Spain’s traditional porrón — a spouted wine vessel rooted in Catalan and Basque drinking culture — has surged into modern dining rooms, cocktail bars, and Michelin-starred restaurants as a lively, communal party starter.Its playful “waterfall” pouring style aerates wine, breaks formality, and encourages interaction, making it a go-to icebreaker for gatherings from holiday parties to bar pop-ups.The porrón’s resurgence spans pop culture and professional drinks circles, inspiring creative pours of sparkling wine, rosé, cider, cocktails, and low-ABV bottles across cities like New York, San Francisco, Miami, and beyond.
Hand-blown decanters and roving bar carts have long been ways to draw attention in a dining room. Rooted in Catalan wine culture, Spain’s humble, watering can-shaped porrón is the latest conversation starter. It encourages the opposite of what you’d expect at a restaurant. You not only should, but you will get messy.
“They are such a big part of the vibe and the overall community setting at our bar,” says Erin Rickenbacker, co-owner of Spanish wine bar El Chato in San Francisco, which hosts porrón demos and Tinder Tuesday parties with free mini-porróns for first dates. “One person does it, the next table has to have it. People drink them alone, pass them to friends, and pass them at parties.”
With its narrow neck and thin, sculpted spout, a porrón mimics a decanter. It adds a quick burst of aeration as you pour a perfect stream of wine into your mouth (or another person’s), with lips never touching the pitcher.
“Historically, this is the way you would drink around the table, in the bars, and, most importantly, in the fields, since it’s hard to carry glassware,” says Sevilla-born Álvaro de la Viña, owner of Selections de la Viña, which imports natural wines from across the Iberian Peninsula. “It’s an old-school way of drinking wine that I’m seeing being recovered in Spain, where it was more of a culture in the countryside and never really made it into the cities.”
The ultimate icebreaker
Traditionally, a porrón was used to drink Txakolina, a dry, slightly sparkling white wine with high acidity and relatively low alcohol content produced in Spain’s Basque region. The porrón remains an easier way to enjoy wine without worrying about stemware. It removes the stuffiness and gets people involved.
Daryl Coke, wine director, Terracotta Hospitality Group
“There’s nothing better than watching your mother-in-law try to porrón.”
— Daryl Coke, wine director, Terracotta Hospitality Group
At Basque-inspired Ernesto’s in New York City, porróns are used for wine and cider, as well as for the tableside Martinis. San Diego tapas and wine bar Finca pours its pineapple- and passion fruit-infused house Sangria from them.
“It’s the ultimate icebreaker, especially during the holidays when you’re mixing different groups together. It breaks formality in the best possible way,” says Daryl Coke, wine director of Terracotta Hospitality Group, which includes Ernesto’s. “There’s nothing better than watching your mother-in-law try to porrón.”
Courtesy of Shuggie’s
Whether it’s in the kitchen while you cook or alongside an antipasto or an appetizer, sharing a porrón is a guaranteed talking point. “It kicks things off in a silly and light way,” says Nicole Castro, wine director of New Jersey sister restaurants Lita, La Otra, and Judy’s. She “porróns” at home with her family. “People usually gravitate toward someone waterfalling delicious wine into their mouth.”
When Maca Carrillo, half of the duo behind wine pop-up Grape Crush Miami, started pouring special bottles (not just Txakoli, she’s quick to point out) at their first event five years ago, it was such a hit, the concept quickly became a signature of their parties.
“In a city like Miami, where tequila takes center stage, there’s no better way of getting people’s attention than pouring out of a porrón,” says Carrillo, who chooses bottles that are refreshing, zesty, and often under 13% ABV. “It was something very few people in Miami were familiar with, but it holds a lot of cultural history and significance, and that’s something we always want to honor.”
Porrón like a pro
“Definitely be prepared to get a bit wet, but that’s part of the fun,” says Coke, who recommends first-timers start with the spout a few inches from their mouth, and then extend it away slowly. “A hesitant pour almost always ends in disaster. The moment you start feeling steady, go for it. Confidence is 90% of the technique.”
Courtesy of Arlene Ibarra
Avoid holding the porrón from the handle or bottom. And never use two hands. “These are all ways you might end up with wine coming out of the wrong end and landing on your head, which happens to everyone at least once,” says Rickenbacker.
Instead, grab the porrón from around the spout like an ‘OK’ sign, with your fingers wrapped around it. When you’re ready to stop pouring, bring it back down and click it upright to pause the stream of wine so it doesn’t spill all over. “I can’t swallow as I go, so my time is limited, and I get my arm extended fast,” says Rickenbacker. “But, if you can swallow as you go, the chug is endless.”
The porrón party has infiltrated pop culture
The use of porróns has spread beyond traditional Spanish establishments. Everyone from chef and television personality Action Bronson to master sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier is promoting the more extreme side of “porróning,” whether that be pouring from the top of bridges or downing magnums in mere minutes.
David Murphy, chef-owner, Shuggie’s, San Francisco
“When we bring out a porrón, the whole room lights up. Tables that were strangers moments before are suddenly cheering each other on. It’s equal parts skill, spectacle, and raucous fun. The holidays are meant to be loud, messy, and memorable — the porrón checks all those boxes.”
— David Murphy, chef-owner, Shuggie’s, San Francisco
“It was something practical and easy for farmers to drink, and now it’s infiltrated popular culture and become a party trick, the way a magnum or jeroboam [has],” says de la Viña. “You’re gulping as you drink, swallowing as you’re pouring, so there’s a technique to porróning, which is what makes it so fun.”
Porróns have even seeped into New York City’s cocktail scene at institutions like Dante, where they’re used to serve the Golden Sbagliato, a gold-flake-topped twist on a Negroni in which gin is swapped for Prosecco.
Courtesy of Chez Zou
At Mediterranean-influenced cocktail lounge Chez Zou at Pendry Manhattan West, the Dirty Zou — a riff on a Dirty Martini with grape-leaf brine — gives guests the freedom to add as much or as little of each ingredient into their porrón.
In San Francisco, Lazy Bear, a recipient of two Michelin stars, uses mini-porróns for tableside cider, and at Shuggie’s, a maximalist supper club, chef-owner David Murphy does the pouring himself.
“When we bring out a porrón, the whole room lights up. Tables that were strangers moments before are suddenly cheering each other on,” says Murphy. “It’s equal parts skill, spectacle, and raucous fun. The holidays are meant to be loud, messy, and memorable — the porrón checks all those boxes.”
Porrón at home
Porróns offer plenty of possibilities for serving wine beyond traditional Txakolina. Here are a few picks to pour during the holiday season and beyond.
Courtesy of Arlene Ibarra
Mas Bertran Balma Brut Nature ($30)
“This sparkling wine from the Penedès region in Spain honors the porrón’s history as a Catalan drinking vessel, but really it’s an excuse to drink some juice that totally delivers above its price point,” says Nicole Castro, wine director of New Jersey sister restaurants Lita, La Otra, and Judy’s. She says that the current 2017 vintage drinks more like Champagne than Cava.
Patrick Noël Sancerre Rosé ($40)
Winter calls for a rosé with weight and structure like this Sancerre from Julie Noël, the latest vigneronne to helm the Loire Valley family estate. “Not only does a porrón aerate this wine beautifully, [but] it’s perfect for your aunts who already love Sancerre and maybe don’t realize that Pinot Noir grows there in small amounts, too,” says Castro.
Ocampo Vidueño Blanco 2022 ($45)
“For those who typically reach for a white Burgundy, this Canary Island white presents a sultry, salty, smoky opportunity to try something completely new and wildly delectable,” says Castro. Tenerife’s volcanic soil adds a layer of minerality while remaining aromatic and fresh. Notes of apricot and tangerine pair nicely with a cheese plate or a main course like roasted chicken.
ARPEPE Rosso di Valtellina ($30)
If you’ve mastered the high pour required to porrón red wine, this Nebbiolo from the Alps is a budget-friendly pick outside of traditional Barolo. “Herbaceous and peppery with hints of strawberry tops, you won’t even be mad if this ends up splashing onto your shirt,” says Castro. “But maybe wear a bib, just in case.”
Dining and Cooking