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.
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.
Without the dizzying crowds it was easy to remember what makes Barcelona so attractive. Its undeniable modern cool factor has always been there, but the traditional bars, watering holes and eating counters which feel even more anachronistic given their 21st-century Barcelona surroundings, make this diverse city what it is.
Winemaker Jorge Monzón needed three ingredients to make his extraordinary wines possible. First, winemaking experience in France at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and in Spain at Ribera del Duero wineries Vega Sicilia and Arzuaga-Navarro. Second, old vines in and around his hometown of La Aguilera in Burgos province, at the northern end of Ribera del Duero.
La Escribana is the flagship vino de pasto from Willy Pérez and one of the finest white wines made in Jerez. The grapes are sourced from Pago Macharnudo, one of Jerez’s top quality vineyards. Willy harvests the vineyard in two passes, with the first bringing acidity and the second ripeness and body.
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,
