\u2018My grandmother, a widow, sold her livestock in the 1940s and bought this land to start a vineyard. That\u2019s where she made the wine,\u201d says Pepa Fern\u00e1ndez proudly, pointing towards a weathered building no bigger than a garden shed. We\u2019re standing between two fields on a chalky road skirted by poppies, daisies and thistles. One field is lined with neat rows of lush vines, the other with small bush vines soon to bear monastrell grapes (the most dominant variety in these parts). In the distance, a sandy-coloured mountain range peppered with pine trees sits beneath a cloudless blue sky.<\/p>\n
Pocket-sized Pepa is the face of Bodega Balcona<\/a>, a family-run organic winery in Spain\u2019s south-eastern province of Murcia. The vineyard lies in the picturesque Aceniche valley, in Bullas \u2013 one of Murcia\u2019s three wine DOPs (denominaci\u00f3nes de origen protegida), alongside Yecla and Jumilla. Each has its own wine route, scattered with museums and vineyards.<\/p>\n My girlfriend and I are in the area to explore Murcia\u2019s food and drink scene after a tipoff from an old friend who grew up in the city (Murcia is the name of both the province and its capital). The province hosted two of Spain\u2019s most prestigious culinary events last year: the Repsol Guide Soles gala <\/a>and the Michelin Guide gala.<\/p>\n Salto del Usero in Bullas is a lovely spot for a cooling dip. Photograph: Antonio Lopez\/Alamy<\/p>\n \u201cMurcia is one of the best food cities in Spain,\u201d a suave Granada-based gentleman in a fedora tells me on the way to the tasting room. We soon learn that its wine is pretty special, too, as we make our way through Bodega Balcona\u2019s roster of earthy natural wines. Each glass is paired with national and regional dishes: cold cuts, local cheeses, almonds, tuna empanadas, and a Murcian favourite made by Pepa\u2019s nephew, pastel de carne \u2013 a hearty meat and egg pie topped with flaky pastry.<\/p>\n After, we drive to the nearby Salto del Usero waterfall, where kids are paddling and teenagers are sunning themselves on rocks, like lizards. Following a quick dip in the chilly plunge pool, we go to meet Paco Franciso Mu\u00f1oz Reales, who runs an organic farm nearby with his German wife, Heidi.<\/p>\n Murcia’s agricultural heritage stems from a vast network of fertile gardens that surround the city, where baroque buildings and buzzing tapas bars cluster <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Laid-back and softly spoken, Paco is part of a local cooperative of growers<\/a>, including Pepa, using ecological farming methods. He explains there was a little bit of tension with local farmers when he first started, but things have settled down. On a tour of his five-hectare estate, he shows me a seed bank tucked inside a pantry, rows of apricot, olive and lemon trees, and a tomato patch.<\/p>\n Outside Murcia Cathedral with a pastel de carne, a meat and egg pie that\u2019s a specialty of the region. Photograph: Panther Media Global\/Alamy<\/p>\n Nicknamed the garden of Europe, Murcia accounts for around 20% of Spain\u2019s fruit and vegetable exports<\/a>. This agricultural heritage stems from a vast network of fertile gardens, or huertos, that surround the city of Murcia, where baroque buildings, palm-lined riverbanks and buzzing tapas bars cluster around Plaza de las Flores. La Huerta de Murcia, as the fertile area is called, also influences local food culture, with Sundays traditionally reserved for family meals at rustic restaurants.<\/p>\n Each spring, the city also throws the Bando de la Huerta<\/a> festival \u2013 a lively celebration of rural life where locals don traditional dress and feast on regional dishes. We arrive a few weeks later, so instead visit the rustic El Ca\u00f1al Los Almillas restaurant, where we tuck into <\/strong>heaped platters of beef entrecote dusted with a layer of rock salt, and a fresh tomato salad with olives and lettuce, accompanied by plates of lemon (Murcianos squeeze lemon on everything). We finish with a classic Murcian dessert of crispy, deep-fried paparajotes \u2013 battered lemon leaves served with a dollop of ice-cream.<\/p>\n Samuel Ruiz, the young, tattooed chef, could be Spain\u2019s Anthony Bourdain. He trained at the famed El Bulli<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The restaurant is named after the city\u2019s canal system, which are part of an irrigation system dating back to Moorish times. \u201cThink of it as the Segura River being the heart and the canals the veins that deliver the blood,\u201d our guide, Antonio, explains.<\/p>\n David L\u00f3pez, the chef at the fine-dining restaurant Local de Ensayo<\/a>, tells us these ancient systems are still in use today as he shows us around his huerto. L\u00f3pez visits his patch daily, growing everything from lettuce, beans and cucumber to strawberries and aubergines. Fruit and vegetables feature prominently in traditional Murcian cooking, in dishes such as ensalada murciana (tomato salad with tuna, olives and egg) and arroz con verduras (rice with vegetables).<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a way of life for me, somewhere I can bring the children to plant things and watch them grow,\u201d L\u00f3pez says while trudging through the mud, checking his crops. About 20% of the produce used in his restaurant comes from his garden, the rest being supplied by an ecological farmer with a stall at Ver\u00f3nicas market<\/a>, which sells fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and olive oil to the city.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Murcian-style salad. Photograph: worldpix\/Alamy<\/p>\n L\u00f3pez and his wife, Carmen, show us around the market, pointing out local delicacies like m\u00fajol (mullet), almendra marcona (almonds), langostino del Mar Menor (langoustines) and alficoz (a type of curly cucumber). We finish at Caf\u00e9 Bar Ver\u00f3nicas<\/a>, which to the untrained eye looks like any other neighbourhood bar: metal countertops, shelves of pickled vegetables and wine, and locals chatting loudly. However, framed newspaper reviews hint at something more.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s run by Samuel Ruiz and his wife, Isabel Torrecillas. The young, tattooed chef could be Spain\u2019s Anthony Bourdain. Ruiz, who trained at the famed El Bulli, was responsible for one of Murcia\u2019s most exciting restaurants, Kome, a tiny Japanese-style tavern. \u201cThey didn\u2019t have social media. No website. Nothing. But people still queued down the street,\u201d Torrecillas tells us. Ruiz decided to shut down Kome and return to his roots, opening a barra with a twist in the heart of town, she explains as a plate of caballito (little horse in Spanish) lands on the table. The popular local dish usually features deep-fried prawns, only here it\u2019s made with fist-sized crayfish, shell and all. It\u2019s followed by a good-sized bowl of marinera, a kind of Russian salad with anchovies, served with crisp bread and homemade mayo.<\/p>\n We\u2019re treated to an elevated take on Murcian cuisine, including pani puri balls exploding with tuna tartare<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When I ask Ruiz what sauce he\u2019s plating up, he squirts a dot on to the back of my hand. \u201cTry it,\u201d he grins confidently. It is a delicious homemade saffron mayonnaise with anchovy, lemon and garlic.<\/strong> A frozen cocktail with an umbrella appears moments later, sent from his other bar next door, Colmado San Juli\u00e1n<\/a>.<\/p>\n We finish up and say our goodbyes before wandering over to L\u00f3pez\u2019s restaurant. As we enter, he vanishes without a word and we\u2019re seated by a window peering into the kitchen. Dishes soon arrive at the table from his excellent tasting menu (from about \u00a365), which champions local, seasonal ingredients. Standout plates include a wild mushroom dish packed with umami, a deep-flavoured red Calasparra rice with vegetables, and his excellent signature dessert, a cross between a flan and a cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e (a favourite of the legendary Spanish food critic Jos\u00e9 Carlos Capel).<\/p>\n Flowers are also handed out at the Bando de la Huerta parade. Photograph: Europa Press News\/Europa Press\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The next day we drive 45 minutes out of town to Casa Borrego<\/a> \u2013 a cosy eight-room gastronomic hotel with soft bucolic rooms and a burbling beck outside. For dinner, we\u2019re treated to an elevated take on Murcian cuisine, including pani puri balls exploding with tuna tartare, and a massive pan of rich rabbit rice. Retiring to bed, we\u2019re lulled to sleep by the sound of trickling water. With our time in Murcia nearly up, the following day we zip back to the city to hunt down one last dish: zarangollo, a simple courgette-and-egg scramble. We find it at a traditional tapas bar called Bodeg\u00f3n Los Toneles<\/a> \u2013 all jam\u00f3n legs and chalkboard menus.<\/p>\n We end the trip as we began with a local tipple, this time at Caf\u00e9Lab<\/a>. Asi\u00e1tico is a heady blend of condensed milk, Licor 43, cognac and spices \u2013 said to hail from Cartagena. Like Murcia\u2019s cuisine, its richness lies in the subtle layers \u2013 each one revealing something original, unexpected and distinctly its own.<\/p>\n The trip was provided by Turismo de Murcia<\/a>. Sercotel Amistad Murcia<\/a> has doubles from around \u20ac60 room-only; Casa Borrego<\/a> has doubles from \u20ac120 B&B<\/p>\n