Wine Party

One Saturday last month, I attended an Ibizan ‘wine party,’ or more specifically ‘La fiesta del vino payés.’ This wine tasting event was held in the tiny rural town of Sant Mateu, which consists of a church, two restaurants and a tarmacked play area. The aim of the evening was primarily to try authentic local wines made by rural communities (payés translating as ‘peasant farmer.’)

I was intrigued beforehand, particularly after hearing that the wine was free, but I wasn’t expecting anything too impressive from such a tiny village. However, the fiesta was more than just a tame gathering. The turnout was impressive, with cars spilling out of the village and parked along roadsides. Tables had been set up on the playground’s surface displaying not just a couple but twenty eight different local wines for people to try! And they did not hold back on helpings, the wine was kept in huge jugs and you were given a plastic cup full of one sort or another whenever you asked. All were red but the wines certainly varied in taste, although my knowledge of wine tasting is pretty limited. There were also stalls where kilos of sobresada (a typical Balearic sausage) were hung. For four euros, you could buy a chunk of this chorizo style meat with two slices of bread which you could cook over the numerous open fires. The fires were made in old bathtubs and sticks were provided to toast your snack over the flames. Many gathered round these tubs as they were a welcoming source of heat in the chilly mountain air. If you weren’t a fan of sobresada, other stalls offered typical Ibizan food such as flaó (a sweet, eggy cake) and empanadas (like pasties but smaller.)

A stage had also been set up and music was played throughout the evening. The highlight was a performance from a traditional dance group, dressed in classic ‘peasant’ clothing. Music from wooden flutes and tambourines accompanied dancing in pairs; the boys jumping from foot to foot while the girls shuffled round them in their long skirts. Quite a sight.

A few hours in to the evening and there was a big crowd giving the tranquil town a very lively atmosphere. Thankfully, it wasn’t only the older generations that were enjoying the fiesta, families came along and we met some other young people that were staying on the island during the winter. Moreover with such an abundance of vino, it wasn’t long before the crowd was merry (it would’ve been a waste to turn down free alcohol!) This did get rather worrying as Sant Mateu was miles from anywhere and everyone needed to drive along the dark and windy mountain roads to get home! Luckily I made it back, rather early but very happy on too many glasses of vino payés…