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12TH JUNE 2023 THE TRAVEL GUIDE DISTRIBUTED WITH


A taste of Rioja


With its sprawling vineyards and countless pintxos bars, this region of northern Spain is ripe for culinary adventures. Words: Josephine Price


DE LEY’S FINCA LOS ALMENDROS VINEYARD. IMAGE: BARÓN DE LEY


The cooking class: Atelier Hermanas Loro “You need to eat croquetas with your hands,” says Isabella. “You just don’t get that same crunch if you use cutlery.” Compliant, I bite into a croqueta made with cecina de León (a local cured beef) and parmesan. Its granular, breadcrumbed shell explodes under the pressure, releasing a bechemel sauce that’s rich and full of flavour. I’d made this filling earlier under close instruction, stirring the onions as they sweated down in local olive oil and watching as they acquired a soft, glistening texture — it’s satisfying to now detect that sweetness in the sauce. Mónica, Isabella and Marie José,


better known as the Hermanas Loro (Loro sisters), have been running their cooking school in Logroño, the capital of the Rioja province, for 14 years. Tey’re a restless trio. As well as the school, they run two restaurants, a catering company and a delivery service. Te classes here are extremely popular — the sisters run up to 13 a week, with guests coming from as far afield as Israel and Canada. Next, they teach us how to make their grandmother’s buñuelos (like churros in texture, but round and made with butternut squash). Mónica drops them into hot bubbling olive oil. When they’re fetched from their


sizzling oil bath, the buñuelos are a squidgy delight, “You have to eat them now,” I’m told. “Tey won’t last.” I nod; I’ll make sure they don’t. As with the croquetas, I’m happy to follow the Loro sisters’ advice.


The winery: Barón de Ley During a late-morning wine-tasting session in the Finca Los Almendros vineyard, the sun makes a welcome appearance. It shines down on the vines, boosting the golden- yellow tones of the garnacha tinta grape leaves. Located just outside the town of Mendavia, in Navarre province, the vineyard belongs to Barón de Ley, which has six vineyards dotted around the area. I’m hosted by Martha and Patricia and, together, we taste a pale, fresh garnacha rosé that’s buttery, mineral and floral at the same time. Te winery is housed in a


16th-century former Benedictine monastery, and it’s here, in a dimly lit cellar, that I meet Pablo, the winemaker. He opens a 1985 vintage — a good, warm year for Rioja wines. As we explore, I’m shown the sleek concrete vats and the vast, ageing concrete tanks. Tey contrast sharply with the rows upon rows of oak casks (31,000 in total) and, as we meander, I can smell the toasted oak and ageing alcohol. Back outside, the late-afternoon sun is still dancing upon the vines, twinkling on the grenache and tempranillo leaves. barondeley.com


The tapas tour: Logroño Café Bar Garcia has been in this spot on Calle San Juan in Logroño for 57 years. Walk through the doors and you’ll find the same family behind the bar and the same dishes on the menu as when the place first opened. I’m sitting at the counter beside Marisol and Tirso, both 84, who have been coming here


THE LORO SISTERS’ CROQUETAS. IMAGE: ANDRÉS ARRANZ FOTOGRAFÍA


virtually every day for 20 years. Tey’re perched on stools, drinking beer, eating bocadillos de jamón (ham sandwiches) and watching WhatsApp videos of their grandson. Te tapas scene in Logroño centres


around two streets: Calle San Juan and Calle Laurel. Te speciality here is pintxos, small bar snacks found across several northern Spanish regions, including the Basque Country and Rioja. Each bar is known for a single snack. Head to Blanco y Negro for its matrimonio, a pintxo featuring green peppers and anchovies, or to Bar El Perchas for its deep-fried pig’s ear. Ten there’s the caparrones (red bean stew) at La Méngula and the garlicky mushrooms, topped with a single prawn, at Bar Soriano.


CALLE DEL LAUREL IN LOGROÑO. IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK At Bar Sebas, we order small


sandwiches from the streetside window, dodging a cloud of cigar smoke as we collect our food. Finally, we visit La Universidad Pulpería for octopus and smoked Galician ham and, while we eat, we’re joined by the owner of Bar Sebas, who’s finished up for the evening and is now conducting an after-work pintxos crawl of hisown. We nod and say hello; it’s hard to go far here without bumping into someone. visitalogrono.com/punto-de-inters/ calle-laurel


First published in the Spring 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food. Read more at nationalgeographic.com/travel


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