{"id":3273,"date":"2026-05-01T13:49:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=3273"},"modified":"2026-05-01T14:18:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:18:36","slug":"barcelona-vs-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=3273","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona vs. Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>North American sports fans are used to regional rivalries: the Yankees vs. the Red Sox, the Canadiens against the Maple Leafs, Army vs. Navy.&nbsp; But there is probably none so famed, so deep in the fiber of the fans than FC Barcelona playing against Real Madrid in football (or <em>futbol<\/em> as they call it or soccer as we do).&nbsp; There is even a name for this annual game, <em>El Clasico<\/em>, the Classic.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3274\" srcset=\"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.jpeg 780w, http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-300x138.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-768x354.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Plaza Mayor in Madrid.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>In the spirit of this contest, coming up on May 10 this year, we offer a comparison of the two cities for wine tasters who\u2019d like to include urban stops along with visits to vineyards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Attractions<\/strong> \u2013 Any trip to Madrid must include a stop in the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=3119\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3119\">Plaza Mayor<\/a><\/em>, the main public square dating back to the 16th century.\u00a0 Barcelona offers the <em>Sagrada Familia<\/em>, the monumental church designed in the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century by Antonio Gaudi, nearly complete today.\u00a0 (One point for Barcelona.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Art<\/strong> \u2013 In Barcelona you can visit museums dedicated to Picasso and Miro, which are wonderful.&nbsp; But Madrid has the world-renowned Prado for art of Spain\u2019s imperial past and the Reina Sofia Museum for 20<sup>th<\/sup> century art, plus the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection.&nbsp; (One point to Madrid.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Architecture <\/strong>\u2013 As we have written <a href=\"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=3263\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3263\">in a previous issue<\/a>, much of Barcelona was created at the beginning of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century by Modernist architects, not the least of which was the aforementioned Gaudi.\u00a0 There are some interesting buildings in Madrid, but nothing to compare.\u00a0 (One point to Barcelona.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"833\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3275\" srcset=\"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-1.jpeg 833w, http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-1-300x139.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-1-768x355.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 833px) 100vw, 833px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The Sherry Bar at the Plaza San Miguel in Madrid.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Food markets <\/strong>\u2013 Madrid has the Mercato San Miguel.&nbsp; Barcelona has the Boqueria.&nbsp; The former is more of a food court with lots of stalls where you can try local Spanish food and wine, plus an extensive selection of Sherry to taste.&nbsp; The same is true at the Boqueria, but it is still just as much of a place to buy fruit, vegetables, fish and meat.&nbsp; (Slight edge to Barcelona, half a point.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Restaurants<\/strong> \u2013 Both cities have great restaurants and both have places for tapas wherever one goes.&nbsp; We preferred the ones we went to in Barcelona but that\u2019s simply a matter of taste.&nbsp; (A draw, no points awarded.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"779\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3276\" style=\"width:779px;height:auto\" srcset=\"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.jpg 779w, http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-300x194.jpg 300w, http:\/\/powertasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-768x497.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 779px) 100vw, 779px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>A performance at the Tablao Flamenco Cordobes in Barcelona.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Flamenco <\/strong>\u2013 We happen to be <em>aficionados<\/em> of this quintessentially Spanish dance form.&nbsp; We have seen performances in <em>tablaos<\/em> (the petite theaters where flamenco is danced) in both cities.&nbsp; Every time we see the most talented Spaniards dancing in their own cities, we leave saying, \u201cThat was the best we\u2019ve ever seen!\u201d.&nbsp; (Another draw, no points awarded.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Language <\/strong>\u2013 Surprise, surprise:&nbsp; They speak Spanish in Spain.&nbsp; But in Barcelona they also speak Catalan, which is a somewhat close language but not the same.&nbsp; In general, visitors can get around in English, but if you learned Spanish in school, this can make Barcelona confusing.&nbsp; (Slight edge to Madrid, half a point.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proximity to wine tasting <\/strong>\u2013 The most famous Spanish wine regions are the Douro and Ribera de Douro.&nbsp; Neither of them is close to either city.&nbsp; However, Catalunya is nearby Barcelona, especially the Penedes and Priorat sub-regions.&nbsp; There\u2019s nothing comparable in easy driving distance of Madrid. (One point to Barcelona.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So, if anyone has been keeping score, the edge goes to Barcelona.&nbsp; That\u2019s our appreciation, but we urge you to visit both cities and decide for yourselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North American sports fans are used to regional rivalries: the Yankees vs. the Red Sox, the Canadiens against the Maple Leafs, Army vs. Navy.&nbsp; But there is probably none so famed, so deep in the fiber of the fans than FC Barcelona playing against Real Madrid in football (or futbol as they call it or &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=3273\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Barcelona vs. Madrid<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3273"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3295,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273\/revisions\/3295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}