Local beer and wine
Spain is a country where you can buy a beer cheaper than a cup of coffee or a coke. A “tubo” (tall glass) will set you back around €1.20 – €1.75 depending on where you choose to drink. You can buy it anywhere. Yes, they even sell it in fast food joints such as Mcdonalds or KFC! Spanish beer tends to be light in colour and is equivalent to what we would call lager or pilsner. Well known brands tend to be Cruzcampo, Mahou, San Miguel, Victoria, and Damm. If you are looking for stout, ale or dark beer in Seville then you might be disappointed. You can buy Guinness or Murphy’s from the many expat Irish bars that are in the city, but this is not something that the Spanish make or drink.
What to drink at the Bodega?
Now I am not an expert on wine and there are people far more qualified than me to advise you on the subject, but one thing I do know from living in Spain is that you cannot go wrong with a bottle of Rioja. If you see the term “reserva” on a bottle it means that it has been aged for around three years and “gran reserva” means that it has typically been aged around five years. If I am in a restaurant and I want a bottle of wine I ask for the “vino casera” or house wine. It’s generally pretty good and reasonably inexpensive. Expect to pay around €8.00 a bottle. However, wine is much cheaper in the supermarkets.
Other drinks include sherry, which is normally best served ice cold, examples of which are Tio Pepe, Amontillado and Manzanilla. Tinto Verano (summer wine) is a refreshing mix of red wine, ice and tonic which is really refreshing on a hot summers day.
Feel free to ask a question or leave a reply!
