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Permalink to Casa Pajuelo – The House of Honey

Half-way down the hilly part of Atocha street, behind a worn pair of wooden doors is one of Madrid’s artisan honey meccas.  Casa Pajuelo may be the official name, but everyone knows it as La Casa de la Miel, i.e. …

Last update: July 30, 2015

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Permalink to Rafael Palacios Louro Godello

For Spanish wine lovers, it’s hard not to be seduced by the story of the Palacios family. Don José Palacios Remondo founded the family’s first winery in Rioja back in 1945.  Four of his nine children would follow in his …

Last update: November 13, 2015

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Permalink to The Cies Islands, Galicia

With winter reaching its darkest days, it brings comfort to daydream about our next summer vacation.  Sun, warmth, tranquility.  For landlocked city dwellers like myself, a coastal village or an island sums up these ingredients nicely. But a saturated beach, …

Last update: January 3, 2015

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Permalink to Casa Gonzalez Wine Bar

Being that Spain is one the world’s top #3 wine producers, it’s surprising that Madrid doesn’t have more wine bars like Casa Gonzalez, quite simply my favorite in the city.  Not only does Casa Gonzalez offer over 40 wines by …

Last update: June 9, 2016

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Permalink to Pazo Baión Albariño

As Spain’s most well-known native white grape, Albariño (AL-BA-REEN-YO) rings a bell to most white wine drinkers, even if its appellation D.O. Rías Baixas, does not. The fragrant, crisp, dry white wine produced by this classic variety has become increasingly …

Last update: August 2, 2014

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Permalink to The Empanada Gallega

My mother-in-law Fresita - of Escalivada fame - once told me an old Galician proverb from her childhood, “para enomorarse y amasar, tiempo hay que tomar.” I hesitate to translate it, as the original essence is much more romantic than …

Last update: February 24, 2016

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Permalink to The Spanish Craft Beer Movement

To claim that Spain is Europe’s next craft beer hotspot is perhaps too bold a statement, but the world’s largest producer of wine is finally giving craft beer connoisseurs good reason to get excited. For more on the history of …

Last update: June 17, 2014

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Permalink to Abadia Retuerta Seleccion Especial

The story is an often-told one.  As a wine region, the now famous Ribera del Duero was practically unheard of just 30 years ago.  Back then, among the handful of wineries only the name Vega Sicilia was known to consumers outside …

Last update: May 10, 2016

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Permalink to The Eternal Elegance of Capas Seseña

If you’re someone who thinks that capes are long out of fashion, worn only by superheroes in tight pants or James Brown, it’s time you visited Capas Seseña, one of Madrid’s treasured century-old shops, now run by the family’s fourth …

Last update: August 14, 2014

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Permalink to The Joy of Eating at Prada a Tope

One of Madrid’s greatest charms is the warmth and energy that permeates its bars and restaurants, perceived as much by visitors as by locals. Another, is that visitors don’t have to leave the city center to be surrounded by those …

Last update: January 17, 2015

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Madrid Tours & Tastings

Madrid Tours & Tastings