Dave Worthington
Travel tip sheet for Bierzo
Thinking of travelling to Bierzo? Get answers to questions like: Where is it? Where to Stay? What and where to eat?
Lunch at Meson Chuchi
It is still the depths of winter in La Rioja, we got about 30 to 40 cms of snow today, we are snowed and not going anywhere for at least a day. A good time to catch up on posting and drinking some nice Riojas. It has been cold all week, so a big hearty meal for lunch has been the order of the day. In this part of Spain that usually means a trip to an Asador, or as I discovered yesterday, parrilla full of chuletas (lamb chops) at home, but more on this later. If you’ve ever been to north west Spain you will have seen Asador restaurants all over the place, truck stops, small villages, big towns, everywhere. The basic premise of the Asador is a woodfired oven that is used to cook just about everything in the place.
Lunch at Amelibia
Amelibia is my favourite place to eat in the old walled town of Laguardia. We ate here a couple of times on our last trip and were very keen to get back and see what’s new. It’s a small restaurant (just 12 tables) that overlooks the vineyards and across to the Cantabrian mountain range. Laguardia is just about the last outpost of Euskadi, or Basque country, and as such the food here is a good mix of Basque food and traditional Riojan food. So you will have a menu that has things like kokotxas pil pil (throat of hake in an olive oil and garlic emulsion, a very Basque dish) and rabo de vaca al tinto vino (oxail in red wine, a typically Riojan dish).
Bierzo in a nutshell…(part 1)
It’s impossible to define a whole region after visiting for a couple of days and talking to a handful of winemakers, but here is a quick overview of what makes this a special place to make wine.
3 Days in Bierzo
I’ve been off-line for the past couple of days, which has been kinda nice. There has been plenty to write about and take photos of tho. When I was planning this trip, I was having a chat to Dougie from The Spanish Acquisition about his last trip to Spain, his highlight was a day or so in Bierzo. I had planned to go to Rueda and Toro on the way to Ribera del Duero, but Dougie was raving about this little town called Villafranca del Bierzo, ‘It’s a must do’ he said. Sign me up, I thought. And he was right, it is now another in the long list of my favourite places in Spain.
2 days in Paris
I think this post is more of an excuse to put this photo of the dawn in Paris than anything else…Just a quick stop in Paris on our way to Spain. A couple of days of eating and drinking, endless walking and a wee bit of shopping. The important part is the eating and drinking, of course. Not much in the way of Spanish wine around, but that’s not what you come to Paris for! There is a fair bit of Port available here, I’m told France is one of the bigger markets for Port. Anyway, a bit of Bordeaux and Burgundy never go astray.
La Vendimia 2008
After a fairly indulgent Christmas/New year period and start of a new year, I usually think it’s time for a couple of weeks of detox. Well not detox really, just a couple of weeks to a month of not drinking. Given I’ve got almost a month of eating and drinking in Spain coming up in a couple of weeks, it seems like the wise thing to do. So it will continue to be fairly quiet here at Tinto y Blanco for a couple of weeks…
Quinta do Ameal 2008
It’s 38 degrees in Melbourne today, so what to drink? The best idea is probably water, a bit boring for this time of year tho. A more enjoyable solution would be a nice bottle of manzailla or a beer, perhaps something sparkling. Or Vinho Verde, which is my choice tonight. There isn’t a lot of vinho verde getting around in Australia, so I feel quite comfortable in saying that this is the best around….
Telmo Rodriguez Gaba do Xil 2008
I am developing a bit of a soft spot for Godello. I have always liked it, but there have a been a few recent example that have really delivered, both in the interestingness and drinkability factors. Its one of the lesser known grape varieties from Spain, often over shadowed by Albariño and Verdejo. I find it more exciting than verdejo and more versatile than albariño in it’s ability to give a good refreshing drink while matching with a wide range of foods. It seems to go very well with Thai food and is excellent with goats cheese for some reason.
Los Hermanos ‘Tributo a Galacia’ 2009
If I was going to pick a wine scandal of the year, it would have to be Albarinogate. But there are those out there with the cunning and guile to recover and release something with a great name like ‘A tribute to Galacia’. I loved this label last year, but it seems to go better with the new name.
Recent Comments
- Marcelo on Mundo de Yuntero Organic Airen 2007
- sprawl on Mundo de Yuntero Organic Airen 2007
- Dave Worthington on Bierzo in a nutshell…(part 1)
- ps on Bierzo in a nutshell…(part 1)
- Larry on Travel tip sheet for Bierzo
