Spain's drink culture is as diverse as its landscapes, shaped by centuries of regional tradition, sun-soaked vineyards and a deep love of gathering over a good glass. From smoky sherry bodegas in the south to cider houses in the green north, the drinks from Spain tell the story of the country one sip at a time — and there's no better way to taste your way through it than from the deck of a cruise or excursions on shore.

Read on to learn more about Spain’s delicious drinks that you can try on your Princess cruise.

Key takeaways

Spain's iconic drinks are deeply regional, each tied to local geography and tradition

Many can be experienced directly in port through Princess shore excursions

From sangria and cava to sherry and horchata, knowing what to order deepens the connection to Spanish culture

Spain's drink culture, port by port

Each Spanish port of call brings its own regional drink tradition within easy reach. Barcelona opens the door to cava and vermouth; the Cádiz and Jerez region is sherry country; and Vigo sits at the heart of albariño wine country. 

Shore excursions offer curated access to local wineries, bodegas and culinary experiences that pair naturally with a port visit — and a cruise to Barcelona is a fitting place to start, with cruises across Europe opening up the rest of the coastline beyond it.

Iconic drinks from Spain to experience in port

1. Sangria, tinto de verano and Spain's wine-and-soda culture

Sangria is the drink most visitors associate with Spain, and for good reason: it's a vibrant blend of red wine, fresh fruit, brandy and citrus, built for slow afternoons and shared pitchers. But ask a local what they're actually drinking on a hot day, and odds are it's tinto de verano — literally "red wine of summer" — a simpler mix of red wine and lemon soda over ice. It's lighter, less sweet and the everyday glass you'll see on café terraces from Madrid to Málaga. 

Both are worth trying. In Barcelona, the Flamenco and Dinner excursion pairs both traditions with tapas and live music for a true taste of Catalan nightlife.

Two stemless glasses of red sangria filled with fresh strawberries, orange slices and lime wedges, surrounded by whole fruit on a wooden cutting board.
Sip your way through Spain one glass of sangria at a time.

2. Sherry from Jerez de la Frontera

Few drinks are as tied to a single place as sherry is to Jerez de la Frontera, the Andalusian town at the heart of the so-called Sherry Triangle. This fortified wine is aged using the solera system, a centuries-old method of blending older and younger wines in stacked barrels to build layers of flavor over time. Styles range from the crisp, pale fino to the deep, nutty oloroso, and the best way to understand the difference is to taste them side by side in a real bodega. 

Near Seville and Cádiz, the Andalusian Horse School and Sherry Tasting excursion pairs a guided tasting with one of the region's other great traditions: Andalusian horsemanship.

Three stemmed glasses of sherry in varying shades of amber and pale gold sitting on a sunlit wooden surface casting warm shadows.
Taste the tradition of Spain with a sherry flight worth savoring.

3. Cava sparkling wine from Catalonia

Spain's answer to Champagne, cava is a traditional-method sparkling wine made from native Catalan grapes — xarel-lo, macabeu and parellada — using the same labor-intensive process as its French cousin. Crisp, bright and built for celebration, it's poured everywhere from family lunches to New Year's toasts. Barcelona is the natural port for discovering it, with wine bars and specialty shops throughout the city pouring local bottles by the glass.

A hand pouring sparkling cava from a green bottle into a row of four flute glasses on a marble bar, with bubbles overflowing the rim of one glass.
Every celebration in Spain starts with a pour of cava.

4. Spanish vermouth and the ritual of "la hora del vermut"

Long before happy hour existed elsewhere, Spain had "la hora del vermut" — the vermouth hour, a beloved pre-lunch ritual that still anchors weekends in cities across the country. Served on ice with a splash of soda and a single olive, vermouth is less about the drink itself and more about the pause it creates: a reason to linger at a bar with friends before the meal even starts. You'll find it at traditional bars throughout Barcelona, Seville and beyond, almost always accompanied by a small plate of olives or chips to nibble alongside it.

A rocks glass of amber vermouth with olives and ice on a wooden table, with a bowl of potato chips and toothpicks alongside a second glass in the background.
Pull up a seat and do aperitivo hour the Spanish way with vermouth.

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5. Spanish wines by region: rioja, albariño and beyond

Spain's wine map is a tour in itself. Rioja's tempranillo-based reds are classified as crianza, reserva or gran reserva depending on how long they're aged, with each tier unlocking deeper, more complex flavor. Up in Galicia, albariño tells a different story: crisp, mineral and practically made for the region's seafood. Vigo offers direct access to albariño country, and the Agro de Bazan Winery and Spanish Wine Tasting excursion brings guests straight into the vineyard for a tasting among the vines.

Two glasses of red wine on a wooden table surrounded by an abundant spread of Spanish tapas including bruschetta, olives, artichokes, cured ham, roasted potatoes and dipping sauces.
Spanish wine hits different when there's a spread of tapas to match.

6. Sidra and the escanciado pouring tradition

In the green, rainy north, Asturias swaps wine for sidra — a dry, still cider that's poured with real theater. In the escanciado ritual, the bottle is raised high above the glass so the cider aerates as it falls, releasing its full flavor in a single dramatic pour. The tradition is best experienced in a sidrería (cider house), where it's deeply woven into Asturian social life and almost always shared alongside hearty regional cooking.

A person in a dark blazer performing a traditional high-pour of Spanish cider into a glass held low, with droplets splashing outward against a warm dimly lit background.
Master the pour and drink sidra like a true Asturian.

7. Horchata de chufa from Valencia

Not every iconic drink from Spain involves a glass of wine. Horchata de chufa is a sweet, milky, completely non-alcoholic drink made from chufa — tiger nuts grown in the fields around Valencia — and served ice-cold at dedicated horchaterías. The classic pairing is a fartón, a long, sugar-glazed pastry made specifically for dunking. Order a glass with one alongside it, and you're tasting a piece of Valencian agricultural heritage that goes back centuries.

Three tall glasses of creamy iced horchata dusted with cinnamon on a rustic wooden table, surrounded by cinnamon sticks, wooden spoons and blue checkered napkins.
Cool down the Spanish way with a glass of horchata.

Tasting Spain's drinks on a Princess cruise

Multiple Spanish ports of call open the door to distinct drink experiences, from Ibiza's wine country to Málaga's scenic valleys. In Ibiza, the Ibiza Wine Tasting at Can Maymo Winery excursion introduces guests to regional wines grown just beyond the island's famous beaches. 

In Málaga, the Easy El Chorro Natural Park Drive and Wine Tasting excursion pairs a scenic drive through dramatic gorge country with a tasting at the end. And in the Canary Islands, the Lanzarote Wine Route excursion winds through volcanic vineyards unlike anything else in Spain, where vines grow in black volcanic soil.

Book a cruise to Spain

A Princess cruise to Spain places guests at the doorstep of vineyards, bodegas and tapas bars that define the country's drink culture, port after port. Guided shore excursions make it easy to taste the best of Spain alongside its history, scenery and flavor. Book a cruise to Spain and start planning your own tasting tour of the coast.

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