Sitting on my bookcase is an authentic, decorated porrón from Restaurante Sole in Barcelona, Spain. This traditional glass wine pitcher, or in my case, carafe, was inherited from my mother, who used to regale me with tales of her travels, particularly Spain in the early 1950s.
She told me the restaurant gave her this porrón, which is used to drink wine without the vessel touching your lips. This invention allows everyone to drink from the same porrón, though it does require a bit of skill to avoid spilling the liquid onto clothing.
Imagine my surprise when I walked into the new Telefèric Barcelona restaurant in Fashion Island and saw several small porróns displayed next to a wall of Spanish wines. I had a feeling I was about to have an authentic experience, and I was right…