Big thanks to Marta #LagardePintos and Encarna & Manuel #BodegasGerardoMendez for two splendid visits yesterday. My most recent visit to GM was back in 1996, so it was lovely to reacquaint myself with their incredible house plot, planted when the USA was still a British colony.

San Juan fest sardine action last night in Coruña. As the locals say, en San Xoan, a sardiña molla ó pan. This means that the sardine is so plump and oily, it soaks the piece of bread it sits on… Quite true too.

Our Catalonia correspondent Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social explains why St John's Eve (23 June) is so important in his home region, and uncorks some fine Catalan wines by Nuria Renom, El Jardí dels Sentits, Celler Joan d’Anguera and Can Descregut. spanishwinecollective.com/blog/fire-and-…

We did it. We’ve rescued St James’s, Llangua in Monmouthshire. In this short video, our Director, Rachel Morley, shares a quick overview of this remarkable project.

A catedral da miña cidade natal. Qué guapa é!

For our wine of the week Bill Bolloten pays tribute to @tiopepewine fino, one of Spain's most iconic wines. spanishwinecollective.com/blog/tio-pepe-…

Really up for some hazy lazy summer aperitivo time in Rías Baixas but we’re heading for the Rías Altas. This was taken 11 years ago in a place that’s since closed, sadly. How I miss the sisters (as irmás) that ran it. Who can spot the hybrid?

“Lourdes water” for grilled whole fish, as used by the legendary fish grillers of Getaria (Gipuzkoa). Fantastic baster. Along with the collagen in the juices of the fish, it’s key to preparing a good emulsion/sauce before plating. elespanol.com/cocinillas/coc…

Caldiño para unha noite fresquiña en Cedeira. #rollonautumn

Arnalte blanco Viura DOC Rioja at €2.25 in Eroski. With this sort of pricing, cheap Spanish plonk prejudice will continue unchecked.

Lo and behold! The BBC has actually learned to say ‘parts of the country’ when referring to the heatwave in Greece. Not so in Spain where we’re all melting at 42º, regardless of the location. Algo es algo… bbc.com/news/articles/…

Zamburiña. If it doesn’t look like this, it ain’t.

Throw back to a very strange time, barely two months after total lockdown in Spain and some really welcome and quite wonderful by-the-glass action at Bagos Viñoteca, Pontevedra.

For all Hitch devotees..

Techno music, an idiot with a microphone and an amateur padel championship obliterating a peaceful Sunday morning in a residential ‘hood. What’s not to like?

Fas un comentario con certa retranca sobre o bolo cancelado de Juan Luis Guerra en Sanxenxo e enseguida tes un pile-on de señoras indignadas chamándote ignorante e maleducado. Nótase que non coñecen Harvey Averne, Mongo Santamaría, Hector Rivera, Joe Bataan, Manny Corchado. Lmao.

You can make up a verb from any word combo. E.g. 'desnietar.. 'to de-grandson'... which means to remove nietos (grandsons). In viticulture, branches that grow parallel to branches that carry grapes are known as nietos. There is growing pressure to use the non-binary nietes.

Parachute the candidates in? No need. My wife’s manor, innit? #Cedeira #22ndgooseneckbarnaclefair #XXIIFestadoPercebe

¡Feliz Día de Galicia! My first as a citizen. #santiagodecompostela #patrondegalicia #patrondeespaña