A new generation of Rioja winemakers is bringing vineyard, varietal and terroir focus to the region. What these innovators in Rioja have in common is a focus on single vineyards, some planted with old vines. Young winemakers are searching for an expression of terroir–the essence of the vineyard, soil and climate. Vignerons, grower-producers, artisan winemakers or terroiristas are commonly used terms for these new producers.
Rioja doesn’t have Grand Crus, but certain wineries in Spain’s most famous wine region have a reputation for fine wines. Classic Rioja wineries make long-aged immortal wines, while new-style producers focus on single vineyard Tempranillo wines.
Back from some days in Madrid, so some preliminary thoughts and updates on hotels, restaurants, wine bars and cocktail bars.
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.
It seems you can eat extremely well anywhere and everywhere in the Basque Country. This coastal green corner of northern Spain has a reverence for Basque products and culinary traditions leading to packed pintxos bars, roadside grills and traditional restaurants that offer a level of dining experience beyond what is reasonable to expect.
If there’s one thing that’s sacred in Spain, it’s la comida. Literally meaning “the meal,” it’s no coincidence that this phrase refers in Spain to lunch, not dinner. A philosophical and experiential rebuttal of takeout, working lunches, and drive-thrus, the Spanish lunch is something that has to be experienced to be understood.
No visit to Cádiz, that mysterious city in southern Spain, is complete without visiting at least one ultramarinos store bar right in the old town. The surviving ultramarinos in Cádiz often morphed into purveyors of gourmet foods such as jamón ibérico, Payoyo cheese from the Cádiz mountains, mojama from Barbate, and canned fish from the best producers in Spain.
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.
American wine critic James Suckling has just released his top 100 Spanish wines for 2022. To those who follow the world of Spanish wine it’s a list that highlights the exciting things that have been happening in Spain in the last few years, especially considering that Suckling includes availability as a criterion, precluding the inclusion of some interesting small-production Spanish wines.
As the end of the year approaches, awards and best-of lists start to come out, and the Iberian food and wine universe is no exception. Prizes certainly serve as an indicator of where things are today and where they’re headed. In the last month important Spain and Portugal awards and best-of lists have come out, reflecting trends and successes of in the world of food and wine.
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.
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,
