An evening with wine and tapas in Barcelona

I recently spent 3 days in Barcelona on a solo trip. Having not done a lot travel by myself before, I was a bit nervous about dining and drinking by myself at night in a non English speaking country. Group food tours are one of the top things to do in Barcelona, so I did some research online and came across an evening with ‘Tapas and Wine’ with Devour Tours. A guide takes a small group around the best wine and tapas bars in the medieval Born neighbourhood sampling delicious Spanish wines, traditional Spanish food (tapas dishes) and other popular food in Spain.

The group size was nice and small – 7 of us altogether, I was the only solo traveller with 3 other American couples but they were all chatty and good fun so I didn’t feel excluded at all. Fintan was our guide and sommelier (a fellow Brit – yay!) and was passionate, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He actually put together the itinerary for this tour and made it a fantastic night.

We got to taste many different Spanish wines, including reds, whites, sparkling and fortified. The highlight for me was tasting the amazing red wine straight from the barrel at our final stop. Plus every single tapas dish was so delicious and excellent quality. I still crave the croquettes and patatas bravas from the first place we visited and I will be heading straight there when I next visit Barcelona.

The Spanish eat very late  – around 11pm! Our tour was 6pm – 9pm, so the restaurants were very quiet and just opening when we visited, but it did mean that they were not too noisy and we were not squeezing to get in (some are quite small).

This was a really fun way to spend an evening during my short visit, and I left felling pretty merry after consuming so much wine. It was a great way to experience Barcelona like a local!

Fintan followed up the tour by email with a list of excellent food recommendations for the rest of our trips which was a nice touch. 

If you are staying in Barcelona for a while, I recommend doing this tour at the start of your trip, as you will probably want to return to some of these places again! And I also recommend it for solo travellers who want an evening out drinking wine.

To book this tour or view other Devour tours click here. Also check out these 50 travel tips for Barcelona to make the most out of your trip and this travel guide to Barcelona for transportation, accommodation, food, nightlife and more!

Here is a breakdown of the restaurants and tapas consumed.

Stop 1 – Bodega La Puntual

Our first stop was was the meeting point for the group. We sat around large wine barrel tables and sampled a classic aperitif – a sweet Vermouth straight from the tap whilst listening to Fintan explain Spain’s wine history. 

Wine: Yzaguirre vermouth on ice
Tapas: Homemade spicy patatas bravas and Acorn-fed black hoof ham croquette

Stop 2 – ElDiset

Our second stop was a modern and trendy wine bar where we got to compare 2 different cavas, plus a tasting of a rosé and a white wine:

Wines:
Maria Rigol Ordi Brut Nature (DO Cava)
Terra de Marca Brut Reserva (DO Cava)
Mas Rodó Montonega (DO Penedès)
Castellroig So de Roselles (DO Penedès)

Tapas:
Two gourmet open tostas – one with aubergine, mozzarella and basil pesto, and another with stilton, apple slices and a berry jam.

Stop 3 – Bodega Maestrazgo

Our final stop was a really local bodega, style tapas bar/wine shop where the owner even makes his own wine. We sampled 2 glasses of red wine straight from the barrel.

Wine: Ribera del Duero and Vi negre

We then moved next door to a private tasting room for more wine and a selection of beautiful looking cured meats, cheeses, breads and olives (all of my favourite things!)

Wines:
I Tant 2015 (DO Montsant)
Zuazo Gaston 2013 (DO Ribera del Duero)
Viña Pomal Reserva 2011 (DOCa Rioja)
Bodega Alvear Pedro Ximénez NV (DO Montilla-Moriles) dessert wine

Tapas: Idiazabal cheese, Zamora cheese, llonganissa de organyà, Fuet, arbequina olives, anchovy stuffed olives and Catanies (almonds covered with white praline and a covered with cocoa powder – so good!)

Disclaimer: This tour was complimentary but as always, opinions are all my own.

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