Nit de Vins (Wine Night)

Polop's main square, the Plaça dels Xorros, turns over to wine for one evening each year, usually toward the end of May. Around twenty Spanish wines are poured, and you pair them with small plates put on by the village's own bars and restaurants, so the food is whatever the local kitchens fancy showing off that night. You pay as you go rather than buying a fixed ticket, which keeps things easy if you only want to try a few.

Entry costs nothing, and there's live music through the evening, so it tends to settle into a long, easy night out rather than a quick stop. It's a village affair, run by the town's commerce side and the local penyes, and that shows in the unhurried mood. Bring cash for the tastings.