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WINE

The insider’s guide to the best wine bars in Barcelona

Wine blogger Timmer Brown shares his top tips on where to find the best local wine in Barcelona.

Published: 22 February 2016 10:57 CET
The insider's guide to the best wine bars in Barcelona
Photos: Timmer Brown
Barcelona is the third busiest city for tourist visits in Europe, and is also the gateway to one of the top wine regions in the world. Catalonia is home to the famous wine regions known as Priorat and Penedes, and features other sub-regions like Emporda, Alella, Conca de Barbera, Terra Alta, and Montsant.
 
 
Sometimes it can be difficult to find and enjoy a great selection of fantastic wines from the region surrounding Barcelona, as it is an international and cosmopolitan city.
 
So where can you go to enjoy a glass of local wines, rather than getting stuck in the tourist traps of the Ramblas drinking Rioja (not that there’s anything wrong with that)?
 
Here’s a list of top spots I frequent and enjoy.
 
 
 
Carrer Enric Granados features some great spots for culinary delights, and at the top end near Avinguda Diagonal is Bardot. Owned by Rodrigo Varela, and directed by Karim Isphahani, Bardot features a rotating wine by the glass menu which includes almost all local wines, featuring some of the top wineries from Priorat, Emporda, Penedes, Terra Alta and other regions of Catalonia.
 
It arguably has the deepest offering of Catalan wines by the glass in the city, and I’m always discovering something new when I pop in, as well as enjoying some of my favourites, including Clos Figueras. The food is dynamite, including a nice tapas menu, plus full course offerings for lunch and dinner. You can spend a little or a bunch, depending on your budget, and choose between a long meal, or lounge on the bar side enjoying Catalan wines by the glass with light tapas. Karim is prolific on Instagram, and frequently posts photos from visitors including FC Barcelona players (who eat there quite a bit), many stars from the world of fashion, plus the latest fares from the kitchen.
 
Enric Granados, 147, Barcelona
Tel. 932 002 214
 
 
 
The El Born district of Barcelona is nothing short of enchanting, with history oozing at its pores, and Bar Brutal is a great spot to soak up the history while flipping through a wine list by the pages. Boasting one of the deeper local wine lists in the city, you can enjoy not only well known wines by the bottle or the glass, but some of the more obscure varieties, usually only known to wine geeks and wine bloggers, including a great selection of natural and organic wines. The staff are friendly and helpful and can direct you to the appropriate wine choice to go along with your food selections (in several languages).
 
As a plus, the food features a great selection of local Catalan delicacies, from meals to tapas, depending on what you’re after. One side of the spot fronts onto one of the main roads running through El Born, Carrer Princesa (Can Cisa side), the other you enter through a quaint back entrance (Barra de Ferro). Some people get a little confused by the two names and the two entrances, but it’s the same business. By the way, the Porcheta is legendary.
 
Barra de Ferro, 1/Carrer de la Princessa, 14
932 95 47 97
 
 
 
Instead of stopping at a restaurant on Passeig de Gracia, take a turn on Consell de Cent towards the Ramblas and head into the quaint and chic La Cuina d’en Garriga. One of Barcelona’s hidden gems, not only is it a restaurant, but it also features a shop with local and a few international delicacies. Boasting a list featuring wines from Priorat, Montsant , and Emporda’s Terra Remota, owners Helena and Olivier have created a fantastic atmosphere –  upscale, yet casual – punctuated by an eclectic menu spanning appetizers, pastas, and the best “iberico secreto” I’ve had in a very long time. The best part is the fact the curated wine list features a nice mix of highly rated entry level Catalan wines, plus critically acclaimed higher end wines, giving a little something for everyone.
 
if they ask if you’d like a “Vermut” to start, you won’t be disappointed, and no it’s not the Vermouth with which you may be familiar. And yes, the seltzer is supposed to mix with it. 
 
Carrer del Consell de Cent, 308
932 15 72 15
 
 
 
Another spot in El Born, close to the El Born Market building, El Diset boasts a great menu including salmon tartar (and I normally don’t like tartar, which is saying something), a deep selection of local wines, and even live music.  The menu is lighter fare, and it’s best to put a medley of appetisers together, which will satiate even the deepest hunger.
 
Not only is the wine list exclusively Catalan, but the staff are very well versed in the finer points of the wines, and can usually recommend the best pairings for your selection, if that’s your thing. The best part is the spot is always busy, and there’s an amazingly diverse group of locals, expats, and tourists blending together to enjoy a gastronomic experience.
 
Carrer Antic de Sant Joan 3 
Tel: 932-681-987
 
 

Photo: monvinic.com
 
If you’re not familiar with Monvinic, arguably one of the best wine bars in the world, then you’ve been hiding under a mountain of snow in Antarctica for at least the better part of the decade. The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Food & Wine, and other media outlets have taken turns raving about the wine selection and the food.  
 
Boasting a sommelier staff of nine, led by co-founder Isabelle Brunet, you can count on having the best-selected wine for your palate and your food selection. Be prepared to bring your wallet, as the typical menu runs either 45€ per person or 60€ per person (minimum 2 people), but between the quality and the atmosphere, you’ll find it’s worth the spend. You’ll have not only Catalan wine choices, but a deep international cellar as well.
 
Carrer Diputacio, 249
932 726 187
 
 

Photo: zonadombra.es 
 
Located in the Gothic Quarter, Zona d’Ombra is in a quiet square on the edge of the Jewish Quarter, near the narrowest intersection in Barcelona. Unlike many of its Gothic Quarter counterparts, Zona d’Ombra has a fantastic selection of Catalan wines by the bottle or the glass, and a great Catalan tapas tasting menu.
 
The wine by glass rotates frequently, and if you’re a fan of Emporda wines, they’ve got a larger selection than most.  One of the highlights is their variety of croquettes from mushrooms, to cheese, to ham, and seafood. They’ve also kept the rustic feel of the building they occupy, with the ancient stone construction complimenting the décor of barrels and oak detailing. You might just feel like you’re in a winery barrel room when you walk through the doors. Best part is the menu and the wines lean towards affordable quality, unlike many of the other culinary offerings in the very touristy-oriented Gothic Quarter.
 
Sant Domènec del Call, 12
935 005 802
 
Timmer moved to the Barcelona region four years ago after traveling the world for 15 years, working in marketing and public relations. He founded catalunyawine.com in 2014 to promote the wine region of Catalonia to the English speaking public. Now he travels to the vineyards of the region interviewing winemakers and exploring the history of the wine region. 
 
You can follow the journey on Twitter and Instagram @catalunyawine and also on the website.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Why are Spain’s Riojas often not considered fine wines?

It's one of Spain's most famous tipples, and yet there are a number of reasons why Rioja wines are widely respected but not always considered fine wines by international experts and the general public.

Published: 20 September 2023 10:57 CEST
Why are Spain's Riojas often not considered fine wines?

Spanish Riojas are loved across Spain and around the world by wine lovers. They are known for being medium to full-bodied, with a strong structure and tannins, and are often described as tasting like berries or plums.

One thing Riojas generally aren’t generally considered, however, are fine wines in the way that other wines are.

Sure, there are some particularly fantastic and award-winning Rioja vintages that are considered world class, but generally speaking Rioja is viewed as a bit of a bargain: good quality wine but not such high quality that it becomes unaffordable.

So what is a fine wine in the first place? There isn’t an exact science but they tend to be defined as a category that represents the highest quality producers from a wine-growing region, where the highest level of winemaking and viticultural standards are implemented, and quality over quantity is prioritised. And as you might have guessed, it’s wine critics who often have the final say on which fines are fine. 

Riojas’ good value for money

According to wine experts at Enologique, in the wine world (and perhaps in the wine-glugging public imagination too), Rioja is trapped in the ‘good value’ category, meaning it is generally perceived as middle of the road, cost effective, and neither awful nor amazing.

BBC wine expert Victoria Moore sums it up nicely: “One piece of good news for those who love Rioja is that it is one of the wines that supermarkets do best. You can find excellent examples of own-label Rioja just about anywhere you might shop.”

Riojas are seen as good value for money, something that (for better or worse) prevents it being considered among the more prestigious wines by some people.

READ ALSO: Ten facts you probably didn’t know about Spanish wine

High production

Wine critic Tim Atkin argues that one reason Riojas aren’t quite viewed as in the top tier of wines is the fact that Spain’s La Rioja region makes so much vino, up to 300 million litres a year on average.

In Atkin’s words, “there’s always an unspoken fear that the mass-market wines won’t sell, even if the prices are low.”

Of the roughly 300 million litres of wine produced in La Rioja annually, up to 90 percent of it is red and the remaining 10 percent is white or rosé.

Different Riojas

Part of the explanation could also be the size of La Rioja itself and the variety of wines it produces, as although they are all marketed and sold as one type of wine, wines produced there tend to differ from one another than the best-known fine wines from France and Italy.

Rioja enjoys a mixture of Atlantic, Continental and Mediterranean climates with hot summers and cold winters with relatively high rainfall — good conditions for growing grapes that produce quality wines, but with quite a lot of variety.

The four main classifications of Riojas are Genérico, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva.

The general consensus is that Rioja business bosses favour quantity over quality for economic reasons. (Photo by CESAR MANSO / AFP)
 

Soil studies 

Another ‘black mark’ against Riojas when it comes to fine wines is, Atkin says, that the region would be taken more seriously if it published soil studies.

Despite being drank around the world, there is no authoritative report on Riojas soils, something many other wine producing regions in France and Italy do.

Business monopolies

One more reason Riojas are loved by many but not really considered fine wines is due to the business model: vested interests in the wine industry, namely the companies that make up the so-called ‘Grupo Rioja’, an association of influential and established bodegas that sells around three quarters of all Rioja wine. 

Atkin argues these groups have little interest in changing their business models because, in his words, “flogging large quantities of cheap wine at small but profitable margins suits them fine.” 

If someone wanted to try and recalibrate the production model in the region, or try and market Riojas as fine wines, they’d likely come up against the might of these established monopolies.

Wine politics

As with many things in Spain, politics (and regional identity) could also play a role. As the region is quite large, Rioja’s soils are varied. Yet despite that, most of the top wines come from the north and northwest of the region, especially from Sonsierra.

Atkins says that most of Rioja’s best wine growing areas are north of the River Ebro. As such, many of these high-quality vineyards are in the Alavesa subregion, which is not part of La Rioja region but actually part of the Basque Country.

According to wine website Decanter, there are 63,593 hectares of vineyards in the La Rioja wine making region, divided as follows: La Rioja (43,885 ha), Alava (12,934 ha) and Navarre (6,774 ha).

In recent years, wine rivalry between the Basque province of Álava and La Rioja has threatened to upend the Rioja wine world. Due to the internal politics, some Basque growers could break off from the Rioja name and brand and instead produce and label their own wines as Viñedos de Álava.

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