How to Plan an English-Speaking French Wine Tour from Barcelona to the Cabardès AOC Near Toulouse and Carcassonne in 10 Easy Steps

Step 4: 10 Foods to try in Barcelona

At O’Vineyards Winery and B&B, we are very serious about delicious food.  If you visit our winery, you can take a tour and then spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing on our deck with breathtaking views of sloping hills of vines and the Black Mountains.  As you relax on the deck and try our wines, you can sample foodie-worthy, fusion-inspired, street foods prepared by mother-law and O’Vineyards proprietor, Liz.

My name is Darren, and I am an American and member of the O’Vineyards family by marriage.  My spouse and I working on developing a more permanent relationship with the winery and B&B, and in the meantime I am writing articles for the O’Vineyard Winery and B&B blog.  My articles will focus on travel, the wine-making process, food, interesting happenings at the vineyard, and fun things to muse about while enjoying a bottle of O’Vineyards wine.

My spouse and I are currently making our way to the vineyard to discuss our future with my in-laws, the proprietors of O’Vineyards Winery and B&B, Liz and Joe.  For this particular trip, we are traveling through Barcelona to Villemoustaussou, the small French village that is the home of O’Vineyards.  Villemoustaussou is just minutes from Carcassonne.  Carcassonne is famous for the walled medieval city that lies at its heart.  This walled city is a UNESCO world heritage site and a popular international tourist destination.

I thought it would be helpful if I shared our planning process for our trip through Barcelona.  Barcelona can make an excellent starting point for a trip to the wine regions near Toulouse and Carcassonne because it is a short trip by car or train to Carcassonne.  Toulouse is another excellent starting point for a trip to Carcassonne and surrounding wine regions because it is just an hour away by car from the Cabardès AOC that is the home to O’Vineyards Winery and B&B.

In this series of articles, I am discussing accessing Carcassonne via Barcelona.

I introduced this series of articles in an initial post, and the other ten parts of the series are:

1. How to Get to Barcelona
2. How to Select a Place to Stay in Barcelona
3. 10 Things to Do in Barcelona
4. 10 Foods to Try in Barcelona (this post)
5. How to Get to Carcassonne from Barcelona
6. How to Select a Place to Stay near Carcassonne

Coming soon…

• 10 Things to Do Near Carcassonne
• Wineries to Visit Near Carcassonne
• 10 Foods to Try in the Carcassonne Region
• 10 Souvenirs to Buy to Remember Your Trip to Carcassonne

Barcelona is an excellent destination for the foodie and wine enthusiast.  A typical food experience includes, tapas, small dishes that are popular in Spain.  A light evening meal typically consists of multiple small dishes that are enjoyed by a group of people over a lively discussion.  Tapas are usually served later in the evening, beginning around 10 PM.

 

 

Here are ten foods I recommend trying while you are in Barcelona:

 

Paella

an iconic rice and seafood dish served throughout Spain

 

Bombas

tennis-ball-sized potato croquettes served with garlic aioli or spicy red sauce

 

Calçots and Romesco Sauce

grilled sweet onions (and all sorts of meats) served with romesco sauce, a traditional Catalan salsa made with hazelnuts, almonds, and red peppers

 

Esqueixada

raw salted cod served with romesco sauce, tomatoes, onions, and black olives

 

Pa amb Tomàquet

bread rubbed with salt, olive oil, garlic, and the juice of a tomato

 

Escalivada

wood fired eggplant and red peppers served on toasted bread dashed with olive oil, garlic and salt.  It is popular to eat this dish with anchovies.

 

Mató

a goat cheese served with honey and walnut

 

Crema Catalane

a creamy vanilla custard with a crispy blow-torched crust

 

Jamon Iberico

a popular cured Spanish ham

 

Tapas

popular tapas dishes include: patates braves, xipirons (fried squids), truita de patates (kind of omelette with potatoes), formatge manchego (Manchego cheese), pernil iberic (Spanish ham), olives, gambes a la planxa (grilled shrimps with garlic) and croquetes de pollastre i pernil (croquettes of chicken and ham).

 

After you enjoy the sites and flavors of Barcelona, consider making a trip to the South of France to visit Carcassonne and surrounding vineyards.  My brother-in-law, Ryan, has previously written about how to plan a wine trip near Toulouse, how to plan a wine trip near Carcassonne and things you can do in Carcassonne.

In my next article I will discuss how to get from Barcelona to Carcassonne.  In the meantime, please explore this site and consider a visit to O’Vineyards Winery and B&B.  My in-laws would love to welcome you, and if you are so-inclined, you can spend a night in the modern B&B.  Each room has a private bath, a view of the vines, and breakfast is served each morning.