Location: Cirauqui – Albergue Cirauqui Casa Maralotx
After a brilliant dinner at the Albergue, I struck up a conversation with an Irish guy we’d first met back on day one. He’d had an absolute marathon of a day and was keen to unwind with a drink or two (no arm-twisting required on my end!). So, off we went to the local bar just around the corner, ready to indulge in a bit of Rioja and football—though, truth be told, I had no idea who was playing. But when the wine’s flowing and the locals are in fine form, who really cares about the score?
The evening quickly became a merry blur of broken Spanish and English, with everyone happy to chat, laugh, and toast to a good time. And the Rioja? Absolute nectar of the gods. In Australia or the UK, you’d pay a small fortune for this stuff, but here it’s practically on tap.
At some point, our enthusiasm for the wine (and maybe the volume of our voices) got the better of us. We found ourselves raving about it just a bit too loudly to the barman. Turns out, he wasn’t just being polite—he pointed out the winemaker himself, sitting right there at the bar with us!
Naturally, after a few glasses of Rioja, we struck up a conversation. He didn’t speak English, we didn’t speak Spanish, but somehow we were instant mates. Before we knew it, late in the evening, he was leading us back to his winery for a spontaneous tour. (Side note: I wouldn’t generally recommend following strange men to their cellars in the middle of the night, but it seemed like a great idea at the time!) We didn’t understand a word, yet somehow understood everything.
Wine Recommendation
We even got some pro tips on choosing the best wines in the region, straight from the source. So next time you’re picking up a bottle of red, here’s the order he (and now I) would recommend: from absolute best to still-really-good.
- Rioja Crianza Reserva
- Rioja Crianza – my go-to for the rest of the Camino and ever since I’ve been home
- Rioja
Sadly, it’s way too expensive to ship his wine, so unless you find yourself in this little corner of Spain, you’re out of luck. But hey, that just makes the experience even more special, right?
And in case you’re wondering, this wasn’t the last of the misadventures I had with my Irish companion. Cheers to new friends and experiences. Happy sipping!
Keep an eye out for more tales from the trail coming soon!
—Nathan Winch
