Hotel Viura, Bodega Remelluri & Lunch at Casa Arina, Labastida

There is a remarkable hotel in Villabuena, Rioja. It is called Viura and it looks like a succession of very attractive boxes piled high on one another. Inside it is made up of sublime textures and surfaces.

Viura must be recommended for its attention to detail. And its concierge. A Belgian called Ben. Ben was brilliant. He put us into Rm 106 (his favourite) and as it was sometime being prepared Ben invited us to take a glass of white wine on the terrace, which was highly appropriate seeing as viura is the name of a local white grape variety. The terrace was lined with handsome chunky wooden beams bleached silvery-grey by the sun. I admired them from my white moulded plastic chair.

Upstairs the corridor walls were painted black! Matt black! And doodled on in chalk! Liking black immensely, I celebrated this with another glass of wine.

Ben also recommended we have lunch at Casa Arina in Labastida, which we did after visiting Remelluri, a bodega that sits on the hillside overlooking the town.

As we were determined to take the tour and tasting of Bodega Remelluri, we fibbed. We told them that whilst we couldn't speak Spanish, we understood perfectly well. Ben helped communicate this. They believed us because we smiled and nodded at almost everything they said.

The Remelluri tour began with a video presentation. Of this we understood very little, other than the heritage of the site. On the screen flickered images of monks and then some men admiring a necropolis amidst the vines. Then came the evidence of winemaking on the Remelluri farm and monastery in the Late Middle Ages by way of accounts on age-old parchment dating from 1596 recording pitchers of wine from the estate.

At the end we were ushered into a dining room overlooking the courtyard where a bottle of 2005 Reserva was opened and large glasses poured for the 4 of us in attendance. The lady then left the bottle with us to finish at our leisure, which we did. It is this kind of generosity that often prompts one to buy some more wine before leaving, which we also did. It was very, very good.

Casa Arina do a very good chuleton de buey which we had with a ensalada normal (lechuga, tomate & cebolla). If you think a T-bone steak for 2 is a bit heavy for lunch, don't forget that lunch does not happen until after 2pm and dinner most likely to come your way at 11pm. Again, you must book for lunch (T.945 33 10 24). The restaurant was busy. Of the 6 tables, 3 were drinking Fernandez Gomez. We were drinking a Crainza from Luis Canas.

But what I really want to tell you about are the roasted almonds that the owner Valentin makes. If you are lucky, he will bring you a little plate of them after dinner. And if you are really lucky, he will give you some more when you have gobbled the first. Valentin's recipe is a family secret.

l-r: Valentin, Miren, Gaizka, Garbine

Miren & Valentin

It is a family run business boasting three generations under one roof. There was a delightful b/w photograph of Valentin and Miren from their salad days. Miren took the trouble of finding it and bringing it to our table. They were lovely hosts making Casa Arina not just worth visiting for its excellent fare, but also for the convivial atmosphere. And the roasted almonds.

The next Rioja stop is a personal favourite, Bodega Abel Mendoza Monge, which you can read about here. Otherwise, to return to the North Spain main menu, click here.

Bodegas Fernando Remirez de Ganuza, Followed by Lunch at Restaurant Alameda

Bodegas Fernando Remirex de Ganuza has to be one of the finest bodegas in Rioja. Their wine is fabulous.

The bodega is located in Samaniego, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it villiage in the Basque province of Alava. If you intend on visiting, contact them first to make an appointment (T. 945 60 90 22) This is obligatory as bodegas will not accommodate you if you ruck up out of the blue expecting a tour & taste. Having said that, ruck up is exactly what we did, to the yard of the country mansion where the cellar and offices are housed, and using enchufe, secured a private tour with Fernando's daughter Cristina, followed by a taste of the 2005 Fincas de Ganuza Reserva, and the 2005 Remirez de Ganuza Reserva.

Whilst most would reach for a reserva or grand reserva, I quite prefer Crianza, and their 2008 is a good bet. I was lucky enough to enjoy two more bottles later in the day. Whatever your tipple, Ben Henshaw at Indigo Wine is their London distributor (T. 0207 733 8391).

the cellar

By the by, when you taste wine in Spain, they pour you a very generous glass. I was onto my second when I vowed to Fernando, the wine maker and owner, that I would learn to speak Spanish. Fernando had little idea of what I was going on about, speaking no English himself, but we got there eventually with some Spanish and more French. He understood my enthusiasm. I could communicate that. He also recommended us a restaurant. 'We like chuleton' husband pronounced (in English). I concurred (in Spanish) and a phone call later, a table for 2 was secured for a 3pm lunch at Restaurant Alameda, in Fuenmayor.

Fernando drew this map. He makes excellent wine, but this map won't get you there. It is an optimistic vision that demonstrates how much simpler life becomes after a good glass of wine.

We got lost. It didn't matter - the surrounding countryside was beautiful. I am keeping the map.

What happened next was astonishing. Husband and I will debate this for years to come, but to my mind, Restaurant Alameda serves the best chuleton de buey I have ever had in my life. I have been spoilt. I have eaten incredible chuleton in Madrid and Tolosa at Casa Julian. But whilst I dislike using the term 'best', let me put it this way: for Restaurant Alameda Michelin should create a whole new catagory - a 'whatever your plans are, change them and come here instead'.

The owner and chef, Tomas, cooks each and every chuleton to perfection. If you sit downstairs, as we did, you are able to watch him do so as there is a large window in the wall that divides the dining room from the expansive charcoal grill. We were there for 3 hours. Lunch didn't finish till 6pm. It was a wonderful meal. The chuleton melts in your mouth like butter.

I wholeheartedly recommend anyone travelling to the North of Spain to pay the restaurant a visit. Tomas's dedication is quite extraordinary. I do believe the man's a genius and was very sorry the meal had to end.

gazpacho

croquetas 

chuleton de buey

pimientos del pequillo

By the by, Restaurant Alameda has a sister restaurant in Laguardia, Meson Chuchi.

Fernando's recommendation started something of a trend. From here on in, we asked all winemakers we had the pleasure to meet which restaurant they preferred. And then we did our darndest to eat there. This method turned out some corkers which makes great sense when you think about it: people who know their wine also know their food, for the two go hand in hand.

The next stop in Rioja found us here. Otherwise, to return back to the North Spain main menu, click here.

Haro, 29th June & Batalla del Vino

Moving on from Bilbao and leaving the rain behind us, our first stop in La Rioja found us, very early in the morning in Haro, on the 29th June. This was well-and-intentionally-timed as the 29th is St Pedro's day and every year, on this date, the Batalla del Vino (Battle of Wine) takes place.

To join the merriment, you need to be ready at 7am to make your way to a small hilltop chapel a few kilometers from the village where a quick mass is held. If you are new to this, worry not, for the white-clad, wine-bearing citizens of Haro are easy to spot. They will be following their mayor who rides to the hilltop on horseback. It's a long walk so you have the option of driving to the base of the hill and parking in a large field as many do. They even have coach parties heading that way, so there will be quite a procession. A bit like going to Glastonbury. Cross the River Tiron and turn an immediate left onto the LR-306 Av de la Miranda out of Haro. You can't miss it.

Mass over, mayhem ensues. If you are taking a camera, prepare to kiss it goodbye unless it is wrapped in layers of watertight plastic that is. You will get thoroughly drenched in young red wine. That's a promise.

you shall need one of these 

So why war? The battle marks a historic dispute between Haro and the neighbouring village Miranda del Ebro over who owns the mountains between. Yep. Territory. They take it very seriously. People come heavily armoured with an arsenal of water pistols, buckets and hoses. Some wear goggles. Some bring trombones. And they even have their own wine-dedicated emergency services: Team SOS-Rioja.

SOS-Rioja

Considering the number of casualties Team SOS-Rioja were very relaxed. No wonder - the battle is over very quickly, lasting no more than an hour, after which everyone slowly makes their way to the town square for more drinking, dousing each other in wine, dancing, eating and general debauchery. The car park was a mini-festival in itself with fires lit and music blasting from stereos. It's pretty remarkable that cars are driven back to Haro at all, but they get there, with people hanging out of windows and open boots, or sitting on -yes, sitting on - roofs.

Husband did berry well.

There is a downside. Many of the bodegas in and about Haro are closed during the fiesta, which lasts a good week. So if you want to visit the bodegas of Haro, of which there are many (Muga & CVNE to name but a few) bear in mind that they will be shut. On the upside, at some point you will probably rub wine-stained shoulders with the owners in the town square as the party does not stop. By 9am on the 29th of June, I'd hazard a guess that there isn't a sober soul in Haro.

All this revelry put us in the mood for more wine. Following the fest, we imposed ourselves on Bodegas Fernando Remirez de Ganuza for a tour and tasting, followed by a legendary lunch at Restaurante Alameda, which you can read about here.

Otherwise, to return to the North Spain main menu, click here.

B is for Bilbao

Bilbao - where the letter B features heavily.  If there's a pun to be had, the municipal authorities have thunk it: Bilboats, Bilbuses, Bilbars...  

Bilbao - industrial city shrouded in mists that if not descending from the Vizcaya hills, issue forth from Guggenheim bankside in the form of Fujiko Nakaya's fog sculpture. Didn't anyone tell her? She needn't have bothered, for the rain in Spain has left the plain and lingers mostly here...

Bilbao - home to Koons' 43 foot-tall flower-power West Highland Terrier ETA once tried blow up, and Foster's metro entrances, as if landed from Herbert's Dune, known locally as fosteritos. Bonkers and brilliant is Bilbao. 

Richard Serra 

The fish called Guggenheim must be visited if only for the Richard Serra room and architectural tour on audio guide which comes free with entry fee. And once done, you can focus on what Bilbao does best: pintxos. Don't ask for tapas if you can help it: pintxo is the correct Basque term whether it comes skewered on a tooth pick, heaped on bread or prepared in a small dish - it's all pintxos. And they're fenomenal. 

The annual competition Muestra de Bares de Pintxos keeps the bars in healthy competition. Good for us. The winners are awarded berets which are proudly displayed in picture frames. The bars I recommend have their fair share and are in and about El Casco Viejo (the old quater). Within walking distance of one another I urge you to try them in txikiteo fashion - Basque for a bar + pintxo crawl. Txikito is Basque for a small glass of wine. By the by, barhopping constitutes something of a regional sport. And given the number of excellent eateries, it's just about the only way to sample what Bilbao has to offer in a few days.   

Bar Lekeito, Diputacion 1

Great atmosphere: portly men wearing berets, drinking Zapiain cider with National Geographic on constant stream on telly above. A glass of txakoli (Basque sparkling white) at 1.60€ a pop goes well with the tortilla paisana, the pintxo this bar does best, followed closely by their bacalao which they do a number of ways. The tortilla paisana is made of spinach and chorizo - you can distinguish it from the others tortillas they do as it has mayo latticework on top.

tortilla paisana

pintxo bacalao

Casa Victor Montes, Plaza Nueva 8, El Casco Viejo 

On Plaza Nueva is the fabulous Victor Montes. Here they do montaditos best, a pintxo heaped high on a slice of bread. Look out for the cast iron beer pump shaped like an arm with tankard in hand. The raw pintxo bacalao was superb, the house white a chardonnay from bodega Enate. 

Husband and I were of two minds whether to miss out flight back to London so tempted were we to return to the likes of Victor Montes and Bar Gatz (see below) for more. 

Victor Montes crew

cangrejo

bacalao

bonito

Bar Gatz, Santa Maria 10, El Casco Viejo

At all bars they have a pintxo called gilda - a simple assembly of ingredients on toothpick. Gilda means lollipop. The Gatz gilda supports anchovy, onion and guindilla (Spanish green chilli pepper), heaped over with chopped cebolla and olive oil. They also have portions of bonito del norte served much the same way. Both well deserve the txikito of chilled Rey Santo Rueda they serve. 

By the by, Gatz has multiple beret awards that fill the walls of the bar. Their best pintxo to my mind is bacalao al pil-pil. The bacalao is served with a slice of garlic, of chilli and an emulsion of cod gelatin and olive oil which gives it a glaze. They are delicious and go pretty quick: when we rucked up the in the late pms, they had sold out.  We returned the following day, not begrudgingly, for an early lunch and our bacalao al pil-pil fill, which we had with txakoli, poured into cup from great height.

bacalao al pil-pil

steak tartare

piquillo stuffed with bacalao

Bukoi, calle Nueva, El Casco Viejo 

Of the four restaurants (Sasibil, Berton Bukoi and Gelatxu) all belonging to one owner, Bukoi was our favourite.

pan tumaca

ración pata negra

We had a ración of 1/4 kg Jamon Iberico 'Pata Negra' for 17€, hand sliced on a vintage Berkel Slicer from Rotterdam. Warning: they dong a horse-themed bell when the plate of ham is ready. I near flew off my seat. The ding-donging was frequent as the lady in regional dress was slicing ham pretty much the whole time we were there. It was served with pan tumaca. We drank a Rioja from bodega P. Peciña was served in Reidel-esque tumblers, the beer in what looked to me like champagne flutes. And we giggled at the 'smashed eggs', 'bailed prawn' and 'burned junket' [sic, sic & sic]  listed on the English menu handed to Husband.

The pintxo de foie at Sasibil on c/Jardines 8 was rather good too.

From Bilbao husband and I moved on to La Rioja, which you can read about here. Otherwise you can return to the main North Spain post by clicking here.

Road Trip - Northern Spain

September. The rain is falling, trenches dug turning into quagmires, water-logged soil sacks spilling over, and what am I doing? Not gardening, nor digging, but sitting on couch muddling over how best to blog about a three-week Spanish road trip taken in July whilst munching green cobnuts, which sadly are coming out of season. And how very good they are. Better green than gold.

On route to Fuenmayor, La Rioja

Where to start? With a glass of Rioja of course. It is 10am and imperative to get into the mood. [takes sip]

I travelled light, took ill-fitting bras, Michelin 'España' road maps 573 & 575, and the panama hat I purchased at the Chelsea Flower Show. And Husband. And books. Reading list went something like this: Laurie Lee, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning; Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon; The Essential Hemingway (Vintage Classics); Giles Tremlett, Ghosts of Spain; and The World Atlas of Wine, by Hugh Johnson and and Janice Robinson.

For your perusal is this rudimentary map of the route husband and I took in our hired Kia Picante, which had absolutely no power to accelerate uphill.

Note that if you too intend to travel with tomes, The World Atlas of Wine alone won't fit into the Picante boot because there is no boot. Just the pretence of one. But less of that. For ease I have organised our meanderings thus, posts dedicated to either city or wine region so as to spare you from having to trawl through the whole damned lot:

Bilbao: the pintxos of Bilbao & Frank Gehry's Guggenheim

Rioja: Haro & Batalla del Vino; Bodega Fernando Remirez de Ganuza & lunch at Restaurant Alameda; Bodega Abel Mendoza Monge & Casa Toni; HotelViura, Bodega Remeluri & lunch at Casa Arina; wine therapy at Gehry's Marques de Riscal Hotel, Elciego

Lerma: Parador Lerma, & Gregorian chanting at Santo Domingo de Silos

Riberra del Duero: Bodega Valdubon & Quintanilla de Onesimo; the penas and pintxos of Aranda del Duero; Roa, roast lamb & Bodega Haza; San Esteban de Gormaz

Pamplona: 20 hours in Pamplona & the running of the bulls

Donastia-San Sebastián: pintxos; Casa Julian, Tolosa; Woody Allen's hangout.

They are not all clickable yet - it will take some time before the posts, in their entirety, are up. Currently I have finished the posts on Bilbao & Rioja and am working on Lerma. I have a pile of receipts and illegible notes to decipher, plus something like 3,000 photographs to sift through. And Willow has chewed parts of map 573. But I am working on it and hope you enjoy.

If you are of the brave-hearted and want to do the whole lot, the first post is here.

I Love You Tomato