Porrón - Gastro Obscura

Porrón

The traditional way to send a stream of wine straight to your mouth.

When it comes to sharing a bottle of wine, no one does it with quite the showmanship or swagger as denizens of Catalonia, Spain, where drinkers take turns sending thin streams of wine straight into their mouths. The tool for this trick? A porrón.

A cross between a watering can and a decanter, a porrón has a slanted neck that leads to a wide base and a conical spout that tapers to a comically small opening. A master of the porrón starts with the spout near (but never touching) their mouth, and quickly tips it to start pouring while extending their arm away. Ideally, the ribbon of wine lands perfectly on target, then the porrón is passed to the next person. A final crucial aspect of drinking with porróns—which are most common in Catalonia, but found throughout Spain—is returning them to your mouth and tipping them upright to stop the flow. 

Catalans often drink cider or cava (a sparkling white or rosé wine) from porróns. Red wine is common, too, although it’s perhaps best left to experts. Porróns are no longer as common on Spanish tables as they once were, but they still bring an element of fun and play to drinking, while making a shared bottle of wine a truly communal experience.

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