I’ve told you a little bit about my recent wedding, and some of the things that made it anything but “normal” — a live band playing a full concert in two sets, the request for donations to the Bowlers to Veterans Link charity in lieu of gifts, a fun bowling tournament, prize drawings, etc.
We also handled the honeymoon differently. We went on it before the wedding — exactly one year before. Our destinations: three locales in Europe — the Swiss Alps, Vienna and Barcelona.
We did a lot of sightseeing in Switzerland, we ate a lot in Vienna, and we drank a lot of wine in Barcelona.
Of course, some of that wine was consumed in a couple of Barcelona’s ubiquitous tapas bars. We drank some at “regular” restaurants as well. And one day, we took a tour outside the city that included a visit to a winery, as well as lunch at a restaurant where still more wine was served.
The grounds of the winery we visited weren’t as meticulously maintained as those found in the Napa Valley or Sonoma County, but there was a piece of modern artwork similar to what you might encounter on a Napa estate.
We found it interesting that the winery building itself didn’t look like much, but that its interior was modern and immaculate. In other words, they spend their money on the important things — those involved in making delicious wines — rather than concerning themselves with making some kind of statement with their architecture.
We also were amused by how this particular winery recycled its used barrels: They remake one end and transform them into waste barrels. We took this picture in one of the winery’s public restrooms.
Although Spain’s wineries craft some delicious red wines, most of the wine we consumed there was white. We were trying to “eat light” as much as possible, so we’d always be ready for the next walking tour, and the food we typically chose was tailor-made to be accompanied by white wine.
True, the pork enchiladas shown here, smothered in a delicious cream sauce, weren’t exactly low-cal. But the dish paired perfectly with a glass of Spanish Rueda, which was quite similar to the one featured in this Vinesse sampler.
We also found a number of sparkling and rosé-style wines to be just what the wine doctor ordered when we were enjoying more spicy Spanish dishes.
Lighter fare, in general, calls for lighter wines. While in Spain on our pre-wedding honeymoon, we did as the Spanish did: We drank a lot of white, sparkling and rosé wines.
