The talent of Spanish chefs such as Ferran Adria and Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter, Elena, is indisputable among people who take food seriously. But how many have heard of Xavier Ausas, Peter Sisseck or Alvaro Palacios, the winemakers of Vega Sicilia, Pingus and L'Ermita, respectively.
When gelatinous balls that explode on the tongue into essence of foie gras and caramelised apples dazzle the food lover, wine becomes an afterthought.
Most talented young chefs I have come across seem to have moved beyond molecular gastronomy to more familiar flavours and native roots. But the ethos remains: to surprise and delight by creating light, flavourful dishes. The focus is on light - away from heavy, dense and creamy.
Meanwhile, the wine world in recent decades has been moving down the opposite path - greater concentration, higher alcohol and body.
In Bordeaux, alcohol levels regularly go above 13.5 per cent, and merlot-based reds can reach 15 per cent. When you talk to winemakers about why alcohol levels have increased in recent decades, you will receive responses ranging from global warming to green harvesting and the importance of ripe tannins measured in IPT units (index of total phenolics). Their strongest argument is often the "enlightened" understanding of physiological and phenolic ripeness. Does this mean that the delicious 1970 or 1986 red Bordeaux at only 12 per cent alcohol that I enjoy even now were made from grapes that were not ripe?
In Spain, this split in the evolution of the culinary and wine worlds is more dramatic than in many other countries. Spanish chefs rock the culinary world with their progressive techniques and flavour combinations that tickle tongues as much as minds.