Piquillo Peppers at El Navarrico

The DOP for piquillo peppers outlines rules for some things—where the peppers are grown, for example—but leaves some options open, including how they're roasted. Until 10 years ago El Navarrico roasted exclusively with beechwood. Then they switched to gas. (Most others have as well.) Tim and Jonathan Harris at La Tienda convinced them to return to wood, which they only do for special batches.

Red wine on ice?

Over and over in Spain I noticed tapas bars put red wine in ice buckets. The buckets weren't heaped with ice and the wine wasn't refrigerator cold when served, but it was definitely chilled a little.

Markets: Madrid's San Miguel and Barcelona's Boqueria

Maria José

The only farmhouse raw milk unpasteurized unwaxed PDO Manchego in the world is made by a woman. Maria José's cheese is the best of its kind I've had.

Somewhere in Spain: Painters and Drugs store

Siri had all kinds of trouble pronouncing directions in Basque Spain

Some tapas in Bilbao, Logroño and San Sebastián

In this part of the country tapas are also called pintxos. Many are served on a slice of baguette where they're known as montaditos. They offer them hot, but most are sold at room temperature stacked at the bar, serve yourself, honor system rules. People usually bar hop to several pintxos joints in one night. Last night we visited eight.