Inside Spanish Wine Week Ireland – Meet the People who Make it Happen, TheTaste.ie Apr 18

An interview with TheTaste.ie in the run up to Spanish Wine Week, can't wait!

Vanessa Murphy, co-owner of the very popular Las Tapas de Lola, is always eager to take part in the week. “As a Spanish restaurant, all our wines are Spanish. So Spanish Wine Week is a great time for us to reinforce some of the fantastic wines coming from Spain and their great pairings with tapas.”

For this year, she hopes to continue exploring people’s gustatory memories: “So many of our customers have travelled around Spain, so we love to recommend wines and tapas pairings that can recreate their travels”, she adds that inviting wine lovers to try bottles from different varieties and regions is something she loves to do.

One of the most important things about the Spanish Wine Week for Vanessa is that it’s an “opportunity to raise awareness of Spanish wines, as there are so many fantastic grape varieties coming out of Spain that wouldn’t be so well known in Ireland, for example the Mencia or White Garnacha grapes. But even the regions. A lot of people request a Rioja, but when asked white or red? it’s a surprise for many.”

Regarding what trends in Spanish wine she is fond of, sherry shines. “We love sherry. We Irish still have a ‘that’s my grandmother’s favourite tipple’ view of Sherry; but a delicious glass of chilled Manzanilla with toasted almonds and a plate of jamón Ibérico is a match made in heaven.” 

Click here for the full interview