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Poured in Spain
A Rioja wine tasting dinner with Eguarén Ugarte
There's a particular kind of evening that stays with you. Not because of any single moment, but because of how it all fits together, the food, the wine, the people around the table, a story worth listening to. That's what we're building this May.
We're hosting Poured in Spain, a guided wine tasting dinner at both The Grand Hotel in Lytham St Annes and The Grand at Grasmere, two nights, two settings, one menu that belongs somewhere in northern Spain.
The Wine
At the centre of the evening is Eguarén Ugarte, a sixth-generation family winery in Rioja Alavesa, founded in 1870 and set among 130 hectares of their own vines in the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria. Antonio from the winery will be with us on the night, talking through each wine as it's poured, not in the way of a lecture, but in the way of someone who genuinely loves what they make.
Our wine supplier Adrian from EWGA has put together a selection that moves through the full character of the estate. You'll start with the Rosado on arrival, served cocktail-style over crushed ice with strawberries and work through a Garnacha Blanco, Crianza Blanco, Graciano and finish on the Reserva. Five wines, each 175ml, each chosen to sit alongside the food rather than compete with it.
The Menu
The kitchen has built a four-course menu around Spain, not a theme night, but a genuine nod to the food that makes sense alongside Rioja. Gambas al Ajillo to start, salt cod croquetas for the fish course, slow-roasted lamb shoulder with romesco and butter bean stew as the main, and a Basque burnt cheesecake finished with Pedro Ximénez syrup to close. Vegetarian alternatives are available throughout, designed with the same care as the main menu rather than as an afterthought.
On arrival, you'll find chorizo roasted in red winer, gordal olives, picos breadsticks and sliced Manchego on the table, the kind of thing that makes a glass of cold rosado feel exactly right.
Five wines. Four courses. A Spanish-influenced menu paired to the wines of Eguarén Ugarte — a sixth-generation family winery in Rioja Alavesa. Vegetarian alternatives are available throughout.
Paired Wine
Paired Wine
Paired Wine
Paired Wine
Two Venues, One Evening
We're running the dinner across both properties on consecutive nights.
At Lytham St Annes, the event takes place in the Lytham Suite on Friday 22nd May, a room that suits a long, relaxed evening well. Up to 40 guests, shared tables, 7:00pm arrival.
At Grasmere, the setting shifts to the dining booths in the lounge on Saturday 23rd May. Smaller, more intimate, the kind of space where the Lake District outside feels like part of the evening. Up to 20 guests, 7:00pm arrival.
Tickets are £85 per person, inclusive of all five wine pours and four courses. Spa members and hotel residents can book at £75.
A Note on Shared Tables
Both evenings use shared tables. We do this intentionally. Wine tasting dinners work better when you're not sealed off from the room — when a conversation about the Graciano starts with a stranger and ends with plans to visit the winery. It's the kind of evening that earns its own momentum if you let it.
Poured in Spain takes place at The Grand Hotel, Lytham St Annes on Friday 22nd May and The Grand at Grasmere on Saturday 23rd May.
