January 2025

Online registrations open today for the 120 couples that will compete in the tasting that will take place on 23/03/2025 at the Casino de Madrid. Places will run out fast!

The International Culinary School Foundation of Valladolid has invited Pedro Ballesteros MW to deliver a lecture entitled Terroirs and Lands: The Origins of Identity. During the session he will explore the classical concept of terroirs, which determines the legal concepts of appellations and how it differs from the real concepts, namely those of wine.

The Sommelier Association of Navarra starts the year with a tasting of dry Rieslings from Germany conducted by importer, distributor and expert Fritz Michael Wohr, of Vins Alemanys.

Finca Parera is a family business born from four generations dedicated to agriculture. With 21 hectares of vineyards, its focus is the production of organic and biodynamic wines, combining tradition and innovation in the Alt Penedès region. Rubén Parera, a member of the current generation, will present the estate's range of wines.

The following wines will be presented: Cims de Porrera Les Sentius d'en Joan Bta. Domènech 2007 Sot Lefriec Blanc 2021 Franchetti 2019 T-Oinos Clos Stegasta Asyrtiko Blanc 2022 Tenuta di Trinoro Le Cupole 2021 Tenute Soletta Kýanos Isola dei Nuraghi 2021 Clos des Fées Vieilles Vignes Blanc 2023 Celler del Roure Maduresa 2021

The following wines will be presented at the tasting: Les Sorts Blanc 2022 Alfredo Arribas Tros Blanc Saleres 2017 Companyia Vitícola Sileo Esporreres 2020 Vinyes Domènech Teixar 2019 Espectacle 2018 Venus La Universal 2005 Ètim Verema Tardana Blanca 2021

Coinciding with the Feast of San Antón, Getaria presents the new vintage of Getariako Txakolina with the presence of 24 wineries of the appellation, among them Basalore, Aitaren, Ameztoi, Talai Berri, Gaintza, Hika, K5 or Zudugarai.

The aim: to discover how the same variety can offer different styles depending on the area where it is grown. The wines: La Legua Selección Familiar (Cigales), Sendero del Pino (Segovia), Dominio del Soto Crianza (Ribera del Duero), La Viña de Amaya (Toro), Quinta de Quercus (Uclés) and Angelita del Challao (Rioja).

In its 25-year anniversary, the Association of Friends of the Vine and Wine presents its first Burgundy vertical. This is a 0.77 ha plot located in the south of Nuits St Georges, on very chalky soil. Tasters will be able to sample vintages 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2020. A unique opportunity to appreciate the influence of the vintage and with sufficient maturity for the terroir to express itself clearly.

The second edition of the natural wine fair La Gracia is held in Murcia with more than 100 wines from producers such as Finca Parera, Lucy Chilvers, Verónica Romero, La Del Terreno, Bodega Tinaha, Balcona or Urkizahar, among others. There will also be a foodtruck with local food, and according to the organisers, "plenty of good people and good vibes."

Wine distributor L'Emporium presents this first wine show with more than 30 Italian wineries and their producers, including Olek Bondonio, F. Principiano, Bertani, Antonutti, Monte Bernardi, Col d'Ocia, Mastroberardino, San Marzano, Marabino and Monteleone.

Wine Up! brings together some of the must-try wines of Castilla-la Mancha with the presence of more than 50 wineries and a chance to taste their wines. The opening of the event will be hosted by Ferrán Centelles. There will also be an exhibition area with over 10 producers from the region.

Este salón profesional, que nació para apoyar la labor de los "hacedores de vinos auténticos, que fomentan los valores de singularidad y diversidad", celebra su 10ª edición con la presencia de una treintena de productores de toda España y sus vinos.

Tasting of six biologically aged wines which form part of the collection M. Ant. De La Riva from different growers in the Sherry Triangle.

Wine distributor L'Emporium presents its first wine show in Spain with more than 30 Italian wineries and their producers, including Olek Bondonio, F. Principiano, Bertani, Antonutti, Monte Bernardi, Col d'Ocia, Mastroberardino, San Marzano, Marabino and Monteleone.

A tasting led by the winemaking consultant Luis Lopes, who has projects in Spain and Portugal, as well as his own Moreish brand. Eleven wines from, among others, Antonio Madeira, Quinta das Marias, Palacio Quemado, Dominio de Açor and Moreish will be tasted.

Discover the wines of Galicia, where the Atlantic leaves its mark on every sip. From fresh Albariños to reds with character, this tasting will take you through a region rich in tradition and flavours accompanied by a dinner with Coalla products.

Wine expert Juancho Asenjo reviews the history, main appellations, geographical location, climate, soil and terroir types, grape varieties and more in this seminar on South Africa where a whopping 26 wines will be tasted.

Guillermina Sánchez, one of Spain's most renowned cheese experts, selects cheeses from different Spanish regions, from Murcia to Galicia, as well as one from Portugal, that will be paired with wines from Spain, Portugal and South Africa.

Seven exciting wines made in different parts of Europe by producers who are set on expressing the power of the landscape. These are the wines at the tasting: Niepoort Drink Me Nat Cool Branco 2023 (DOC Bairrada) Domaine de l'Ecu Orthogneiss 2022 (Loire) Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken 2021 (Nahe VDP) Domaine Henri Magnien Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru La Coutière 2020 (AOC Bourgogne) Domaine Georges Vernay Saint-Joseph Terres d'Encre 2021 (AOC Saint Joseph, Rhône) Clos des Fées Vieilles Vignes 2020 (AOC Languedoc-Roussillon) Niepoort Robustus 2019 (DOC Douro)

Author and wine expert Lluís Tolosa has been invited by La Baula, an independent cultural project to improve the offer of Catalan wines in restaurants, to present a tasting of five Catalan varieties -Picapoll, Garnatxa blanca, Trepat, Sumoll and Garnatxa negra. The tasting will be followed by a dinner with slow food products.

In areas with an Atlantic influence, elegant, fresh and complex wines are made from vineyards that struggle to ripen their grapes. This tasting includes wines from the Canary Islands, Galicia and Portugal in different styles, connected by the climate: Adega Damm Cardia Brancellao Caiño Mencía 2019 Dominio do Bibei 2018 Burbullas das Bateas Extra Brut 2015 Eulogio Pomares Uva Entera Caiño Tinto 2022 Niepoort Charme 2016 Artífice José Rodríguez 2018

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, El Buen Gusto Vinos is holding a tasting of Carmelo Rodero wines (Ribera del Duero), with the following references: Carmelo Rodero 2023; Carmelo Rodero Crianza 2022; Raza 2021; Pago de Valtarreña 2021 and TSM 2021 Snacks will be served after the tasting.

Wine tasting of rare grape varieties from Castilla y León - Juan García, Albillo Mayor, Prieto Picudo, Garnacha Tintorera, Mencía de León, Doña Blanca and Moravia Agria - by sommelier Diego González, from Tiempos Líquidos in Burgos. After the tasting, a dinner will be held at an extra cost of €30.

The Wine Edition is the wine section of the professional trade fair Madrid Fusión. There will be three days of guided tastings and presentations on topics such as volcanic wines, pairing with natural wines, wine bars in Helsinki, young producers, wines with international ratings and awards, and whites destined for ageing. Among those taking part are well-known names from the national and international wine scene such as Sarah Jeans Evans MW, Raúl Pérez, Rafael Palacios, Ismael Álvarez, Tao Platón, Beth Willard, Mohamed Benabdallah and Jonatan García Lima.

The Unión Española de Catadores has invited Pedro Ballesteros MW to present a tasting of the wines of the Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde and the Wild Islands), all of them connected by their Atlantic and volcanic nature.

A tasting to take the pulse of the new Northern Rhône and, in particular, of the Saint-Joseph appellation.

Tasting of Garnacha wines from different origins followed by a snack dinner with Coalla products.

The topic of the fourth edition of #WineCom is "The challenges of wine communication" and is structured in four different blocks: New consumer trends, Communicating health and wellbeing through wine, Artificial Intelligence applied to communication and Communicating in times of influencers. Speakers include producer Álvaro Palacios, sommelier Ferran Centelles, Juan Park Director IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, the scientific coordinator of the Wine Information Council Úrsula G. Fradera and AI experts Pablo Escobedo and Xabier Iglesias.

Tasting of white wines from the Rhône, from both the north and south of the river, which stand out for their powerful mouthfeel and their ability to express minerality. The following references will be tasted: Gramenon Côtes du Rhone La vie on y est 2023 Jamet Côtes du Rhone 2023 Tardieu-Laurent Saint Peray Vieilles Vignes 2023 Hervé Souhaut Saint Joseph L'Etrati 2022 Paul JAboulet Ainé Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Roure 2021 Tardieu-Laurent Hermitage 2022 Clusel Roche Condrieu Verchery 2022 Georges Vernay Condrieu Coteaux de Vernon 2017 Rotem & Mounir Souma Châteauneuf du Pape Arioso 2020

Wine shop La Mercería resumes its tastings in 2025 with this first one on Pinot Noirs of the world with 10 selections: Manuel Olivier Hauts Cotes de Nuits 2022 (Burgundy), Rasova Sur Mer 2020 (Romania), Thaya Apri 2022 (Czech Republic), Chateau Cristi 2019 (Moldova), Melanie Pfister Rahn 2021 (Alsace), Crystallum Peter Max 2022 (South Africa), Tara 2020 (Chile), Criatura 2004 (Spain), Cristom Mt Jefferson 2021 (Oregon) and Palliser Estate 2022 (New Zealand).