For gastronomy at its best you'll be spoilt for choice in Valencia. With so much delicious produce grown in the area, the opportunities to sample fresh, healthy and extravagant dishes are plentiful.
Fine wine: Utiel-Requena region
Utiel and Requena is an area just 50km inland from the city of Valencia. Boasting outstanding natural beauty, the region is home to many vineyards including the world famous Dominio de la Vega bodega - the largest in the area.
Devoted to the aging of wines and the production of Cava, Dominio de la Vega is both passionate and successful at keeping traditional winemaking methods alive. The wine is determined on the field and from thereon handled with loving care to produce over 230 million litres per year. It's well worth a visit to this beautiful winery. Once home to the Count Villamar the charming house was built in 1735 and is a delight to explore. A maze of underground tunnels in the cellar, weave you through walkways stacked with thousands of bottles of delicious wine and cava and a large room full of wooden casques which you can even buy once finished with. Ideal for a plant pot!
There are numerous wine tours in the region and to compliment a visit to any one, make sure you check out the wine museum. Full of interesting historical accounts of the area the museum also has dozens of fun test tubes full of common wine aromas.
Gastronomy in Utiel: Restaurante El Carro
Fine wine is of course best enjoyed with good food, so whilst on your visit to the historic town of Utiel, pop in to the Restaurante El Carro for lunch to enjoy the interiors typical gastronomy. The contemporary, light and airy restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere with friendly service.
Editor's favourite dishes from the menu
Embutido - delicious pork sausage wrapped in pastry.
Robli (a type of tree) - leaves with chorizo and grapes
Puntilla - calamari served with a potatoe next
Morcilla - red pepper with pigs blood and onion
Carrillada - beef (the cheek of the cow) and mushroom
Bobal (a typical grape used for wine-making in the region) and rosemary ice-cream
There are over nine wineries and restaurants in the region, so shop around for a good deal on wine tours and have fun trying a couple of the restaurants.
Peaceful and natural L'Albufera
Don't miss a tip to the L'Albufera, a peaceful freshwater lake and home to the paddy fields where paella rice is grown. Retaining much of its historic charm, the tiny 'paella' village of El Pamar is a good access point for boat trips on the lake and visits to the nature and bird reserve which also reside here.
There are numerous restaurants here where you can sample traditional Valencian paella. I have always assumed that authentic paella consisted of chorizo, chicken and seafood. However, in Valencia, true paella is a sumptuous mixture of bomba rice, rabbit, snails and chicken. We were informed by the locals that the most delicious part of the dish was the scrummy toasted bits that get stuck to the bottom of the pan. These need to be scraped off the base, but don't worry; you won't look uncouth - just simply like a true lover of good paella.
Make a traditional paella
To make your own special paella to impress family and friends at home, the Valencian Tourist Board have put together a delicious recipe omitting the snails for those of you who prefer not to eat garden molluscs.
400 gr rabbit
700 gr chicken
300 gr green beans
100 gr tavella
200 gr broad beans
1 ripe tomato
400 gr rice, D.O.Valencia
8 spoonfuls of oil
Pinch of paprika, saffron and salt
Preparation:
Serves: 4 persons
Heat a paella dish and add the oil. Once this is hot add the meat cut up into pieces, fry it well and then add the green beans, the broad beans and the tavella. Continue to lightly fry this for about eight minutes and then add the grated tomato, when this is fried add the paprika and without letting it burn, add water up to the rim of the dish. Leave it to cook for 30 minutes and add salt to taste. When the broth reaches the remaches add the rice and spread it round the dish, add the saffron and leave it to cook for a further 17 minutes. Leave it to sit for a few minutes before serving.
Accommodation
Hotel Melia Valencia Palace
reservations: Tel: +34 963 375 037 or www.sh-hoteles.com.
Flights
EasyJet flies to Valencia from Bristol, London Stansted and London Gatwick with prices from £25.99 one-way (incl. taxes) and return from £39.98 (incl. taxes). Get the best flight fare.
Rates
Double rooms from 125 euros (£94) per night, room only (breakfast available for 15 euros), plus 7% IVA (tax). Special weekend offers available from 100 euros (£75) per night, including IVA.
