My husband and I thoroughly recommend this course. Really enjoyed learning how to make pintxos, drinking a range of wines and listening to stories about the history and culture of Bilbao. Really fun, lots of information and chat. Mikel really knows his stuff and is very enthusiastic. Would do another course here.

We had a great experience during the tour. Marina was our guide. She was very knowledgeable about local history & culture. All the places that we visited were interesting and the food & wine were great! Thank you

Four of us went on an amazing day trip from Vitoria-Gastiez to Rioja, visiting 2 wineries and lunch in the medieval town of La Guardia. The wine tasting were excellent, the lunch was tasty, and the scenery was spectacular. But the highlight of our trip was our host Marina. I gave been on many tours; she was one of the best if not the best host/tour guide we have ever had. Because of Marina the trip went from very nice to spectacular. Highly recommend!!

We cannot say enough good things about the tour we took with Irene of Northern Spain Gastronomy. We had a tour of Rioja. She planned it meticulously: large producers, medium producers, small producers. All very, very high quality. The restaurants she took us to were all excellent. Her knowledge of the area is unsurpassed. You could not possibly have a better tour of Rioja than the one we had with Irene.

Exceptional experience! Mariana was energetic and fun, making drink recommendations based on our preferences, and providing suggestions for additional places to eat and drink. We made 4 stops, each with unique Pintxos and beverages. We ate chorizo, octopus, lamb, crab and more! It was perfect, fast paced, and worth the price. Ask for Mariana, you’ll leave full na happy! 😃

Chef Mikel's impressive culinary background and agreeable conversation made the class informative, valuable, and exciting—not to mention the feast we prepared and enjoyed! I took his pintxos, paella, and immersive courses. The newcomer and the expert found something interesting in all three of them. His conversation about the beautiful Basque Country involved not only Basque cuisine but also traditions and history, and he invited similar exciting discussions with international attendees. Good food, good people, and an enjoyable afternoon where you get to know people with similar desires to learn and share. Thank you Chef Mikel

Marina was an excellent guide! She was knowledgeable, personable, and high energy. She was happy to answer our many questions about food, culture, and Bilbao history. She’s the perfect guide. The “walking” part of the tour is quite easy and suitable for anyone. The food and drink were excellent! We tried a range of food. I’m not a heavy drinker and didn’t feel pressured to keep up. We had a lovely time! Highly recommend.

We had the most amazing day with Irene Lopez Martinez! Irene arranged the most comfortable bus for the eight of us to tour the Rioja Wine area. She captivated us immediately with her knowledge and experience of the Vineyards and Terroir of Rioja. We were able to enjoy the wines of two very different Wineries and a fantastic country meal that warmed our hearts. The tour was a highlight of our Northern Spain trip and I highly recommend Northern Spain Gastronomy and Irene for a truly memorable experience.

What fun we had on our food tour with the incomparable Irene (E-!re!-ne), a trained chef, sommelier, and outgoing, knowledgeable guide. Ours was a small group of just five guests, but we bonded immediately. We stopped at five different spots and had beautifully paired pintxos and local wines at each place. We went to the Wine Bar Irene runs with her partner (Gastonomia Bilbao) the next day for lunch and had one of the most memorable meals. Can't recommend highly enough.

The trip was wonderfull in every way. The professionalism of agency is on high level. Destinations - unreal, fairytale... Recommended for everyone. And on the end, special thanks to Lady Marina, pleasent, simple, wonderful young guide and woman! You ate lucky to have her.

Fantastic day out seeing the beautiful Rioja! Irene was fantastic at organising and Marina was a fountain of knowledge. Cannot recommend this trip enough, we will be telling all friends and family! Thank you again 🍷

Irene is absolutely the best guide ever. She's a trained sommelier and chef. She understood what we wanted from the get go and brought us to exceptional wineries. She's extremely energetic and knowledgeable about wines & food, and kept us entertained with interesting stories and information throughout the hour and a half drive from Bilbao to Rioja. She also owns Gastronomia Bilbao, which is a bar and cooking school. Next time, we will stay longer so that we can take a few of her cooking classes. It should be great fun.

Marina was a terrific guide providing us with an amazing Basque wine tour and a pintxos bar experience in San Sebastián that we will never forget. Along the way, she schooled us in all things Basque: geography, culture, language and, of course, history. This tour was everything that we could have hoped for.

First day in Bilbao and what a way to start it. Fantastic experience and our guide Irene was so impressive with her knowledge and insight to the city , the culture and the bars and wine of the area. Really enjoyed it. Would definitely recommend it.

Great tour. Irene was great and the food was awesome! We tasted many dishes and came to understand the tradition behind each. Great drinks, never boring. One spot to the next with something new each time.