Wine ice creams, the ultimate for foodies

The ice-cream maker Fernando Saenz together with his wife Angelines González, has been running the Della Sera ice cream parlour in the centre of Logroño for twelve years. In addition to the ice cream parlour in Calle Portales, he has a workshop that serves his exquisite ice creams to restaurants. Sáenz himself even trains the staff of prestigious establishments such as Mugaritz (with 2 stars in the Michelin Guide). Every day you can choose from more than fifty flavours, both sweet and savoury, all of them very original, such as lemon cream with Alfaro oil or melon with Calahorra muscatel. They are pioneers in the creation of ice creams for dressings, such as the white garlic ice cream to accompany a tomato salad.

In his workshop they have created a botanical garden to make ice creams with herbs: "I treat the vegetables by crushing them fresh with frosted water, so they keep all their flavour", says the master ice cream maker from La Rioja, who this season has made wine ice creams fashionable, the most successful of which is the "grape ice cream", made with the grapes left over from the vines harvested at the end of autumn: "This makes them an authentic sweet treat, sweet and even with a touch of raisins. racima grape ice creamSáenz, who treats the grapes like a winemaker, and whose workshop is converted for a few days into a micro-cellar where the grapes are destemmed, selected, crushed and pressed to obtain the must with which the ice cream is made, adds: "That makes them a real treat, sweet and even with a hint of raisin". Very original is the choco-barrica ice cream, which is made by infusing the staves or sticks from the barrels in cold water for six months. This is used to make an ice cream that is covered with chocolate: "The result is reminiscent of a chocolate truffle with brandy, with subtle hints of the wood where the wine has aged".

The Zurracapoteice cream is a traditional drink of the San Mateo festivities in La Rioja, which the ice cream parlour offers only that week and which consists of flavouring a young wine with seasonal fruit (peach) and cinnamon. Liado ice cream is another of Sáenz's delicacies, which is made with the lees where the white wine has fermented. Another homage to wine is the sorbet "Cata de Tokaji", which is made with dried apricots with heather honey and almond blossom: "What we have done is to introduce a combination of flavours that appear in the wine tasting".

A curious version of the classic lemon sorbet with cava is made at Della Sera with its exquisite Viura sorbet with white fruits and basil, whose base is white wine, and which is accompanied by white fruits: green pear and apple: "In thisway we obtain an ice cream designed to be diluted in a part of white Viura wine and thus obtain a 'cocktail' of fresh, oenological and fun aperitif".

PROPOSAL FOR WINE ICE CREAM IN A RESTAURANT VIVANCO

It is common to find wine ice cream or frosting in the cuisine of some prestigious restaurants in the area, such as two exquisite desserts from the Restaurant Vivanco which we share with you, reviewing their curious preparation:

Caramelised bread torrija with wine ice-cream
Start with pears, which are cooked in wine in the traditional way. Remove the pears, which will be used for other desserts. With the broth that remains after the pears have been removed, anti-crystallisers are added to give the ice cream greater creaminess. Then 25% of wine Crianza Tempranillo is added to the juice. The mixture is left to mature for 24 hours and then passed through the ice-cream maker.

Peach confit with rosé frosting
The peach is confit with the rosé wine, cinnamon and vanilla. After 3-4 hours, remove the broth and make a reduction. It is then put in the freezer to let it cool, grated with a fork and placed on top of the peach. A little of the stock is always left aside to be used on top of the composition.

At Vivanco we are committed to innovation in gastronomy through wine, which is why we love initiatives such as the Della Sera ice cream parlour. In the restaurant Vivanco they have a tasting menu "Winecooking"where wine forms part of all the dishes in the form of spheres, sauces or frosting. A new way of enjoying wine that you can't miss.