A warm hello from us at Iberian Wine tours! After an incredible spring tour season the team has been enjoying their time off this summer.
From Laura’s adventures in Southeast Asia to Europe’s hottest new summer destination… Ireland, we wanted to update you on what we have all been up to!
All the way from Southeast Asia!
Laura is just back from enjoying 5 weeks travelling across Thailand and Indonesia. The two standouts from the trip were seeing Orangutangs on a jungle trek in Sumatra and a gorgeous sunrise hike up Mount Bromo Volcano in Java. It is safe to say that in SEA there was a distinct lack of wine however the food made up for it! Here are some foodie highlights from a cooking class in Indonesia where Laura learnt to make some classic Balinese dishes (just email her for the recipe book if anyone is interested;). Notably her favourites were the corn fritters, sweet tempeh (a traditional southeast Asian food made from soybeans) and Dadar gulung (green pancakes topped with coconut made with the natural dye from a Pandan plant). Overall, the trip was amazing, and it was nice to finally get out there after covid stopped her initial travel plans before university.
ไชโย (Cheers!)
Hola from Salamanca!
Jeremy and Marisa have been enjoying their time together with Marisa’s family in Salamanca! What better time and place to enjoy some delightful Spanish wine and tapas, even with a 40-degree heatwave that lasted two weeks… From catchups with everyone’s favourite team member at Iberian Wine Tours (Rosi of course) to reunions with old friends in la Plaza Mayor. Jeremy and Marisa’s Salamanca highlight has been a good refreshing glass to take the edge off the heat at Cuzco Bodega.
An escape to northern Spain and Portugal…
After the pool broke in the middle of this heatwave Jeremy and Marisa decided to escape and head North to Baiona where the temperature was notably cooler! They enjoyed a night at the gorgeous Parador that so many of us have stayed in on trips over the years. Having moved further north into Portugal for their final night, they enjoyed their favourite meal of the summer at the Restaurant ‘Tasquinha da Linda’ in Viana do Castelo.
On the menu was:
Gambas a la Linda
Grilled sole
Chocolate mousse.
All paired with a delicious Muros Antigos 2024: a citrus, fruity and refreshing wine made from three white grape varieties: Alvarinho, Loureiro, and Avesso.
Cheers to a Spanish and slightly Portuguese summer!
Reunions and Homegrown gems from Saintfield
Simon and Dawn have been enjoying a sunny summer in Northern-Ireland with a notably cooler climate than that of Salamanca and Bangkok. From gorgeous swims with Zander in Strangford lough to delicious meals made with delights from their own garden, maybe Northern-Irish summers will be in fashion sooner than we thought!
Laura was reunited first with Simon and Dawn before her parents had returned from Spain and it was safe to say their reunion meal was to die for! The menu created by Simon and Dawn was pretty much a farm to table experience. With Simon giving Laura the option of anything she liked for dinner she went for the theme of fish and here’s the delicious menu they served up:
Crab with tomatoes and beetroot from their garden
Simon’s famous fish pie also accompanied by carrots and shallots from their garden.
Sticky toffee pudding
Cheeseboard
*All the fish and seafood were from Saintfield market caught that morning.
Paired with a refreshing Muller-Catoir Riesling from the Pfalz region with tasting notes of ripe pear, yellow stone fruit and light herbal spice.
Are you kidding? (Laura here..) It’s safe to say that Laura was in foodie heaven… cheers from Saintfield!
English seaside delicacies
Jenny moved into her new house this summer and celebrated the occasion with some homemade sushi and a rose crémant de Limoux in her new garden. She has then been enjoying her holidays by the English seaside! Her foodie highlight was this gourmet crab sub from the Crab Hut whilst walking on the North Norfolk coastal path at Brancaster Staithe. Clearly, we have been crazy for crab at Iberian Wine Tours this summer!
We hope everyone has had a lovely summer and we’ll see you all soon for an exciting and fast-approaching Autumn tour season!
