And there’s something to be said for a culture where everyone’s favorite fermented grape beverage is such a part of the daily fabric of people’s lives that there is local wine available for any price point — even Cheapos!

But even in a culture where wine is for everyone, there are some easy tricks to incorporate into your repertoire to save on Spanish wines during your time in Barcelona, Madrid and beyond. Here are a few of our favorites tips to help you make the most of your wine budget while you’re in Iberia.

Related:
• Spain Budget Travel Guide: 50 Ways to save in Spain
• Madrid Cheap Eats: 8 Tips to save on dining and drinking in Madrid
• The Best Food in Spain: Here are 7 dishes to try in Spain

1. Order house wine

Unless you’re picky when it comes to wine or you’re looking for a certain vintage or varietal, chances are you’ll be pleased with the house wine served in Spanish restaurants and bars.

Most importantly for Cheapos, it will give you significant savings when dining out — think €2-3 per glass or €6-7 for a whole carafe!

2. Share a bottle

If you’re drinking in a party of two or more, try to agree on a vintage and order by the bottle or carafe instead of by the glass. With lovely bottles of Spanish reds, whites and even sparkling Cavas starting at just €8, it’s a better bargain than ordering a glass or two each.

If you want to drink wine for less like a local, order a really cheap tipple called vino turbio. It’s a very cheap wine, served cold and shaken up to make it a little bubbly. However, it’s not available just anywhere — think hole-in-the-wall style neighborhood taverns.

3. Shop for bottles at wine stores

Looking for a bottle of wine for a picnic or to take one home as a souvenir? You’re far better off buying wine at neighborhood shops. While supermarket wines in Spain are plenty cheap, there’s a wider selection for similar prices in specialized wine shops.

At shops, you’ll have access to an expert who can help you find the perfect bottle and may even invite you to taste it beforehand. For the best prices, steer clear of shops in central, touristy spots (think La Rambla in Barcelona or Plaza de Sol in Madrid).  There is an exception to this rule: the wine shops in local food markets. They’re usually competitively priced, have English-speaking staff on hand and tend to be set up for customer tastings.

4. Organize your own winery visit

You don’t always have to stick to organized tours of wineries. Instead, after you’ve had a bottle of wine that you really enjoy or on a recommendation from a local or expert at a wine shop, rent a car or hop public transit to the winery of your choice.

Just be sure to call ahead to make sure there’s someone to receive you and that the winery in question allows tours. Many wineries in Spain allow visits, and the cost is in the single digits or even free of charge for a tour and a taste of one of the vintages made on site.

Ready to hit the road to search for the best wine? Here are our best tips for renting a car in Spain.

Grapes growing in a vineyard in Ribera de Duero. Photo: David A

5. Try wines from lesser-known regions and wineries

Rioja may be Spain’s best-known wine region, and Cordoniu and Freixenet may be Catalonia’s most famous producers of Cava (Spain’s famous sparkling wine) but that also means these products are widely exported, resulting in higher price tags. And as all Cheapos know, bigger prices don’t always equal better quality.

For inexpensive, hearty reds, try a bottle from Ribera de Duero, a wine region within an easy drive of Madrid that reminds us a little of Tuscany. In Basque Country, skip the Cava and seek out the refreshing slightly sparkling regional wine, Txacoli.

Bonus Tip: Buy Spanish wines in other destinations

Now that we’ve established that buying Spanish wine in Spain is very cheap, did you know Spanish wines are among the cheapest and best available in other parts of the world?  In places we’ve visited around the U.K., Spanish wines are always among the cheapest on offer. And on a recent trip to San Francisco, we noticed that Spanish Riojas were cheaper than many of the Sonoma California wines up for sale — even with the added expense of importation and long-haul shipping. Salud!

Want to read more about buying wine around Europe? Check out these articles:

• 6 Tips for buying wine in France on a budget
• Buying wine like a local in Florence
• Visiting Slovakia’s affordable wine region

The post Spain Wine Tips: How to save on Spanish wine appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are a few tips for navigating the dangerous (and delicious) waters of buying Tuscan wine.

Tuscan wines

First of all, how do you know if a wine is from Tuscany? In most cases it will be written on the bottle, often in the Italian form “Toscana.”

If not, there are many wines from specific areas of Tuscany that are well known and proudly display the name of their provenance. So, while scanning the hundreds of bottles in front of you, keep an eye out for these names:

Brunello di Montalcino: One of the most famous and prized Tuscan wines, Brunello di Montalcino takes five years to produce, from the picking of the grape to the sale of the bottle. This dry and robust red wine is produced in Montalcino in the southeast area of Tuscany.

Carmignano: This red wine comes from a picturesque hill town about 30 minutes outside of Florence and was a favorite of the Medici family, as two of their villas were located in the area.

Chianti: The most famous of Italian red wines, Chianti is an area not far from Florence. Due to its fame you will find a seemingly infinite number of “Chianti” wines, so keep an eye out for the “Chianti Classico,” which has its own DOCG. Also check out the Chiantis produced in other nearby areas such as Colli Senesi and Montalbano.

Morellino di Scansano: A strong, dry red wine from the Grosseto area, in the south of Tuscany.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano: One of the area’s few white wines, Vernaccia is typically from the medieval hill town of San Gimignano.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Another famous historic red wine with a dry taste and floral scent from the southeast of Tuscany.

Vin Santo: This is a typical Tuscan dessert wine, made from dried grapes and generally golden in color. There is no specific town or area that produces Vin Santo, but I recommend the slightly expensive version from Carmignano. It is traditionally enjoyed with cantuccini, an almond cookie from Prato, that are similar to what we would call “biscotti.”

Clues to picking a good wine

A good starting point is to look for the acronyms, “DOC” (“Denominazione di origine controllata”) and “DOCG” (“Denominazione d’origine controllata e garantita”). These two classifiers are given to wine that comes from a protected area, and have a reputation for high quality and other particular characteristics.

“DOCG” is given to wines of even greater importance and quality. You’ll usually find “DOCG” written on the front of a bottle directly under the name, as it is almost as important as the name itself.

For a more in-depth explanation of these classifications, check out our previous article on Roman wine. Otherwise, just trust me and look out for affordable DOCG wines so you can spend less time reading labels and more time drinking!

How much should you spend?

Wine is like water here in Tuscany and seems to be produced everywhere you look. Rightfully then, it’s much cheaper to buy than in other parts of the world.

Even in the shops of the main tourist areas (for example in the center of Florence), you should only have to spend €5-10 for a good bottle. Wine can easily cost less than €5 (Tavernello, a watery boxed table wine may actually cost less than milk!), but the quality generally increases along with the price.

Obviously, it’s impossible to try every type of Tuscan wine and nearly as impossible to find a favorite. But you can try! Go ahead and start testing…

Your favorite Tuscan wine?

Do you have a favorite Tuscan wine? Share your wine recommendations with us in the comments section.

The post Tuscan Wines: A quick buyer’s guide appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.