Spain Gourmet Wine, Dine and Stocks Tour 2008

1. Tapas

Tapas are snacks that originated in Andalusia to accompany sherry. Stemming from the bartender's practice of covering a glass with a saucer or tapa (cover) to keep out flies, the custom progressed to a chunk of cheese or bread being used, and then to a few olives being placed on a platter to accompany a drink. Now you can choose from a range of appetizing varieties of cold meats, hot dishes, seafood or vegetables. We will spend much time in tapas bars throughout the trip. No better way to meet the locals and while away the time before the late Spanish dinner hour.

2. Rioja Wines

The Rioja wine region, which extends into the provinces of Navarra and Alava, has been producing quality wines since the Middle Ages. Vines have taken root extremely well on the sunny hillsides in the soil irrigated by the Ebro and its tributaries.

There are three sub-regions - Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa - within which there are more than 500 wineries, some of the huge bodegas with names we would recognize but many others simply casas-bodegas or houses with wine cellars that are happy to welcome visitors. The typical grape varieties are tempranillo and garnacha and the red wines are rich and mellow, similar to some Bordeaux regions. The whites are cool, some are slightly bubbly and the roses can be particularly good on a hot afternoon with slices of Iberian ham.

3. Cider

Aside from the wine, there is a local custom that you must not miss, the sidrerías (cider bars) found in the north of Spain. Sargadoa, (cider in Basque) is best drunk fresh on the spot where it is pressed to enjoy a full dry, fruity but sharp taste with a whiff of pure apples and the fizz of cider bubbles. The majority of the cider produced in this region is 100 percent natural which means it is not carbonized and no sugar is added during fermentation.

4. Gastronomy

La Rioja has a very rich regional cuisine, with natural products and market garden produce - peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, etc. are important. You have to try patatas con chorizo (potatoes cooked with chorizo sausage) and if you like fish, then you'll love trucha a la Riojana (trout stuffed with cured ham and fried). The asados, roasts, of cordero, lamb, or cabrito, kid goat, are also specialties here with the local variations ensuring that the meat is lightly soaked in water before being put into the oven.

5. Guggenheim Museum

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by North American architect Frank O. Gehry, is a magnificent example of the most groundbreaking architecture to have come out of the 20th century. The building itself is an innovatively designed architectural landmark that creates a seductive backdrop for the exhibition of contemporary art. If that is not impressive enough, the museum features one of the most important collections of avant-garde masterpieces in the world, with a special focus on the most radical abstract experiments carried out during the first third of the 20th century.

6. Haro

Set among extensive vineyards on the banks of the Ebro River, this bustling town is all about wine. Several bodegas offer visits, many wine bars serve the local wines by the glass, cafés circling the main square are filled with patrons quaffing cool wines matched with Iberian ham and all the restaurants pride themselves on their impressive wine lists. The Old Town has many beautiful palaces to be visited and the Baroque church of St Tomas is a must.

7. The Camino de Santiago de Compostela

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, (The Way of St James in English) is a collection of ancient pilgrimage routes covering all of Europe but all sharing the town of Santiago de Compostela in North West Spain as their final destination. For more than 1000 years, pilgrims have been walking these trails and Santo Domingo de la Calzada is possibly the first purpose-built tourist complex in history, having grown up around a pilgrim's hospital founded there by Santo Domingo himself. On any day of the trip we can enjoy a morning or afternoon hike on the trail to work off all our good living.

8. Dinastia Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture

Located in the heart of the vineyards and winery of the Vivanco Family, this award-winning Museum of Wine and Culture houses a valuable collection of archaeological and artistic objects highlighting the important role of wine in a variety of cultures. Here we will enjoy a private guided tour of the museum and winery, followed by cocktails and dinner overlooking their vineyards basking in moonlight.

9. Burgos

Burgos was founded in 884, and is renowned for possessing more ecclesiastical monuments than any other Spanish city. The most important of these is Burgos's Gothic cathedral which in 1984 was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. The cathedral is considered one of the greatest examples of Gothic architecture, and holds a unique collection of works of art including paintings, choir stalls and tombs.

10. What I left out was...

We will sing and laugh and drink and laugh our way through this wine and food heaven in an intimate week that you will never forget.

Warning: 15-19 couples and singles is our maximum… and this invitation goes out to the entire 40,000 ChangeWave subscribers and Alliance members.

If this trip sounds like you, fantastico—which means GET your registration in NOW or your seat in paradise will be gone.

Yours in pursuit of all things wonderfully Spanish.

Toby