There's a lot of good wine available in Spain and at very reasonable prices both inside a…read morerestaurant and out. During our recent trip to the Iberian Peninsula, Gayle and I enjoyed finding a wine shop, chatting with store staff, and buying a few bottles for later hotel relaxation. Vinos Castro is located on the Camino de Santiago (aka the Way of St. James) and within a block from the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and a nice Parador. We were actually staying at the other Parador in Town (Bernardo Fresneda), but its all an easy walk. Did I mention that this is the Rioja region? That means lots of good reds in the general categories of young (Joven), older (Crianza), and Reserva. We picked out a nice Reserva for about $18 and added a nice White and Rose for good measure. The guy working the counter knew his wine well, even though our Spanish and his English weren't perfect. Gayle loved the conversation (at her self-described fluency of a bright 4 year old - lots of present tense). And when we were done, it was all boxed up nicely for travel and just hanging out.

When I was traveling in Spain a few months ago I ran into the youngest son of the Palacios family,…read moreRaphael. He's gone on and done his own thing in Galicia, making wines with the Bobal grape. His family legacy however has always been Priorat and the Palacios are famous for it. Recently enjoyed the La Terrasses 2009 Priorat. Man did this wine sing, Smooth, complex fruity, earthy, It was all over the spectrum. Think of a Chateauneuf du Pape with a twist. A very good price performance value for something that will pair well with rich foods.

Our favorite meal in La Rioja during a Sun-Mon stay (which means most restaurants are otherwise…read moreclosed!) We showed up standard spanish dinner time (9pm) on a Monday night and the restaurant was mostly empty. Our server was a lovely lady, almost looked like it could be my mom! she was such a great hostess. Apparently, Meson Chuchi perfected the cochinita (roasted suckling pig) in the area, so I was super excited to try. Loved: - Sauteed oyster mushrooms with parsley olive oil. Salty and cooked to perfection! - Gambas: done perfect spanish style, lightly grilled, fresh - Cochinita: Roasted suckling pig leg in its own jus with a head of roasted garlic. PERFECTION!! skin was perfectly crispy and the meat was tender and had the perfect pork flavor. highly recommended They also served us appetizers of potato croquette which were great. Great choice for home, comfort basque cooking - no frills but just delicious and well done.

This 2-story meat, fish, and vegetable market is located on Calle Sagasta - not Calle San Blas as…read moreone might expect. I was drawn to this place in particular as the only review I could find online mentioned two fairly unique dishes: embuchados (coiled goat intestines) and a stew made with skinned pig face and snout. I have a thing about trying anything new and unusual at least once so the opportunity to try these dishes was too good to pass up. Sadly, my hopes were dashed when I realised this was a "stock the kitchen" type of market not a "stuff your belly" one. Still, any market is worth a look-see so we wandered around breathing in the fresh herb-scented air and ogling the succulent legs of ham hanging around us. Prices are pretty good here with 300g of Jamón Bellota costing a mere €9. We picked up a kilo of paraguayos (par-a-hi-yo-s) which are flat peaches that look like mini-pumpkins wearing a peach skin. GET SOME OF THESE! When ripe, these are the juiciest sweetest peaches you will ever taste. And at €2-3 per kilo, an absolute steal. They will seduce even the most die-hard of meat eaters (aka me) away from the display of hams - yes they are just that good. Quick tip - to determine if they are in the right stage of ripeness, squeeze them gently without bruising the skin. You are looking for peaches with just a tiny bit of give. Too much give and you'll have an unpleasant mushy texture with a faded sweetness. Too firm and it's like biting into an apple - some sweetness but none of the joy. For pre- and post- market snacking, you are conveniently located next to Calle del Laurel which hosts a number of tapas/pintxos bars in the afternoon/evening. For the mornings, head towards the cathedral in the centre of town. The main road leading up to the church (should be on your left if heading from the market) boasts a number of bars with an excellent selection of breakfast tapas such as bocadittos which are mini baguette buns filled with anything from ham to tortilla to scrambled eggs and chorizo. Delicious!

Great cheese recommendation from Charcuterie Ingrid (thank you!) but disappointed to get home and…read morefind that Carniceria Inma charged DOUBLE the posted price for chorizo (the stalls are very competitive so this was disconcerting- check your receipts - and buy from a different vendor)

Our group of 24 (plus our tour manager and coach bus driver) sat on the upper floor for dinner…read more We were served family style of fresh baked bread, crispy pork belly, croquettes, pimentos de padron, a tomato salad (thinly sliced) drizzled with balsamic vinegar, grated cheese and olive oil, and lamb shank with potatoes. We were served with copious amounts of red and white wine. Dessert too, but I didn't take a photo and don't recall what it was. Overall, a great dinner with friends. I cannot comment on the price because it was part of our tour package.

The wines we had were all less than exciting but the service, food and ambiance more than made up…read morefor it. There wasn't an English menu so we pointed and hoped for the best. The first dish that came out was a butternut squash soup with a poached egg and truffle oil. Solid and tasty. The waitress didn't speak any English but she went the extra mile. I pulled up Google translate and she explained the wines we tasted via the app. Huge kudos. The next up was a large entree style Cuttle fish and risotto. The risotto was very nice, but the Cuttle fish was a bit to fishy and overpowered the dish; as usual Marie ate based on what I preferred and I was able to polish off the risotto (and she ate the cuttlefish) without offending the staff. An unexpected bonus was how well it paired with my wine. If I lived here I wouldn't come back for the food, but the drinks could certainly draw me in. Last but not least they handled an impromptu tasting seamlessly (nod to Google Translate without whom none of this would be possible), so don't be afraid to ask.

Enjoyable tour of a large production winery. The barrel room and bottle room are absolutely huge…read more The winery sits in middle of the grape vines and they offer a great place to sit outside to enjoy a small bite and a glass of wine. I took the English tour. The tour guide was super friendly and very knowledgeable. The winery is one of the most sustainable wineries in Spain, possibly at top the the list. I highly recommend a visit when in the Logroño area.

What a place and what an experience at Campo Viejo. The number one thing was service service…read moreservice. We basically closed down the winery that afternoon and we left because we wanted to, because they would have continued to serve us, that's how great the staff was. Now let's talk wine, I love wine but don't knwo much about specific wines, however I didn't need to know the staff was knowledgeable for both of us. The tour was great and the tasting even better. They were not shy with the portions. The tasting also includes some snacks, they do not serve food so make sure you are not expecting to eat there. The views were phenomenal. We didn't get to do a walk of the vines because of the heat. Would have been added bonus to so that, nonetheless they allowed us to get near and see them and take photos which was perfect for us. Overall a great experience!!! Would go back when visiting that area or Spain. Will be buying the one state side as well!!!