REVIEW: Porcus, Calella

Those of you that have been paying attention will know that I absolutely love a good deli. I am almost fanatical about little shops that sell excellent charcuterie, bang on wines and delicious cheeses. Imagine my delight when, amongst all the other goodies that we experienced in Spain earlier this month, we stumbled across Porcus, in Calella, Costa Brava.

It is quite a small, long shop just on one of the main shopping streets in this small coastal town. It has a distinctly contemporary feel to the signage and orientation, quite different from the more traditional Spanish delicatessen. It is a veritable gold mine. There are rows of cured hams hanging up and a vast array of other cured and fresh meats available for purchase. They also
have a good range of interesting (and very reasonably priced) wines and a couple of more unusual beers amongst other products.

Super friendly staff!

The thing I liked the best is that it is also a little tasting room – a great place to stop off for a quick drink and a bite of tapas. They have large barrel tables but no toilets, so if you go, remember to go first. The cheery staff will shave you off a thin slice of absolutely top notch and serve it to you on fresh, crusty bread with a drizzle of olive oil matched with a glass of either a local cava of the region or a local red wine. It was as close to mind-blowing as you can get for a foodie experience for EUR 2.50 (about £2.03).

ERMITA DE SANT GIL
This is a really, really cheap – but really, really nice Catalonian red. It is deep and dark on the nose with an almost savoury, slightly meaty smell – you know it’s going to go well with the ham. It is quite high on the tannings, but I do love a robust wine so this was perfect for me.

There is no fruit in the mouth, only savoury flavours. It is the saltiness of the Iberico ham that is what brings these two elements together so nicely. The salt of the ham brings out an almost creamy taste in the wine, perhaps a very light vanilla note that you would not detect if you were drinking the wine alone.

I really liked this wine. If you get some, bring me a bottle back?