Manchego: A Spanish Classic

The story of Don Quixote takes place in La Mancha, a hot, arid plain in south central Spain. The novel mentions cheese 13 times, and the cheese on Don Quixote's mind was Manchego (Mon-CHAY-goh), one of Spain's iconic cheeses.

The riddle of Rioja

Rioja is Spain's most recognizeable wine region, and the Tempranillo grape plays a major component in the wines that come from Rioja.

Tempranillo (Tem-Pra-KNEE-yo) is Spain's most common red grape, where it goes by a number of names depending on where it's planted and where the wine is made. To keep things simple, this post will focus on the Rioja region of Spain, where the grape is called Tempranillo.