The Casa Manolo journal
Spanish Food Blog
Good food starts with a little curiosity. Discover Spanish ingredients, find your next favourite wine, and bring more Spain to your table.
Showing: wine
Spanish Food Blog
Cava is often saved for a toast, but its bubbles and acidity make it useful across an entire tapas table. The details that matter most are a proper chill, a clean glass and food that does not bury its freshness. Open it calmly, pour in stages and keep the bottle cold between rounds.
Ribera del Duero is a red-wine region built around Tempranillo, locally known as Tinta del País or Tinto Fino. The wines can be structured, but the name of the region alone does not tell you how heavy a particular bottle will feel. Read the producer, vintage and ageing information together, then choose for the food rather than for reputation alone.
Albariño is prized for freshness rather than weight. Its citrus, orchard-fruit and sometimes saline character makes it a natural partner for seafood, but that is only the beginning of what it can do at a tapas table. The useful way to choose one is to look at origin, producer and style, then serve it cool—not numbingly cold—so its aroma remains present.
Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva explained: the official Rioja ageing minimums, what they mean in the glass, and how to choose for your table.