Picos Blue  is a lovely Spanish blue from the Picos de Europa region. It’s  strong and spicy with a lingering creamy sweet tanginess-with a nutty rind, which is also bursting with earthiness-must have something to do with the sycamore leaves that shroud this Spanish Gem. Completely mouthwatering goodness! I picked up my slice from Blasus Deli Can be ordered online from The Cheese Society in the...

Mahón has some characteristics specific to it, despite aging. In general the cheese is buttery sharp, slightly salty and lightly aromatic (sweet and nutty aromas) in taste. Mahónis due in part to the sea salt content in the grasses the cows eat.  The rind is generally an orange color due to the rind being rubbed with butter, or oil, and paprika. As it reaches maturity (around 10 months) it tends to have small misshapen holes and has...

A Spanish company has picked up a top award in Paris for its new revolutionary wine bottle. The bottle’s design is based on a sort of false bottom, with a lip at the base of the bottle which acts in the same was as a decanter, trapping impurities and stopping them reaching your glass. The bottle has been developed in conjunction with the top Spanish chef, Martín Berasategui. Check it out at http://www.systemmartinberasategui.com/ And...

Payoyo is a blend of tart goat’s milk and sweet sheep’s milk. Payoyo is a breed of mountain goats native to Andalusia in southern Spain. Payoyo’s most popular cheese is a blend of goat and sheep milk. Payoyo goat’s milk is blended with Pyrenees sheep’s...

Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain’s noble grape The facts The...

Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles, ranging from dry, light versions such as finos to darker and heavier versions known as olorosos, all made from the Palomino grape. Check out this video-i love it! And those lovely little...

Manchego (officially Queso Manchego) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed, which is aged for between 60 days and two years. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep’s milk. It is a wonderful cheese! Check out this Manchego Cheese Video, and this...

Afuega’l pitu is an unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese from Asturias in Spain. Afuega’l Pitu Atroncau Blanco is an artisanal cheese similar in consistency to a firm cream cheese. Its flavor is creamy, tangy and...

Rioja red wines are classified into four categories. The first, simply labeled “Rioja,” is the youngest, spending less than a year in an oak aging barrel. A “crianza” is wine aged for at least two years, at least one of which was in oak. “Rioja Reserva” is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak. Finally, “Rioja Gran Reserva” wines have been aged at least two...

Airén is a variety of Vitis vinifera, a white grape commonly used in winemaking. This grape is native to Spain where it represents about 30% of all grapes grown The light-skinned grapes create wines that are typically inexpensive and not well known for...

Cabrales is a among the most distinguished blue cheeses and has a reputation for being one the most stalwart of the blues, thanks to its intensely strong, spicy flavor. Traditionally it is made with a mixture of cow, sheep, and goat’s milk. Cabrales has a semi-firm, slightly granular and crumbly texture; its flavor is biting and persistent.