On our Bodega tour in Barcelona, we will start by dropping into the historic and multicultural El Raval district, first for a carajillo, coffee spiked with Catalan brandy, at an unforgettable neighborhood haunt. From there we’ll make our way to the more upscale bodegas of the San Antoni and Poble Sec neighborhoods, where tradition is tweaked with a modern touch. Along with sips of hard-to-find wines from all over Spain, we’ll also sample some fine Catalan wines and, among other delights, we’ll taste artisanal regional cheeses, modern pintxos (Basque-style tapas), top-grade anchovies and octopus fritters paired with a dry house cava. During the traditional afternoon “vermouth hour,” we will have our vermut done right, which means served chilled with only an olive as a garnish, an old-time soda siphon bottle ready for the occasional spritz, and, of course, a few perfectly paired tapas on the side.
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