Top 10 Wine, Beer and Spirits “Bodegas” in Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, a “Bodega” is a wine, beer and spirits shop, a difference of a typical Spanish-speaking neighborhood in the US (small grocery stores).

In the Caribbean of 1494 the eternal companion of food – wine- was cultivated modestly on the island of La Hispaniola, by order of Admiral Diego de Colón, governor of the region and firstborn of the conquistador Christopher Columbus. This agricultural project, as well as the possibilities of the birth of the first New World wine, vanished as soon as Columbus returned to his native land, but attempts to harvest grapes worthy of wine were more successfully forged at the beginning of the sixteenth century, when the famous Hernán Cortés took the “vid” to Mexico and from there the propagation to the rest of continent.

Although in Puerto Rico, due to climate and topographic conditions, high quality wines are not produced, some of the import companies of the food and beverages sector bring world-class products, often at affordable prices. In many cases, these companies offer courses to learn about the different techniques of winemaking, study the countries with the highest production, the regions of greatest importance, and the ABC of how to combine wine and food.

The term “spirits” can refer to a lot of things, but what are alcoholic spirits, exactly? Basically they’re the biggest, brawniest older brother of the alcohol family. Of course, the term spirit doesn’t refer to everything you see in a liquor store besides wine and beer. The two leaders in terms of Puerto Rican spirits are Bacardí & Serrallés, both rums of spectacular quality.

The beers of the Caribbean & Puerto Rico are unique to each island, although many are variants of the same style. Each island generally brews its own unique pale lager, the occasional stout, and often a non-alcoholic malta beverage. Contract brewing of international beers is also common. The beers vary between the islands to suit the taste and the brewing method used. Micro- and nano-breweries are gaining popularity in the island.

As Alexander Fleming would say “although penicillin does good to men, wine make them happy”. Salud!