Category Archives: andalucia

lockdown: day 6

19 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in andalucia, casa azahar, coronavirus, sevilla

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Shit, I don’t actually want to do “lockdown” posts every day, but there’s not really a helluva lot else going on atm. Though I do have some news! The other day I posted this photo of my street guy Nico on Instagram and Twitter, asking people who had to be out (to shop, walk a dog, etc) to keep a look out for him in my street and maybe give him some spare change. Thing is, I wasn’t even sure if Nico knew what was going on, and it was so sad to watch him sitting out there with hardly anybody walking by. And then the next day he vanished and I didn’t see him for three days. I wondered if the city councel had done a “clean up” and moved the street people somewhere else, and I was worried.

And then this morning, there he was again! So I called out for him to come over and as he stood below my balcony I tried to suss out how he was doing. I asked if he had food, or if he needed food… and it was so hard to understand him. Even my neighbour Antonio (who was out on his balcony across the street) couldn’t make out what he was saying. So I told Nico I’d be right down.

Continue reading →

axarquía getaway day 2 – part one: bodegas bentomiz

12 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in andalucia, getaways, Malaga, malaga getaway, wine

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Nothing quite prepares you for your first look at the modern and minimalist slate structure that is Bodegas Bentomiz. It looks like it has risen up from the very ground surrounding it and inside it is both functional and attractive, with massive windows everywhere letting in lots of natural light. Spectacular views of the mountains and the sparkling Mediterranean are everywhere you look.

After the wonderful day spent out in the vineyards and at the bodega at Dimobe in Moclinejo Victor brought me back to Málaga where I had arranged to meet up with winemaker Clara, co-owner of Bodegas Bentomiz, which she runs with her husband André, who is not only the resident chef, but also the architect who designed the building (and several others nearby). Clara had been in Madrid and was arriving in Málaga by train in the evening, and had very generously offered to take me out to their installation just outside Sayalonga, as well as inviting me to stay the night.

Continue reading →

axarquía getaway day 1 – part 2: bodegas dimobe & viñedos verticales

11 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by in andalucia, getaways, Malaga, malaga getaway, spain, tourism, wine

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Victor & me at the end of a spectacular day
saying goodbye to Málaga from the Parador Hotel Gibralfaro

First off I have to say that each of the three bodegas I visited in the Axarquía over two days were all completely different and totally wonderful experiences. First up, after a hearty pre-bodega breakfast at El Roper in El Palo, Victor and I made our way to the ridiculously pretty white village of Moclinejo, high up in the mountains. There we were greeted by Juan Muñoz Anaya and Vicente Inat, two winemakers who work together at Bodegas Dimobe, as well as working together on a separate project Viñedos Verticales. Dimobe was founded in 1927 by Juan’s grandfather and he now runs it with siblings Antonio and María Luísa. In 2015 Juan and Vicente founded Viñedos Verticales, a “sister winery” project which uses the same installation as Bodegas Dimobe in Moclinejo, and with different vine plots and grapes they are creating something that is both old and new.

Just to confuse you further, Vicente is also the winemaker at Bodegas Descalzos Viejos in Ronda, which I had visited a week earlier, and his wife Ana (who I got to meet later in the day after lunch) is the winemaker at another Ronda winery I visited, La Melonera. This was something I got used to over my two weeks of visiting Málaga wineries… that everyone not only knows each other, they sometimes work together and more often than not are very supportive of each others projects. It’s actually a lovely thing to see. Especially in Ronda the whole winemaking scene is quite new, starting sometimes in the 1980s, and everyone wants to see the region doing well. But I digress…

Continue reading →

axarquía getaway day 1 – part one: breakfast

11 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by in andalucia, getaways, wine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Day one of this week’s Axarquía Getaway started way too early (had to get up at stupid o’clock to catch an 8am train) so of course there was no time for breakfast. Happily I had seen an Instagram pic of some rather decadent looking lomo en manteca on toast at a place called Bar Roper, which happened to be on the way to my first bodega visit. So after the Amazing Victor @boke picked me up at the station, we headed over to the market in El Palo, meeting up with our friend David who lives nearby for a hearty pre-winery brekkie.

Continue reading →

málaga getaway 2019

11 Wednesday Dec 2019

Posted by in andalucia, christmas, getaways, Malaga, malaga getaway

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,


What a whirlwind visit that was! Arrived in Málaga at noon on Sunday and caught the 18.30 train home on Wednesday. As you can see, I packed a lot in between visiting with friends, doing some wine research for (I hope) another article and, of course, having some lovely food. Also got to see the Christmas lights, which were gorgeous as usual. And I did a LOT of walking – a total of 66,628 steps! I almost didn’t go because I’m a bit broke at the moment, which was also the reason I didn’t have my usual summer Málaga getaway. But with the oncology appointment looming (next Monday!) I decided that I would take a short break whether I could afford it or not. Sometimes you just gotta live.

Anyhow, so many photos to sift through! Lots are up on my Instagram accounts (sevillatapas and azahar) and you can click on this (or the image above) to see the BIG version of the collage.