Drinking Wine from a Porron in Catalonia

Instructions for a porron: Pour in wine. Then pour in mouth!

Drinking wine from a vessel is no new thing.  Ancient civilizations have been making cups, goblets, and punch bowls just to show off their favorite vintages for millennia.  But in Catalonia  north of Barcelona, they have the beautifully functional and super hygienic porron!

I promise myself now that I will return with a suitcase sturdy enough to bring one home for my next wine tasting.  This souvenir has the makings for rockstar status.  I need this!

Vegetarian Arros a la casola. A classic Catalonian dish!

What is a porron?

A porron is a glass wine accessory that functions as an aerator, decanter, and carafe.  On our post TBEX Girona trip to Costa Brava in Spain, Neil and I had lunch in a beautiful renaissance town called Pals and dined with the mayor sitting at the head of the table.  This is when I saw a glass porron for the first time.  Between our appetizers and the main course of rice casserole, we had our first wine lesson a la Costa Brava.  Neil poured a full bottle down the stem and we marveled at who would be brave enough to try first.

A true Catalonian shows us how to do it!

How do you drink from a porron?

Our guide Alba suggested we take tips from a master: the mayor.  Straight backed and left arm down, he took the porron and crooked his arm.  A small stream arced from the spout.  Then with true expert showmanship, the mayor extended his reach and the wine poured in a luscious ruby arc.  Not one drop stained his shirt!

Observing local traditions!

Inspired, Neil and I queued up with our fellow bloggers and gave the porron a test drive.  It wasn’t all that pretty.  Arms were shaky and arcs didn’t seem to glisten like the mayor’s.  Even with some practice, drinking with a porron seems like an act from Cirque de Soleil.  The audience watches, dreading a misstep.  It becomes a contest.  How high can you arc your wine?  How long can you last without dribbling all over yourself?  In the end, there were minimal spills and enough decadent Catalonian rice casserole, or arros a la cassola, to pair with my beverage.

Neil at work!

Tip for drinking with a porron.  Start the wine spout close to your mouth and pull the glass away by straightening your elbow.  Think trombone! 

Black rice casserole