Alex Betolaza spins paella, wine, and music into magic.
Drop 03 | Season 02
On a small side street, just off Barcelona's bustling La Rambla, Alex Betolaza runs The Paella Club - one of the most delicious and incredibly fun experiences in the city. It’s here that he lights up a room with his infectious energy - making you fall in love with your meal, wine, and maybe even the stranger sitting next to you.
Alex Betolaza takes us on a journey of memories through wine and song.
He offers us a deeply personal collection of 12 wines that each mark a distinct memory or person in his life, accompanied by the songs that resonate with those moments. This selection is more than a list; it's a narrative of experiences, flavors, and melodies intertwined. Each pairing invites us into his world, where life events are celebrated, pondered, and shared through the universal languages of wine and music.
Season 02 | Drop 03 Interview | Mar 01, 2024
Playlist’s Matt Friesen: I want to start off talking about The Paella Club. I mean, obviously, it's a huge part of who you are, and it's how we met. You’ve taken the concept and woven not just paella and food, but wine and music and people. What's the story behind the inception?
Alex Betolaza: I've worked in restaurants pretty much all my life. And when you’re in this industry, usually your dream is to have your own restaurant, right?
But when I started speaking with more and more people, tourists mostly, what they were looking for was where to go for paella. Since there are a million restaurants in Barcelona, I thought what about a cooking school where we focus on just paella?
We've been running this business since 2017. And it's been growing and growing ever since. To be honest with you we didn't come with this idea about connecting people with wine and food and music and such. The magic is that it became a place where people could connect through cooking and music and drinking, whether they’re from the United States or Brazil or Japan, they just want to get together.
MF: I think there are some parallels to our Playlist events, because we didn’t have intentionality around creating a connection between people either.
AB: We need to bring people together, whether it's with food, music, culture, painting, or a movie because in the end that's what we need right now.
You won’t remember the most beautiful picture that you took in Italy, but you’ll remember the experience that you had. The best memories come from the time that you spent with people, whether it was with you and your family or with someone that you just met.
Wine, words, & music by Alex Betolaza
Alvaro Palacios’
Gratallops Priorat 2021
Alex’s Picks | Wine 1
Choosing a wine from Priorat, specifically from Vida Vida in Gratallops, was a nod to a region that's incredibly close to my heart. Its rugged, hilly landscapes remind me of Piemonte, Italy, but with a Spanish soul. This area, El Priorato, is where you find wines that are not just drinks but stories—full-bodied, powerful, and intensely dark, they're like capturing the essence of the region in a glass.
The song "Mediterráneo" by Joan Manuel Serrat, Spain's equivalent to Bob Dylan, pairs perfectly with this wine. It's more than a melody to me; it's a memory of Sundays spent with family, savoring paellas, sipping on the robust wines of El Priorat, and losing ourselves in Serrat's lyrics. This song, much like the wine, is a piece of my heritage, a slice of my fondest memories.
MF: You've been doing this for years, and I need to know, what’s the perfect song to cook paella to?
AB: Flamenco, Paco de Lucia, of course. Although, I also love this other song from this movie called Mostly Martha. I think it's a German movie.
There is this amazing songwriter from Italy named Paolo Conte. His song is called “Via Con Me” and in Italian that means come with me. The movie is all about cooking and they're cooking with this guy, Paolo Conte, and they're playing his song, Via Con Me.
If I cook Italian, it has to be Via Con Me, but if I cook paella, it has to be Paco De Lucia.
Vega Sicilia’s
Pintia 2018
Alex’s Picks | Wine 2
My second selection, from the prestigious Vega Sicilia’s vineyards caught my heart. This winery, known for their incredible wine, offers a reflection of Spain's rich viticulture, encapsulating a piece of the country's soul in each sip. Its deep connection to the land and unmatched quality make it not just one of my favorite Spanish wines, but a symbol of the best in the region.
So a couple of years ago, I was dating this amazing woman from Venezuela. And we went to a restaurant, and she was like, you know, Alex, this Vegas Sicilia is my favorite wine. And she didn't know that it was also my favorite wine as well.
And I remember dancing and singing this song with her all the time. So that's why I put them together.
MF: So what's the most unexpected reaction you've had from guests while they were cooking?
AB: I remember back in 2019 it was just me and my business partner running classes. Every single day at 1pm, 5pm and 8pm, except Sunday.
We had this couple from North Florida in the class one day. Halfway through the class, the guest comes to me and tells me about how he found success after working for 40 years, having opened 25 bakeries in Florida. He says, I've been watching you very closely over the last two hours and you need to keep doing what you're doing. Keep loving what you're loving. And the money will come easily.
And so, I believe when you have a passion, when you focus on what you really want to do for the rest of your life and you work every single day with your heart, you’ll eventually be successful.
A long time ago, before I opened the Paella Club, I had lunch with a very good friend of mine.
And he opened this bottle for me, you know, beautiful colors as from La Rioja. And I liked it very much.
So I chose to serve it when I first opened The Paella Club.
Bodega Contador’s
Predicador 2013
Alex’s Picks | Wine 3
El predicador in Spanish means the preacher.
And there is this movie from Clint Eastwood called The Preacher and he wears that very same hat in that picture that you see in that bottle.
So the winery, Contador, made this bottle to represent what the movie is all about, The Preacher. And if you see the movie, you see Clint Eastwood wearing the hat.
MF: Going back to some music, what are the top three artists that would be on The Paella Club playlist?
AB: Well 8 out of 11 of our team members are from South America. So, the true essence of The Paella Club is all about salsa. We listen to reggaeton. We listen to Rauw Alejandro. We listen to Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, and Rosalia every single day, like crazy.
Fuckin hell, that is an amazing wine. 2014!
The reason why I chose this is it might be one of my favorite French wines. Maybe around 2006, 2007 or 8, I don't remember very well, but that was back in the day. I went to a restaurant a friend of mine used to run. They sell wine, but not to drink on the premises because they don't have the license.
So one day, this very good friend of mine was like, I'm gonna give you wine in a coffee cup. So we drank the whole bottle in coffee cups with a lid and everything, because it wasn't allowed!
Chateau Giscours’
Margaux 2014
Alex’s Picks | Wine 4
So I love Charles Aznavour. He died a few years ago. He was 90 and he was still playing and touring. That is why I chose this guy.
MF: How does the vibrant music scene of Barcelona influence you?
AB: These days in Spain it is all about reggaeton, whether it's from South America, Central America, Puerto Rico, or Spain. But in Barcelona there’s always something going on here, the music scene is huge.
El Seque’s
Artadi Monastrell 2019
Alex’s Picks | Wine 5
This is from a beautiful wine monastery in Alicante. My mom lives in that area and we discovered this wine around 2009.
I went with my mom, my family, my niece and nephew, and my brother. We went to a restaurant and we had a great big beautiful paella. And we had the El Seque. From then on I fell in love with that one. Monastrell, a hundred percent. It's kind of on the fruity side. Monastrell is a fruity, grape and it goes very well with paella.
And here we go with Paco de Lucia. You can choose a million of his songs, but I'm going with Rio Ancho.
MF: If you could invite any musician, past or present, dead or alive, to cook with you at The Paella Club, who would it be?
AB: Ibrahim Ferrer. Do you remember Buena Vista Social Club? No. Buena Vista Social Club is a Cuban music band from back in the nineties.
I think I’d also invite Marc Anthony. I don't know, man. And Paco de Lucia for sure.
Comando G’s
El Hombre Bala 2019
Alex’s Picks | Wine 6
Grenache from Madrid. Madrid is the capital, as you know, but believe it or not, there are a lot of wineries in the area.
You go to these beautiful wineries maybe like about 40 miles from the bars of Madrid. Towards the south. And they have fantastic weather.
And I had this bottle of wine a couple of years ago with a friend of mine.
Ketama is also a flamenco group here in Spain. Super well known. And there is a song called Vente Pa Madrid. So there you go. Hombre is a wine from Madrid region, and Ketama is also from Madrid and the south of Spain. So there you go. Vente Pa Madrid, Come to Madrid.
MF: I know you cook paella every single day, and you love it. What is something that's maybe an unconventional dish that isn’t paella that you also like to cook? What song would you pair with that?
AB: I love spaghetti.
Sometimes it's like spaghetti in a cold salad. Sometimes it's with red marinara sauce. Sometimes it's with meatballs.
But I think I eat spaghetti four times a week. And if I eat spaghetti, we go back to Paolo Conte with “Via Con Me”!
Perelada’s
Brut Reserva Cava NV
Alex’s Picks | Wine 7
Rosalía is also from Barcelona. And Rosalía is huge. Even in the United States she is very big winning Grammys and stuff like that.
I chose these because both of them are from Catalonia. And El Beso, because I love that song with with Rauw Alejandro. They were together, sort of. They aren’t anymore. One of those things, you know? And that is why I chose this one and I love that song, El Beso.
Okay. Number seven. Perelada. That is the Cava that we serve as an opening drink at The Paella Club.
Whether it's one, five or eight o’clock, that is the one that we serve all the time. And that one is delicious. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
It comes from El Penedes, which is like 30 miles south of Barcelona.
MF: Is there a specific song or an album that holds a special place in your heart? What's the soundtrack for Alex?
AB: It depends on the mood, right?
Sometimes when I cook, I listen to a couple of bands from Spain. Sometimes I listen to Bruce Springsteen. Sometimes it's, believe it or not, Chris Stapleton. Sometimes it's jazz. Sometimes it's Miles Davis or John Coltrane or Bill Evans. If I'm happy, it's going be salsa music like Marc Anthony.
Cava Mestres’
Cava Reserva Brut 1312 NV
Alex’s Picks | Wine 8
Mestres in Catalan means masters.
When I opened The Paella Club six years ago, I started working with this winery. If you take a look at the bottle, it says 1312. That number is actually when the winery started. 700 years ago, man. Think about that. I chose this wine because I love that wine.
They have some amazing wine that you can actually find in the United States, although not in a lot of places.
And the reason why I chose Buika is because I love Buika. And she's sort of like a flamenco singer.
Some couple of years ago I had this friend of mine from Russia and I took her to a flamenco show. If I have like a date that I want to impress someone, I take her to a flamenco show. Otherwise, I listen to flamenco in my house.
MF: If you could visit any wine region in the world, where would you go?
AB: Before the pandemic, I was planning on going to Burgundy with a very good friend of mine who lives about two hours from there.
Otherwise, I would choose the Okanagan wine region in Canada.
Mas Candi’s
Desig Blanc 2022
Alex’s Picks | Wine 9
We've been working with this winery since 2018, probably.
So when you come to The Paella Club, we start with Peralada. And after that, we go to white, which is this one. This is a hundred percent Xarel-lo from Penedes.
And it goes phenomenal with seafood paella. Nice and crispy.
We've been serving this wine since 2018 and we're planning on keeping it.
And the reason why I chose this song is because we play bossanova quite a lot at The Paella Club. And I love that jazz music from Brazil.
When I think about Brazil or Rio de Janeiro it’s the heat, it’s the colors, it’s the beautiful people, it’s the music.
And summertime. When it's summertime you don't think about full reds, you think about nice and sparkling wines. White wine, sparkling wine, cava, Champagne, caipirinhas and cachaças. You think about something nice and crispy, easy to drink, right?
Summertime, bikinis, and flip flops.
MF: If you had the power to taste music like you can taste wine, what song or album do you think would have the most complex flavor profile?
AB: Kind of Blues from Miles Davis.
Julien Brocard’s
Chablis La Boisonneuse 2021
Alex’s Picks | Wine 10
During the pandemic I started reading about wineries and wine regions like Beaujolais, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and all these areas in France. And I tried wine from them all. And after all the wine that I drank - and I drank quite a lot, man!
So my favorite wines were from Burgundy, and I love Chablis because they produce mainly Chardonnay.
And if we are in Chardonnay area, we’re in Chablis and Burgundy. Why not French music?
French music. Zaz. I love her. She does a lot of like jazz music and string music.
MF: I like how you mentioned earlier that there’s a memory behind each one of the wines you’ve curated. Can you tell me about a particular wine that marked a significant moment?
AB: The Vega Sicilia here in Spain is really special – everybody in Spain idolizes it.
First of all, years ago I didn't like wine enough to spend a lot of money on it. When the business started picking up in 2018 my family came from all over Spain to visit me in Barcelona for Christmas. As soon as our last class before the holiday was over, we all went to the bar and it was the first time that I could actually afford a bottle of Vega Sicilia – it’s a hundred Euros or so for a bottle. I opened it up, I drank it, my mom drank it, and it was just like drinking silk. It was amazing. So easy to drink, mellow and silky, smooth, gorgeous. I kept the empty bottle as a souvenir to remember that moment.
Sal de Terra’s
Albarino 2019
Alex’s Picks | Wine 11
This is one my favorite wine regions in Spain. It’s in the north west and a huge producer of white wines. And in the last 10 years have been producing amazing reds as well.
Celtas Cortos come from Galicia and back in the 90s they were huge.
Back in the 90s, man, they were like, I don't know, man, they were like the Red Hot Chili Peppers back in the 90s, but in Spain.
I was in my twenties and I love that music and they come from Galicia and Albarino comes from Galicia and there you go!
“Music is all about love. Food is all about love. Wine is all about love.”
MF: Finally, can you encapsulate your approach to wine, music, and food in three words.?
AB: Love. Love. And love. Is that okay?
MF: That’s perfect. It's just so fitting.
AB: Music is all about love. Food is all about love. Wine is all about love. And The Paella Club is all about love and bringing people together. I know that it sounds very corny, but if there's no love in life, man, what is the point, right?
This might be my favorite white wine.
I was dating this girl from the Czech Republic. She came to Barcelona a few years ago and we had dinner together. And we had the Cakebread Chardonnay and I loved it.
I was working in an Italian restaurant that had an amazing white selection and got to try wines from all over the world. But my favorite is the Cakebread. Then again, just because of that girl and that dinner, you know?
So I chose Cakebread because of the memories that I have out of that bottle. Wine is all about memory, man.
Cakebread’s
Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022
Alex’s Picks | Wine 12
A California wine calls for Beach Boys.
Once again, girls in bikinis, but this time instead of being in Brazil, it's California,
Huntington Beach.
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