Sip n quip with Kathy Lette in Galicia

In the Ribeiro region, Avandra guests are received not as visitors, but as invited guests of Xulia Bande at her Bodega Son de Arrieiro — one of Galicia’s most respected winemakers. She will guide you through her vineyards before opening her home for a relaxed, generous lunch — an experience that feels more like being part of her world than observing it.

At Anónimas Viticultoras, a quietly radical, female-led wine project, you’ll gain rare access to a collective rewriting the narrative of Spanish winemaking. Walk the vineyards with its founders, hear their story firsthand and share a long-table lunch that brings their philosophy vividly to life.

Beyond wine, the cultural access is equally considered. A privately guided exploration of Ourense reveals the stories behind its historic streets and thermal waters, while at Punta Faxilda, local legend and landscape are woven together in a way only an insider can offer.

And then there is the defining moment of the journey: the Bonfire of St John. Through Avandra’s connections, you will experience this powerful Galician midsummer ritual from within — not on the edges, but at its heart. Guided through its traditions, you’ll take part in an evening of fire, sea and symbolism that speaks to renewal, release and new beginnings.

The Bonfire of St John’s arrives not so much as a coastal festival, but as a reckoning with fire, salt air and superstition. By dusk, beaches are stippled with flames, each one a small act of defiance against bad luck, heartbreak or life’s general bumps in the road. You’re meant to jump them —an enthusiastic, maybe wine-fuelled leap into purification — though whether this guarantees renewal or singed eyebrows will of course depend on your timing.

There is something irresistibly romantic in the ritual: the Atlantic murmuring in the background, smoke curling into a violet sky, the sense that ancient customs still have agency here. Yet it’s not reverent. It’s celebratory, communal, a little chaotic — like all the best parties. Strangers press grilled sardines into your hands; teenagers dare each other closer to the flames. By midnight, you’ll feel spiritually cleansed, pleasantly exhausted, or both – which, frankly, is miracle enough.