Opening Up to Taste: How Rioja Reeducated a Brit's Palate.

A New Gastronomic Experience in Rioja

According to The Sun: My culinary preferences remained at a schoolboy level. Before embarking on the journey, I always filled my supermarket cart with Monster Munch crisps and individually wrapped Fray Bentos pies.

So how did I find myself on a street admiring silky red wines and padron pinchos this summer?

I traveled through northern Spain in a Bailey camper to the Rioja region, where, as it turned out, my tastes were ready for a change.

My gastronomic adventure was initiated by camping in Haro, in the green heart of La Rioja (Spain's famous wine country).

Just a ten-minute walk toward Haro, a charming town surrounded by vineyards and filled with wine bars, restaurants, and old wineries.

The latest report from the Spanish tourist board showed that Rioja is one of the least visited regions in the country.

This means fewer crowds and more time to get acquainted with the menu.

And I can confidently say that the menu here is impressive.

My visit to the bars in Haro's bustling main square had a simple goal: to try authentic food.

Of course, tapas are famous throughout the country, but in northern Spain, they serve pinchos.

The name comes from the word 'pinchar', which means 'to pierce something' or 'to skewer', explaining why each of the bites I enjoyed in various bars was neatly placed on bread and pierced with a toothpick.

They are extremely cheap and astonishingly delicious.

I started my culinary tour safely with a Spanish tortilla (or omelette, as it is sometimes called), followed by serrano until I became bolder.

It turned out that Lomo iberico, a type of ham from the dried pork leg, is the entry into another culinary dimension, as by the end of the evening I had managed to taste the most diverse exotic foods, even pig ear pinchos.

Not something that had crossed the mind of my unsophisticated palate, but it was an incredibly tasty way to broaden my dietary horizons. Every bar had its version of traditional pinchos, making it easy to taste various small bites.

Of course, we got used to ordering a glass of wine and two pinchos, and then moving on to the next bar - and by the third stop, I was convinced.

While tasty savory pinchos are the most popular, there is also a dessert variant available to end the evening.

Pudding on a skewer? Genius.

The tasting was top-notch, and my host tailored the description of each wine to suit my inexperience

The next morning, with a clear head and slight regret over the cheese, I headed for a tour of Gómez Cruzado, one of the oldest wine cellars in Haro.

Being mostly a lager drinker before this trip, adult wine lessons began here for me. I learned about grape varieties, the use of different oak barrels, and how to properly assess the aroma of Rioja and evaluate its legs with sufficient confidence.

If you’re looking for a trip that’s a bit off the beaten track, Rioja’s a winner

For a couple of hours, I tasted soft whites and reds with names I couldn't pronounce, but was eager for more.

I grabbed a bottle to take back to the campsite, along with some authentic delicacies, and bid farewell to Fray Bentos for the night.

Returning to the camper, redeeming my new favorite wine and home-made cheese and ham, I watched the sunset over the beautiful landscape surrounding the campsite.

It turns out you can indeed enjoy vast expanses of nature, but without canned cream and flavors of home.

And if you're looking for a trip that slightly detours from the beaten path, then Rioja is a winner.

Stunning vistas, friendly locals, incredible food, and wine.

I came here to push my comfort zone and ultimately discovered a whole new side of travel and of myself.

Fray Bentos? Still left in the back of the van. But this time it remained unopened.

'Travel broadens the mind' - a well-known saying, but I can now confirm it also broadens the palate.

GO: RIOJA BY CAMPER

GETTING THERE: Haro is a 90-minute drive from Bilbao. Brittany Ferries Portsmouth-Bilbao crossing from £650 return for two people and a campervan. See brittany-ferries.co.uk

Campervans can be rented from around £60 per day, from southern England, see yescapa.co.uk.

STAYING THERE: Seven nights at the Camping de Haro costs from just £72. See campingdeharo.com.

WALKING: An organized tour of the Gómez Cruzado winery, including a tasting, costs from €29 for adults and €10 for children (ages 3 to 17). See gomezcruzado.com.