Top destinations for lovers of good food and wine
Are you planning a holiday in Europe around food? Somehow, the most important regions of Europe for travelers are also the best in food and wine. In fact, it seems that good nutrition in Europe begins with the production of wine and beer, to then continue enjoying good food and regional cooking styles.
Below is my picks for the Western European regions with the best food. You might think of other places where you can discover for yourself eating and enjoying fine wines.
Alsace, France
The region of Alsace, France, has a rich culinary heritage, and a number of Michelin-starred restaurants (27 restaurants with a star).
If you travel to France in a car you can go through a pretty medieval village along the Riquewihr Alsace Wine Route and enjoy its beauty, food and wine of this interesting region. If traveling by train, the largest cities such as Colmar and Strasbourg are also very good.
Find some wine bars in the area, of Kayserberg and Riquewiihr. Walk and taste the cuisine of Alsace and discover its people and its vineyards.
Southern Germany
When you think of German food one could not think beyond the piles of sausage and huge jugs of beer, but my first visit to the restaurant in Leinsweiler Rebmann, along the wine route in southern Germany, quickly dissipated this myth.
Baden Wurttemberg, is the region in the southwest corner of Germany, home to two neighboring wine regions, the Palatinate and Rheinhessen. Rheinhessen is huge, every fourth bottle of German wine comes from there. Along with this wine comes good food, and Baden Wurttemberg has many good restaurants. And, wine and food are considerably less expensive than the ones found near Alsace.
The Basque Country
Especially in Spain, recent publicity about food in the Basque Country is well deserved. Enter the first bar you find in the Basque region of Spain and try some ´pintxos´ (the Basque word for tapas, which is another name for ´tapas´). In France, Gascony and the Basque Country also share high expectations for food. If you have the budget, you have the daily menu at Guggenheim Restaurant in Bilbao, where you can get a semi-gourmet meal for less than 20 €.
Portugal
Portugal, in general, is seen more as a culinary destination. However, to the east of Lisbon in the peaceful countryside of Alentejo, in this Portuguese region of young wine, you can eat the famous pata negra Iberian pork or instead taste the succulent Alentejana Porco, pork with clams, a very interesting and tasty combination. Unlike many southern destinations, Portugal is the country of soup, the options will surprise you. Chouriços, the most popular of Portuguese sausage, adds flavor to many dishes.
Tuscany
As the capital of Tuscany, Florence is notable for wines, especially red wines as the Chianti Classico. You´ll also find good wines like Brunello di Montalcino, Pomino Vin Santo and other white wines Trebiano and Moscadello are varieties for sweet wines.
You find wine festivals in Florence more often than in any other European city, and during the summer you will find one almost every week. In addition, every restaurant, every coffee, sometimes every street vendor sells the best wines in Florence.
Tuscany is famous for its Chianti, made from Sangiovese grapes grown in the Tuscan hills, about twenty miles south of Florence. There are a wide variety of Chiantis here, but all are made primarily from Sangiovese grapes produced locally.
In Florence eat genuine food, cooked to order with fresh and natural ingredients, grown in the countryside near Florence. Fresh meat comes from farms and Mugello Valdarno (two areas very near Florence) and cooked on grills. The Tuscan beef flavor is very special.
The olive trees that dot the landscape of Tuscany producing extra virgin olive oil, The Italians use it in all their dishes.
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