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Drinks

Wine / Vino

Spain is – after Italy – the biggest wine producer of Europe. The Spanish wines have improved tremendously during the previous decades and are still reasonably priced. With the tourism appeal of tapas the Spanish wine is making a come back and it’s not just ‘Rioja’ anymore. The province of Malaga is famous for its sweet dessert wine. Nerja is – with Torrox, Frigiliana and Competa (half of August they celebrate La Noche de Vino in this town) – part of the ‘Sun and Wine route. The other villages of this route are: Algarobbo, Sayalonga and Canillas de Albaida. There’s vino blanco (white), rosado (rose) and tinto (red).

The official DO (Denominación de Origen) wine areas in Andalucia are: Condado de Huelva DO, Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda DO, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO (also Manzanilla DO area), Málaga DO & Sierras de Málaga DO, Montilla-Moriles DO (Source: Wikipedia 2008). DO (Denominación de Origen) is an official average wine standard, DOC (Denominación de Origen Calificada) is a little higher and proofs the wine area has had a high quality standard over a longer period.

If you would like to visit a real wine bodega, see www.bodegasbentomiz.com

Click here for wine festivals in Andalucia.

Sherry / Jerez

The English word sherry comes from the word ‘Jerez’. This is the name of the home town of sherry in the south of Andalucia: Jerez de la Frontera. The sherry-triangle is formed bij the towns of: Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the lovely El Puerto de Santa María

There are about 10 varieties of sherry from very dry to very sweet and they all fit to their own kind of meal. Best known are medium dry (medio) en dry (fino, so with ‘f’). From the sweet sherries the Pedro Ximenez is the most famous and tasty one. It’s made of raisins and is very aromatic. The alcohol percentage is about 15%. Sherry is making a come-back in Northern Europe because it goes well with a nice plate of tapas.

The most famous brand is Osborn. The logo of this old company has because of the advertising billboards along the roads (the silhouette of a bull) even become a national symbol of Spain. The other biggest brand is Tio Pepe. In Jerez de la Frontera you can visit various bodegas. The Tio Pepe is a nice one and Osborne is outside of town.

Cava

Cava is the Spanish champagne. Is has a fine quality, but isn’t’ that expensive. Freixenet is the most famous brand. The word cava mean ‘cellar’.

Tinto de verano

Red wine of the summer… probably not an option for real wine lovers, but the Spanish mix their red wine in summer with Casera (kind of sprite). Just like sangria you can order a jug and if you prefer the sweeter version, you just order a ‘tinto de verano con limon’ and they mix it with Fanta lemon. In the supermarket you can buy both versions.

Sangria

Sangria probably is more popular with tourists than with the Spanish. It’s made of red wine, liquor, lemonade and fruit. Every restaurant probably has its own recipe. The more experienced sangria drinker knows that’s where the alcohol goes into... Sangria is mostly ordered in a big jug (Carafe). Also 'white sangria' exists and it's made of cava, lemon / lime and strong colorless liqor.

Beer / Cerveza

You probably wouldn’t expect so, but the most popular alcoholic drink in Spain is beer. A caña is a normal glass and a pint they call ‘cerveza grande’. In Andalucia there are several beer brands such as Cruzcampo, Alhambra, Mahou and San Miguel.

Liquor / Liqor

Pacharan is a typically Spanish anis liquor and there's a sweet, honey flavoured liquor called 43 (quarenta-y-tres). This brand is promoted in Northern Europe but in Andalucia is not so easily found.

Water / Agua

Tap water in Spain doesn’t taste nice, but it is drinkable, so you don’t have to worry about ice cubes or brushing your teeth. Agua con gas is sparkling water; agua sin gas is still water. In supermarkets most people buy big bottles of 5 or 8 litres.