Socializing with other pilgrims on the Camino

[WldWil]

Sangria is often a headache in a glass. To many times it is a way to serve cheap wine or champagne. But, I do not like pop in my drinks either.

 

[Buz Radican]

Don't expect anything. Just let it happen.

Best advice yet!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Don't you just hate it when you ask for Caz Limon or Fanta Limon and they offer you Aquarius! Don't like it, it is nothing like the real deal.

I love Aquarius, always ask for the "Libre" version, but unless you buy it in a shop it ends up costing a fortune, so now I carry effervescent tablets of electrolytes.

 

[Kanga]

I have not seen a mention of that wonderful (and sneaky) drink called "limonada de León casera". You see signs up in bars around León. The first time I tried it I innocently translated the Spanish literally and thought it was home-made lemonade - ie made with lemons, sugar and water. It was a hot day and I gulped down this refreshing lemon tasting nectar with hardly a pause - only to feel a few minutes later the world start to spin. Be warned - it is alcoholic. And very easy to drink. Delicious!

As a matter of interest my parents always made sangria with just red wine and freshly squeezed orange juice, in about equal quantities - the orange juice makes the drink opaque so it really does look like blood - for which it is named.

 

[WldWil]

Hi Kanga,

I might caution you about ordering a long island ice tea.

 

[naplesdon]

Sangria is often a headache in a glass. To many times it is a way to serve cheap wine or champagne. But, I do not like pop in my drinks either.

I was amazed in West Africa how the locals mixed Coca Cola and boxed red wine into a blend that actually tasted a lot like Sangria. Unfortunately the effects ended up in a sugar infused alcoholic fueled hangover. Just stick to one vice or another, but never a cheap one.

 

[Mark Lee]

Totally agree to trying the local wines of the region you are visiting, there are some wonderfully rich and sublime differences between the wines in Spain.
In Biarritz we are constantly debating the quality of the Rioja reds v the Bordeaux red and try out the roses, some are perfect on a hot day.
Pastis, the breakfast of champions from Provence, doesn't have any scary sounding substances in it!

Don, how are the Riojas they import and sell here in the US? I see a fair amount of them in stores, usually running between 10-20 dollars.

 

[KentuckyJay]

Also traveled solo on the French route this past May. But the solo part largely disappeared after the first couple of days. During the next few weeks I hiked with men and women of all ages, nationalities and levels of fitness. Some moved ahead and some lagged behind. It didn't matter. If I chose to be left alone, I was. Folks seem to "get it" on the Camino. Curiously, during the last 4 days on the trail, I hiked almost exclusively with a young German woman and a woman who celebrated her 50th birthday on the Camino. Maybe it was because there were far more solo female hikers than solo male hikers. Then again, perhaps they were taking pity on an old guy. Buen Camino.

 

[jmcarp]

...
Afternote: I wasn't going to pack a corkscrew, but its starting to sound like an essential piece of equipment! Pity the rest of the world has not yet adopted the use of 'Screw Caps'. Or have you? Makes things much easier...

The only time I think you'll need a corkscrew is if you're having wine with lunch, picnic-style, or if you're fixing your own dinner in an albergue with a kitchen. I drank wine with dinner every night, either as served in an albergue which furnished meals or a pilgrims' menu at a local bar. I never needed a corkscrew. It either came in an open bottle, or was opened by the server at the table, or, in the case of local house wines, came in a pitcher. (The typical pilgrim's menu comes with a bottle of wine or an equivalent amount in a pitcher for each two people or so.) If you have a glass of wine with or without tapas at a bar on a break, you obviously won't need a corkscrew.

 

[Sakami]

"you might prepare a suitable sign at home. I would suggest making it two-sided, printed in a very large font..."

I must have something like that lying around.

 

[jmcarp]

Don, how are the Riojas they import and sell here in the US? I see a fair amount of them in stores, usually running between 10-20 dollars.

The Riojas I've seen that are being sold in the US typically have a slightly higher alcohol content, but the biggie is the added sulfides. To my unsophisticated taste, they can't compare to the real thing in Spain, and we've been somewhat disappointed with the ones we've tried here since returning.

 

[Tincatinker]

Don, how are the Riojas they import and sell here in the US? I see a fair amount of them in stores, usually running between 10-20 dollars.

Mark, I can't make direct comparison with the US and the UK because import duty and taxes intervene. In the UK it is a reasonable assumption that the first £4, $7, €5 is duty, shipping and retailers wedge. After that you need to consider production costs and bottling costs. The £€$ after that are reflective of the quality / value of the actual wine. I buy good wine, sometimes very good wine, at @£10 a bottle in the UK. You will just have to experiment in your own market.
Buen, bibulous, Camino

 

[Anemone del Camino]

The only time I think you'll need a corkscrew is...

I believe those thinking they will need a corkscrew are thinking of drinking outside of an establishment, be albergue, bar or restaurant, or at the albergue outside of a prepared meal. I see people walking around carrying a bottle of wine on the side of the backpacks ...

 

[Mark Lee]

The Riojas I've seen that are being sold in the US typically have a slightly higher alcohol content, but the biggie is the added sulfides. To my unsophisticated taste, they can't compare to the real thing in Spain, and we've been somewhat disappointed with the ones we've tried here since returning.

Yeah, I thought maybe that was the case. I'll probably drop ten bucks or so anyway on a bottle just to try it.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

the biggie is the added sulfides

I have never had a bottle of wine in Spain that did not list sulfites in the content. I watch because I react a bit to sulfites. I cannot speak to the wine in pitchers, but I assume that it is made in the same wineries. Of course, I have not consumed all the bottle production of wine in Spain, so there may be a lot without sulfites!

 

[Former member 19626]

I have never had a bottle of wine in Spain that did not list sulfites in the content. I watch because I react a bit to sulfites. I cannot speak to the wine in pitchers, but I assume that it is made in the same wineries. Of course, I have not consumed all the bottle production of wine in Spain, so there may be a lot without sulfites!

Sulfites are a natural by-product of fermentation and are present in all wine to a greater or lesser degree. Vintners will often add more as a preservative, particularly if the tannins are low.

 

[Robert Mora]

Hello everyone! I will be taking the Camino de Santiago next week, would like to find out which one you recommend? Is the French open this time of the year? Please advise. Thank you.

 

[Kanga]

We buy excellent Rioja in Australia marketed through Aldi. They seem to have a good "nose" in their buying department.

 

[peregrina2000]

I was amazed in West Africa how the locals mixed Coca Cola and boxed red wine into a blend that actually tasted a lot like Sangria. Unfortunately the effects ended up in a sugar infused alcoholic fueled hangover. Just stick to one vice or another, but never a cheap one.

Hi, biarritzdon, your post reminded me of calimocho (not exactly sure if that's the right spelling). I think, but am not sure, that it involves wine in a box plus coke and a few squeezed lemons. I remember a very long night in the albergue in Arca involving many batches of this treat. I think it's something best drunk by the young with their strong stomachs.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[SYates]

Hello everyone! I will be taking the Camino de Santiago next week, would like to find out which one you recommend? Is the French open this time of the year? Please advise. Thank you.

Hi and welcome! You have a better chance of getting your questions answered if you start a new thread and not post in an unrelated one
The Camino Frances is always open, but sometimes you need to take a different route over the Pyreness due to the weather.
A list of open albergues can be found here: http://www.aprinca.com/alberguesinvierno/
Hope that helps and Buen Camino! SY

 

[bystander]

Occasionally forgo the local vinos and cervezas and for a change in Basque country (Basque Euskadi) go for Pacharan/Patxaran
Delicious and far too "moreish" - caveat emptor!

The nearest equivalent, in Britain, is Sloe gin.

You have been advised and warned!

 

[SYates]

I know one pilgrim that loves Pacharan so much he even made it part of his email address! SY

 

[SYates]

I was amazed in West Africa how the locals mixed Coca Cola and boxed red wine into a blend that actually tasted a lot like Sangria. Unfortunately the effects ended up in a sugar infused alcoholic fueled hangover. Just stick to one vice or another, but never a cheap one.

Sounds like Kalimotxo to me! Spanish youngsters always insisted that you absolutely need to use the cheapest red wine you can find in order of it to taste right Buen Camino, SY

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Is the French open this time of the year?

It is never closed per se, but pilgrims are often advised in the winter that the Route Napolean is not usable. Another 20-30cm of snow is expected, along with avalanches, in Roncesvalles in the next couple of days. "Next week" is still to far ahead for an accurate weather prediction. The Pilgrim Office in SJPdP can advise you on your departure date about the existing weather conditions.

 

[Mikel Olivares]

Calimocho in Spanish graphical symbol.
Kalimotxo in Basque graphical symbol.
Sounds identical.
The Kalimotxo is cocacola and red wine fifty & fifty with a lots of ice.
It's perfect in the summer time.

 

[naplesdon]

Calimocho in Spanish graphical symbol.
Kalimotxo in Basque graphical symbol.
Sounds identical.
The Kalimotxo is cocacola and red wine fifty & fifty with a lots of ice.
It's perfect in the summer time.

Even better under the hot sun near the equator, however we had no access to ice.

 

[Al the optimist]

After a couple of Pacharan I have to utter the only Basque word I know - Agur! (It is like saying goodbye.) Because after a couple I would have to go and rest or risk a bad headache!

 

[jmcarp]

... Vintners will often add more as a preservative...

Exactly...you should know . It's my understanding from talking with the wine guy I usually buy from, as well as my neighbor who is a wine importer, that the US requires additional sulfides as a preservative in wines imported to the US.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

the US requires additional sulfides as a preservative in wines imported to the US.

It requires a label, but does not require any additional sulfites to be added.

Winemakers the world over have added tiny amounts (parts per million) of additional sulfite to wine for centuries, going all the way back to ancient Egypt. Added sulfites prevent wine from oxidizing and spoiling, allowing it to age and develop its full flavor potential. Also, thanks to modern winemaking techniques, today’s wines have the lowest amount of sulfite that they have ever had. Most wines with added sulfites contain only 25-150 ppm, although the legal limit in wine is 350 ppm.

In 1987, the FDA began requiring all domestic wines, beers and spirits containing more than 10 ppm of sulfites to carry a “contains sulfites” warning label. Wines with less than 10 ppm are not required to carry the warning: that does not mean, however, that they are 100% sulfite free. All wines naturally contain very small amounts of sulfite.

The United States, on the other hand, regulations limit the addition of sulfites to 350mg/liter. However, despite the fact that United States regulations allow for a larger quantity of added sulfites, one source I found alleges that both European and American wines usually contain the SAME amount of sulfites, around 80mg/liter. Something that should be pointed out is that in general, the better the grapes are cared for in the vineyard, the better the winemaking process, the better the hygiene of the winery, the better the yeasts that are used, etc., the fewer the sulfites needed in the winemaking process. Therefore, poorer quality American wines will probably have much more sulfites than their European counterparts are permitted to contain.

 

[Canucks]

Calimocho in Spanish graphical symbol.
Kalimotxo in Basque graphical symbol.
Sounds identical.
The Kalimotxo is cocacola and red wine fifty & fifty with a lots of ice.
It's perfect in the summer time.

I was wondering how long it would take for kalimotxo to be mentioned!
We were in a tapas bar in Pamplona when I noticed the young men were drinking a specific drink that looked.....odd.
When I asked what it was and they described it, it sounded absolutely horrific. Seeing I was a pilgrim, he bought me one and it was really refreshing. The only downside was the caffeine in the coke kept me up all night after drinking a few!

When I describe it at home, all have the same horrific response!

 

[jmcarp]

It requires a label, but does not require any additional sulfites to be added...

Thanks, Falcon, for your research. I was going by second-hand information. But it still doesn't make the Rioja red wine sold here in the US taste as good as that consumed on site. Maybe I'll load my backback, put on my Camino clothes, and go take a 20-mile hike, then taste a glass of the US version of the wine and see if that makes a difference.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Thanks, Falcon, for your research. I was going by second-hand information. But it still doesn't make the Rioja red wine sold here in the US taste as good as that consumed on site. Maybe I'll load my backpack, put on my Camino clothes, and go take a 20-mile hike, then taste a glass of the US version of the wine and see if that makes a difference.

I don't know what the answer is, but what makes people think that Spanish wines sold in Spain are any different than the ones shipped here? Could it be just in the labelling? Because a good wine will be expected to age, whether in the US or in Spain. If sulphites help with conservation, then why would they not be also used in Spain? Is it a matter of labelling? (Perhaps the EU does not require it?) You certainly don't see US wine collector avoid Margaux and al. because they have sulfites added. Could this just be an urban legend?

Here is an article that clearly states that sulfites in the norm in Spanish wines, and that it is an ancestral practice: http://www.larioja.com/v/20120402/cultura/contiene-sulfitos-20120402.html

 

[alexwalker]

People must be respected for saying "No" to things they do not like. Personally, I'd love a glass (or two) of red, but in nice manners. I find it nice and friendly to share a glass of two with fellow pilgrims, but it is not nice to have drunken people around you. Just my attitude.

 

[Walter1407]

People must be respected for saying "No" to things they do not like. Personally, I'd love a glass (or two) of red, but in nice manners.

I don't remember meeting a red wine which did not have good manners.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hi and welcome! You have a better chance of getting your questions answered if you start a new thread and not post in an unrelated one

Don't know if the lack of response was only due to the question being asked in the middle of "wine talk" but I was taken aback by the fact that someone is leaving in a week for the Camino but doesn't know if the CF is "open". Where do you start? Other than with "good luck". Honnestly, goodluck, because the OP does not seem prepared at all and it is February.

 

[alexwalker]

People must be respected for saying "No" to things they do not like. Personally, I'd love a glass (or two) of red, but in nice manners. I find it nice and friendly to share a glass of two with fellow pilgrims, but it is not nice to have drunken people around you. Just my attitude.

I should also say that I sometimes enjoy 4-5 glasses of red. I have no problems with that. It all depends on the people and circumstances. Some evenings can be very joyful with new friends and good conversation. No problem. And those who prefer water should not be considered a problem either. Each to his/her own, and respect.

 

[C clearly]

Is the French open this time of the year?

My husband, a non-pilgrim, would say "Of course not, it's in late May or June."

 

[Kanga]

We are coming up to Easter - which reminds me if the Fiesta de Aguardente in Portomarine. Wow! Now that is amazing stuff.
(Edited)
Just realised that statement could be very misleading - Easter is a sacred time. It's just that in Portomarine Easter Sunday is the day they set up stalls selling Aguardente.

 

[naplesdon]

My husband, a non-pilgrim, would say "Of course not, it's in late May or June."

Love your humor, I'll add this to the "mystery" for the OP.
It starts in Roland Garros on 19 may!!!
I wonder how close that is to the Chemin de Saint Jacques, I was walking down Blvd. St. Germain last week and saw 2 yellow arrows near St. Germain de Pres.

 

[peregrina2000]

I was wondering how long it would take for kalimotxo to be mentioned!
We were in a tapas bar in Pamplona when I noticed the young men were drinking a specific drink that looked.....odd.
When I asked what it was and they described it, it sounded absolutely horrific. Seeing I was a pilgrim, he bought me one and it was really refreshing. The only downside was the caffeine in the coke kept me up all night after drinking a few!

When I describe it at home, all have the same horrific response!

And look at the smiles it brings to peoples' faces.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

You mean that what we see in the kettle is not garlic soup? Sooo disapointed ;0)

 

[fraluchi]

Sopa gallega?