 

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"The 22 Spanish Artisan Wine & Spirits Group – Gerry Dawes Selections wines sampled, all of character and interest reflect terruño (terroir) and winemaking skills of resolutely down-to-earth grape farmers who ferment with native yeasts and don’t give one hoot about the 100-point scoring regime." - - Howard G. Goldberg (New York Times, Decanter) 

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"The wines that Gerry Dawes is importing from Spain are appealing because they are affordable and yet have individual character. They haven't been smoothed out to be merely drinkable or, even worse, just to make a big first impression.  They go brilliantly with food, which is the right place for wine. And they speak of the land and the winemakers that gave birth to them." - - Arthur Lubow (New York Times, Smithsonian, Inc.) 

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"In his nearly thirty years of wandering the back roads of Spain," Gerry Dawes has built up a much stronger bank of experiences than I had to rely on when I started writing Iberia...His adventures far exceeded mine in both width and depth..." -- James A. Michener, author of Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections

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“The American writer and town crier for all good Spanish things Gerry Dawes . . . the American connoisseur of all things Spanish . . .” Michael Paterniti, The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge and The World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese

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"I have been reading Gerry Dawes’ work on Spain for years, have been guided by him on visits to Spain, depend on him to answer any questions I might have about Spain, and hear from him when I get something wrong about Spain. No one is a more indefatigable lover and authority about his adopted country, and no one writes better about its food and wines."- - John Mariani, Mariani's Virtual Gourmet Newsletter; columnist for Esquire, Wine Spectator, Bloomberg News and Radio, and Diversion.  Mariani is the author of The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink (Lebhar-Friedman), The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink (Broadway), and, with his wife Galina, the award-winning Italian-American Cookbook (Harvard Common Press). 

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"My first introduction to Spanish cuisine was a fabulous two-week trip I took all around Spain with Gerry Dawes in 1990." -- Thomas Keller, Chef-owner, The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery. 

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“As with most culinary adventures, for Terrance Brennan (Chef-owner of New York City's Picholine and Artisanal restaurants; Founder of Artisanal Premium Cheese Center) it began as an occasional whisper. Then it became a persistent drone. And, finally a repetitive shout: 'Spain! Go to Spain! . . . Spain is the new France!' It was hard to ignore, so when his long-time friend Gerry Dawes suggested a whirlwind gastronomic tour of Spain, Terrance leapt at the idea.  Dawes often referred to as 'Mr. Spain' (in culinary and wine circles), is an expert on that country's food, wine, and culture, and was the ideal person with whom to make the pilgrimage." Reigning in Spain: Blazing Through a Culinary Tour, The Artisanal Table, Summer 2008. 

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"Going to Spain with Gerry Dawes as Janet and I have done is one of the greatest ways imaginable to take in what is white-hot or classic regarding all things gastronomia. Treat yourself and those you love to the real insider's tour and join the Gerry tapeo!  Gerry, You are a Gent and a Scholar.  Not to mention the best tour of Spanish Food and Wine in the World." -- Norman Van Aken, "The Father of New World Cuisine, "Chef, Author, Restaurateur

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"I have taken ten trips to Spain, but the best trip was the one (of the six) Gerry Dawes orchestrated for me. His love and knowledge of the foods and wines of Spain are intoxicating. His ever present enthusiasm made my Spanish experiences with him memorable." - - Mark Miller, Chef/owner, Coyote Cafe (Santa Fe, New Mexico), winner of the James Beard Foundation's Southwestern Chef of the Year Award 1996. 

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"Just wanted to send you a big THANK YOU for the world's greatest two-hour tour of Madrid. From the boquerones to the capes at Seseña to the good company, we loved every minute! Hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again soon...on any continent. With appreciation." - - Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, James Beard Award-winning co-authors of BECOMING A CHEF, CULINARY ARTISTRY, DINING OUT, CHEF'S NIGHT OUT, THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, THE FLAVOR BIBLE and ON MASTERING WINE (forthcoming from Little, Brown), Web: www.becomingachef.com

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"Gerry Dawes, I can't thank you enough for opening up Spain to me." -- Michael Chiarello on Twitter. 

"Chiarello embarked on a crash course by traveling to Spain for 10 days in 2011 with Food Arts contributing authority Gerry Dawes, a noted expert on Spanish food and wine. Coqueta's (Chiarello's new restaurant at Pier Five, San Francisco) chef de cuisine, Ryan McIlwraith, later joined Dawes for his own two week excursion, as well. Sampling both old and new, they visited wineries and marketplaces, as well as some of Spain's most revered dining establishments, including the Michelin three-star Arzak, Etxebarri, the temple to live fire-grilling; Tickets, the playful Barcelona tapas bar run by Ferran Adrià and his brother, Albert; and ABaC, where Catalan cooking goes avant-garde." - - Carolyn Jung, Food Arts, May 2013. 

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“I'm proud to say that we are one the first stores in the country to carry these wines (along with great Astor Wines & Spirits in NYC) of The Spanish Artisan Wine and Spirits Group – Gerry Dawes Selections.  They're mostly sold to restaurants (80%).  Brilliant wines.  Mencias plus Godello, Albariños and other whites from Northwest Spain.  As Gerry Dawes calls it, Atlantic Spain.  The Northwest: Galicia, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras, Monterrei and Bierzo. Gerry also imports wine from two phenomenal wineries in Navarra and Rioja. The Aliaga Navarra Rosado is perhaps the best still rosé I've ever had and it will be $14.99.

"The best part and what makes me proud, is that I sought Gerry out and found these wines when they were relatively unknown.  Collectively, these are some of the most interesting wines I've tasted in my 28 year career.  The fact that they are all in one portfolio is even more amazing. The fact that Gerry is a class act and a righteous human being is for me icing on the cake. Come in and buy some of these wines. The added bonus is the most expensive wine of the 7 I brought in today is $25.99." - - Jeffrey Davis, then Buyer for wines from Spain and Bordeaux, The Wine Library, Springfield, NJ (the Gary Vaynerchuk family store), now GM Wine Legends Brooklyn. 

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