Wine regions Zamora The ancient town of Zamora, just 1.5h north of Madrid by train, means different things to different people. For lovers of History and architecture, it boasts the largest collection of Romanesque churches in Spain. Leaping forward eight or nine centuries, many of the buildings in the historic quarter are lovely examples of…
DetailsSílice Viticultores Sober, Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain In a world (Galicia) where some establishments still insist on foisting heavily oaked rioja on you, it comes as a very pleasant surprise when more and more clued in bar and restaurant owners stock vigneron wines from the Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras, Monterrei and Rías Baixas regions. An…
DetailsThe River Miño/Minho has long attracted gourmands from all over Spain, mainly during the first quarter of the year for sea lamprey and elvers which are on their annual ‘run’ upstream at this time. One other migratory species that shows up on the gourmand’s radar is the Allis Shad (Alosa Alosa). The Allis Shad and…
DetailsWith a name that’s guaranteed to raise a titter among Galician and Portuguese speakers, Fai un Sol de Carallo 2013 is the latest high end D.O. Ribeiro to seduce punctilious palates across the Atlantic, achieving an impressive 93 points in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Galicia, in Spain’s verdant misty north west is definitely not the…
DetailsChicharrones, roxóns, roxós, roxois, rinxóns or rinchóns, all different names for the same thing depending on the area, are the fatty, lower quality cuts of pork cut into chunks and gently boiled down till you get a shredded sort of texture. They are a typical and much loved tapa in the northern part of Galicia.…
DetailsGoose barnacles, a type of crustacean, are an expensive delicacy in Spain. Depending on the season, Christmas say, prices can seem exhorbitant. People have been known to pay upwards of 250€ per kilo just to complete the long-as-your-arm list of shellfish starters at a Galician Christmas Eve family feast. The percebeiro, or goose barnacle gatherer,…
DetailsAlthough the hotel has been open some time, and with several flying visits with friends under my belt, this was the first time I was able to enoy the place in a relaxed and unhurried manner. The building itself is a tastefully restored quinta or country residence. The beautiful location, in the Rías Baixas Salnés…
DetailsNacho León is a visionary. His Demencia de Autor wine is fast gaining devotees around the world, yet the guy works out of a rented warehouse near Villafranca del Bierzo. People have been making wine here in El Bierzo since Roman times and more or less continually since the 9th century. It’s the last stop…
DetailsWith the opening of the Galician Sea-Lamprey Season 2013 just around the corner on January 15th, I thought it only right and fitting that I talked to Nito Calviño of Casa Calviño in As Neves (Pontevedra), one of the ‘consecrated temples’ of Sea-Lamprey cuisine on Galicia’s River Miño. I have to admit that the first…
DetailsAnyone heard of CERVIM? I hadn’t till today. I happened to come across the name whilst googling ‘Albarín Blanco’, an endangered grape variety native to Asturias and León in the north of Spain. The organisation was founded in Italy in 1987 and its noble mission, the research, protection and advancement of mountain viticulture, known in…
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