Help center & FAQ
Below you could find most of our Frequently Asked Questions. If you don´t find what you are looking here, please Contact Us.
No, there is no minimum order value.
The established limits for the maximum quantity allowed to be purchased for a given product in a single transaction are designed to be more than sufficient to fulfill the needs of the majority of our clients interested in the product for personal consumption.
We establish these limits to ensure fairness for all our clients and prevent the possibility that a single extremely large order wipes out all our stock on hand of a specific product for days.
The limit for each product is revised periodically and increased upwards accordingly in proportion to weekly demand for the product.
In case a client needs a larger quantity than the established limit, he/she could send us a message requesting an exception, and, if possible for that specific product, we will manually create a product order with the higher limit requested.
There is a maximum limit allowed of up to 6 litres / alcohol units per transaction for the aggregate of all alcohol drinks in your basket.
- Each bottle of 50 cl or above, typically of 1 litre, 75 cl or 70 cl, counts as 1 alcohol unit;
- Each bottle between 33 cl and 49 cl counts as 0,5 (1/2) alcohol unit;
- Each can of 33 cl, bottle of 20 cl or bottle of 25 cl counts as 0,33 (1/3) alcohol unit.
Other important purchasing restrictions for alcohol drinks are:
- Exclusively for private consumption;
- You must be of legal drinking age in France | Monaco;
- Only Standard shipping is available for delivering alcohol drinks. Thus, if you want to order other products that require Express shipping, it is needed to do two separate transactions.
Please email us with your special needs at [email protected]
All card payments are 100% handled by the two leading companies in managing online credit and debit card ecommerce transactions: Stripe and PayPal. You could choose any of these two payment options for any purchase.
Under both companies, your data is managed and protected with the most modern and highest level of security available at the time, offering online security features such as encryption, 3D Secure authentication and fraud monitoring to keep your card data and personal information safe. Both Stripe and PayPal’s services are PCI Complaint, meeting the strict standards of the Payment Card Industry.
Under no circumstance no card data used in a purchase in our website will be stored or saved by us. All card data entered in our website is sent directly, processed and stored by Stripe and PayPal for a payment, you will be redirected to PayPal´s own website to complete the payment.
Under both companies, your data is managed and protected with the most modern and highest levels of security available, offering online security features such as encryption, 3D Secure authentication and fraud monitoring to keep your card data and personal information safe. Both Stripe and PayPal’s services are PCI Complaint, meeting the strict standards of the Payment Card Industry.
All orders placed before 12:00 (midday, France / Monaco time) Monday thru Friday will usually be shipped the same day unless the client prefers a programmed later date for delivery. Otherwise, orders will be shipped the following business day. Note: At the moment our delivery services providers only deliver on working days Monday through Friday.
Orders arriving after Thursday 12:00 (midday, France / Monaco time) containing food products sensitive to temperature changes that require cold preservation packaging during transit could only be shipped the following Monday since otherwise the goods will spend the whole weekend stuck in transit. This applies mostly to cheeses, some fish and seafood preserves, and some charcuterie during summer months.
Programmed assured delivery on a requested specific date is only available with our 24h/Next day express service on working days Monday through Friday. Otherwise, you could select a future date for a Standard delivery which expected arrival date could be roughly estimated in advance but its exact day only known shortly after being collected by the shipping company.
Shipping and tracking information will be sent out via email once your order has dispatched from our facility.
Once your order has shipped out of our facility it is now in the carrier's hands. Please keep a close eye on tracking and plan accordingly.
Please make sure to enter in the correct shipping address as our product is perishable! Feel free to email us at [email protected] for any special shipping requests!
As soon as your order leaves our warehouse, you will receive an e-mail with further details on the delivery date. In this e-mail you will find a link that allows you to determine online the exact transport status of your shipment.
We solely ship through world-class international courier companies.
Once an order has been completed in the online shop it cannot be combined with another order. However, if the order has still not been dispatched and the goods are still in our warehouse, you could request an order cancellation and place a new order. On Monday through Fridays, we usually dispatch orders within 24 hours.
Yes. For your convenience, you can choose a specific delivery date in working days Monday through Friday using our 24h/Next Day express service. Please keep in mind that if your order includes any perishable item (with the cold icon), deliveries could only occur Tuesday through Friday since in order to arrive on a Monday the goods will remain in the shipping company logistics center over the whole weekend.
Otherwise, you could select a future date for a Standard delivery which expected arrival date could be roughly estimated in advance but its exact day only known shortly after being collected by the shipping company.
We vacuum seal our cheeses, charcuterie and sensitive food goods. Then pack them with temperature controlled 100% recyclable thermal insulation packaging and non-toxic 100% recyclable refrigerant gel packs which keep the food items at the adequate cool temperature up to 48 hours.
We include what we deem to be a sufficient quantity of freeze packs to maintain temperature. We schedule your shipment to avoid your package sitting in a shipper's warehouse over the weekend; so if you order on Thursday late afternoon or Friday, we will typically hold your order until Monday so it does not spend Saturday and Sunday in an unrefrigerated warehouse.
We recommend to preserve Spanish ham products in a cool and dry place, away from high temperatures, direct sunlight and heating sources. Room temperature of about 18º - 22ºC is adequate. Avoid storing it near stoves, ovens or heating systems in order to preserve its flavour and aroma. Any cut surface should be covered by the ham’s outer covering of rind and fat (or a clean dish towel) to preserve moisture and prevent drying out and loss of quality.
Full legs (jamón or paleta)
If you received a full ham leg and plan to store it for some time before consumption, we recommend storing it without wrapping in a cool and dry place, avoiding hot rooms and with excessive humidity, ideally slightly ventilated for making the ham drying process as natural as possible. Some places we recommend are storage rooms, private garages, warehouses and kitchens. Even so, the ham will not deteriorate if it spends a few days in a place that is a little hot, the grease will simply sweat.
Though the maximum consuming time for full hams with bone is one year, normally hams are consumed in around 3 months. Actually, ham will continue its natural drying process so if the ham is started some months after receiving it, the product will only be more dried than at the beginning.
Any cut surface should be covered by the ham’s outer covering of rind and fat to preserve moisture and prevent drying out and loss of quality.
Vacuum-packed sliced ham
Until the vacuum sealed package is opened, we advice to keep it in the fridge as it will be preserved longer at constant temperature; but if you plan to consume it shortly, you could keep it outside the fridge without problem.
Once the package is opened and partially consumed, we advise you to keep it in the fridge, inside a tupperware or any other recipient with no direct contact with the air, as it won't be overdried. You can also keep it in the sachet in which you received it, properly closed to avoid over-drying it.
Vacuum-packed piece of boneless ham
Until the vacuum sealed package is opened, it is best to store it in the fridge. If you decide keeping it outside the fridge, keep it somewhere with a constant temperature and away from direct sunlight. Check the pack doesn't lose its vacuum. If it happened, it has to be consumed as soon as possible.
Once the package is opened and partially consumed, ideally should be kept it in the fridge. We advice keeping it in a tupper or wrapping it with plastic film for its preservation and avoiding overdry it.
Ham should be consumed at room temperature, when it will have a lustrous appearance. When too cold, the fat will appear opaque. Any ham that is cut should be consumed immediately, or covered in plastic wrap, to avoid prolonged exposure of the ham to air.
In addition, each time you finish slicing the ham leg, you should protect the cut area with butcher paper, a cloth moistened with olive oil, or with a bit of the trimmed skin and fat layer, so that the cut area remains fresh. To further protect the ham, you may cover it with a clean dish towel.
The white dots that sometimes appear on a ham are crystals of an amino acid called tyrosine. This is an element of the protein in the meat the ham is made from. Sometimes proteins in the meat are broken down during the natural curing process, and amino acids are the materials of which proteins are made. Tyrosine does not dissolve well in water, so when the ham loses water during curing the tyrosine is left behind and crystallizes. It is considered a sign of prolonged aging and high quality and is perfectly safe to eat.
Whole ham legs tend to be rather fatty, which protects the meat and helps it keep longer. The edible portion of a high-quality ham back leg (jamón) often makes up to 50% by weight. In the case of a shoulder leg (paleta) this is up to 40%. The remainder is bone, hoof, bone, and fat, as well as other nonedible parts. High fat content is not a sign that there is something wrong with your product
You may notice natural molds and bits of salt on the surface of the ham – these occur naturally in the curing and maturation process.
In fact, a thin layer of mold is an indication of a properly aged ham. This penicillin-like mold is completely harmless. It can be removed with a clean, damp cloth, with a cloth and vegetable oil.
Sometimes salt may form on the surface of the ham in dry conditions. This inorganic salt does not affect the flavor of ham and can be brushed or wiped away.
This effect can be seen on the cut surface of the ham and in certain parts of the meat. The coloring sometimes has a metallic appearance. It is insignificant as far as the quality of the ham is concerned.
This may be seen on the cut surface of whole or boneless hams. The film is mostly comprised of amino acids and salt precipitate and is perfectly safe. We recommend that you simply discard the discolored slice.
Remove the layer of fat from the top and the sides of the leg until the meat is exposed. Trim the fat as you slice. Cut small, very thin slices, including some of the fat which holds much of the flavor. Slice downwards with your free hand behind the knife.
If you plan to consume the entire ham in a day or two, you can remove the skin and fat completely. If not, it is better only remove the skin and outer fat layer from the area to be sliced that day. To enjoy the flavor and texture of a fine Spanish ham leg, slice the ham with a long sharp knife in the following order: first the rump half, then the rump end and lastly the shank.
The meat nearest the bone is difficult to slice well, and can be cut into small chunks for use in soups and stews. The ham bone itself is also excellent for flavoring broths, soups and stews, and may be cut and frozen for later use.
Compared to other European ham, Spanish ham (jamón or paleta) has a more uniform texture, more intense flavor and is usually less moist because of the long curing stage. This is especially true of hams from acorn-fed Ibérico Bellota pigs.
Cheeses should must always be kept in a cool place, ideally stored in your fridge in the most humid section such as the box for fruits and vegetables drawer. If left in another section of the fridge, better inside a recipient with cover that allows it to breathe (otherwise will dry up faster). Never leave the cheeses in a hot place. If the type of cheese is soft (creamy) or blue, better remove the vacuum sealed packing since these cheeses need to breath.
Temperature
Ideally, cheeses should be kept at the same temperature conditions used during maturation:
- Fresh, soft, semi-soft and blue cheeses: between 4 -10º C
- Hard, semi-hard and curated cheeses: between 8-13º C
Shelf Life
Try to consume your cheeses within days of receiving them so that you can enjoy them at peak flavor, particularly the softer types. If properly stored, most cheeses will last several weeks. As a general rule, aged hard cheeses last longer than softer, fresher types. Please find here some preservation advice:
- Soft cheeses: 4 to 6 days
- Goat cheeses: 8 to 10 days
- Blue cheeses: Up to 3 to weeks
- Hard cheeses: over 15 days to several months
Semi-curated and curated cheeses, semi-hard and hard cheeses, can be frozen. But once unfrozen will lose consistency and become more crumbly, mealy and harder to slice. That´s why frozen cheeses are best used for cooked dishes rather than eaten fresh. Before frozen, we recommend to cut the cheese in consumption sizes. Once unfrozen should not be frozen again.
Fresh, soft and blue cheeses are better not to be frozen since will lose its original structure and its texture change (unless are meant for cooking).
Consumption
Soft and blue cheeses: Remove the vacuum sealed packaging after reception. Two hours before tasting (or at least 15 minutes ahead if it’s a warm day), unwrap the cheeses and let them stand at room temperature. After partial consumption, rewrap the remaining cheese in the paper or packaging it came in and store in the fridge.
Hard and curated cheeses: While inside its vacuum sealed package and properly stored, it will maintain its best quality for about 6 to 8 months. Once opened, a hard cheese is generally safe to eat for 6 weeks. Only it is needed to cover the exposed paste cut section of the cheese and not its rind since it breathes through it.
Blue cheeses should be ideally stored separated from the rest since its mold could invade other foods, and not too close to other foods with a strong smell since this could be absorbed by the cheese, damaging it.
Tips
If you have thrown away your paper or packaging or if it has been torn, follow these guidelines:
- Bloomy rind, tommes and cheeses with harder and drier rinds, wrap only the cut surface in light weight plastic, leaving the rind exposed so the cheese can breathe.
- Blue cheeses should be wrapped securely in foil.
- Washed rind cheeses should be wrapped in wax paper or grease proof paper.
- Small cheeses, a goat's milk crottin, for example, should also be wrapped in wax paper or grease proof paper.
- Soft cheeses store well in waxed paper or sealed containers.
Temperature
Keep it cool. Heat is the worst enemy for wine. Temperatures higher than 21° C will age a wine more quickly than is usually desirable. And if it gets much hotter, your wine may get “cooked,” resulting in flat aromas and flavors. The ideal temperature range is between 7° C and 18° C (being the perfect ones of 12° C for white wine and between 15° C and 17° C for red wine), though this isn’t an exact science. Don’t worry too much if your storage runs a couple degrees warmer, as long as you’re opening the bottles within a few years from their release.
But not too cool. Keeping wines in your household refrigerator is fine for up to a couple months, but it’s not a good choice for the longer term. The average fridge temperature falls well below 7° C to safely store perishable foods, and the lack of moisture could eventually dry out corks, which might allow air to seep into the bottles and damage the wine. Also, don’t keep your wine somewhere it could freeze (an unheated garage in winter, forgotten for hours in the freezer). If the liquid starts turning to ice, it could expand enough to push the cork out.
Lighting
Light, especially sunlight, can pose a potential problem for long-term storage. The sun’s UV rays can degrade and prematurely age wine. One of the reasons why vintners use colored glass bottles is to protect them from UV rays, acting like sunglasses for wine. Light from household bulbs probably won’t damage the wine itself, but can fade your labels in the long run. Incandescent bulbs may be a bit safer than fluorescent bulbs, which do emit very small amounts of ultraviolet light.
Humidity
Conventional wisdom says that wines should be stored at an ideal humidity level of 70%. The theory goes that dry air will dry out the corks, which would let air into the bottle and spoil the wine. Yes, this does happen, but unless you live in a desert or in arctic conditions, it probably won’t happen to you. Anywhere between 50% and 80% humidity is considered safe, and placing a pan of water in your storage area can improve conditions. Conversely, extremely damp conditions can promote mold. This won’t affect a properly sealed wine, but can damage the labels. A dehumidifier can fix that.
Storing sideways
Traditionally, bottles have been stored on their sides in order to keep the liquid up against the cork, which theoretically should keep the cork from drying out. If you’re planning on drinking these bottles in the near- to mid-term, or if the bottles have alternative closures (screwcaps, glass or plastic corks), this is not necessary. We will say this, however: Horizontal racking is a space-efficient way to store your bottles, and it definitely can’t harm your wines.
Where should I keep my bottles?
If you don’t have a cool, not-too-damp basement that can double as a cellar, you can improvise with some simple racks in a safe place. Rule out your kitchen, laundry room or boiler room, where hot temperatures could affect your wines, and look for a location not directly in line with light pouring in from a window. You could also buy a small wine cooler and follow the same guidelines: If you keep your wine fridge in a cool place, it won’t have to work so hard, keeping your energy bill down.
Wine coolers are, at their most basic, standalone units designed to maintain a consistent temperature—sometimes one suitable for serving rather than long-term storage—whereas a wine cellar is a cabinet or an entire room that stores wine in optimal conditions for long-term aging: a consistent temperature (about 12° C), with humidity control and some way to keep the wine away from light and vibration.
Temperature and glassware can significantly affect a wine’s aromas and flavors, as can the practice of decanting.
Temperature
The serving temperature should be just right. Otherwise, if too hot, the wine’s alcohol will be emphasized, leaving it flat and flabby. If too cold, the aromas and flavors will be muted and, for reds, the tannins may seem harsh and astringent. Too often, white wines are served straight out of a fridge while reds are opened at a toasty room temperature, neither of which is ideal. What’s “just right” for you is a matter of individual taste, but here are some general guidelines:
- Light dry white wines and white dessert wines: Serve ideally 6° to 10° C to preserve their freshness and fruitiness.
- Full-bodied white wines: Serve at 7° to 12° C.
- Light-bodied red wines are served ideally at between 12° to 14° C. Hint: Put the bottle in the fridge 30 minutes before opening.
- Medium-bodied red wines are served ideally at between 12° to 16° C. Hint: Put the bottle in the fridge 30 minutes before opening.
- Full-bodied red wines: Serve ideally at 15° to 18° C—cooler than most room temperatures and warmer than ideal cellaring temperatures.
- Cava and sparkling wines are served ideally at between 5° to 9° C.
- Rosé wines are served ideally at between 10° to 12,5° C. Sparkling rosé wines ideally at between 5° to 7° C.
- Fortified Spanish wines: Specifically Fino and Manzanilla wines serves at 6° to 8° C. The rest of fortified wines serve best at 12° to 15° C
- Sweet wines: Serve ideally at 8° C.
Tips
If your wines have been sitting out at room temperature, it can take an hour or two in a fridge to chill a white or bubbly down to the right temperature, and there’s no harm in placing a too-warm red inside the fridge for a little while too.
On the other hand, a red pulled from a cellar, cooler or fridge may need up to a half-hour sitting out at room temperature.
Need a quick fix? If the wine is too warm, immerse it in a mix of ice and cold water—this chills a bottle more quickly than ice alone because more of the glass is in contact with the cold source. This may take about 10 minutes for a red and up to 30 minutes for a sparkling wine. You can even stick a bottle in the freezer for 15 minutes. (Don't forget it, though, or the wine may freeze and push the cork out!)
If the wine is too cold, decant it into a container rinsed in hot water or immerse it briefly in a bucket of warm water—but don’t try anything with high heat. If the wine is only a little cold, just pour it into glasses and cup your hands around the bowl to warm it up.
Keep in mind that a wine served cool will warm up in the glass, while a wine served warm will only get warmer. It’s always better to start out a little lower than the target temperature.
If the wine doesn’t have any flavor, try warming it up. (Common if you store your reds in the fridge)
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Maresme of Barcelona, Spain
At this moment we do not have any retail store open to the public. Our building’s location consists of an office and a shipping warehouse.
Yes, see complete list of countries where we currently ship here.
We primarily serve private individuals, but we are open to discuss business accounts in a case by case basis. Please send us email with your requests and we will see if we could accommodate: [email protected]