In Madrid’s democratic dining scene, bistronomía-style restaurants provide diners with the chance to enjoy world-class product and impeccable recipes without the commitment that might come with star-laden tables. Here are some of our picks to try.
Today all eyes are on Madrid, firmly established as a global food city on all fronts.
Porto has long been Portugal’s relatively sleepy second city, but in the last few years the city has woken up and become an exciting, cosmopolitan destination.
Priorat may be the star of Cataluña’s wine lineup. Since a few brave winemakers recuperated old vines here in the 1970s, Priorat’s quality has exploded, along with its reputation.
The two most important things when visiting wine country are good wine and good food. In Rioja the confluence of local and regional ingredients and refined cooking techniques trickling in from the nearby Basque Country has created a culinary landscape that matches the depth of the local wine culture.
Aged Riojas–Reservas and Gran Reservas– are drunk on special occasions and with certain dishes in Spain, often in fine dining restaurants. When it comes time to have a glass of Rioja at a tapas bar or pair a bottle with a traditional Spanish meal, it’s a different type of Rioja you’re most likely to see. The most common and popular styles from the region are crianzas and wines with minimal aging, or vinos del año.
It should come as no surprise that Rioja has become a fine-dining destination. The Basque Country’s cities, global capitals of creativity in the kitchen, lie a short drive to the north of the heart of Riojan wine country. Thus the precise technique and innovative vision that has come to define the new Basque cuisine extends to the tables of Rioja.
Viña Tondonia is a mythic name in the world of Spanish wine. López de Heredia, the winery and family behind Tondonia, is among the most traditional of the classic Rioja producers. What makes them so is their use of traditional Rioja blends (Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, Viura) and especially their extremely long aging period, both in barrel and in bottle,
