October is one of the best months to visit vineyards. The harvest is over in many southern regions but it is in full swing in Rioja, Ribera del Duero and other northern areas, where the green colours of the vines turn to red and ocres tones. Harvest festivals are coming to an end and wine showrooms and tastings multiply ahead of the impending Christmas. Spanish Wine Lover lists the most interesting activities for #winelovers held in Spain throughout October.

2 October. Lavinia (Ortega y Gasset, 16 Madrid) has organized a Rioja wine tasting with the presence of wine producers from  the region. Details of which wineries will attend have not yet been published so keep your eyes peeled on the retailer’s website. Price: €10 Time: 19:00 

3 October. Sherry’s Regulatory Body has revamped its tasting room in the institution’s headquarters in Jerez (Avda. Alvaro Domecq, 2). The new space will host a tasting of Urium wines (Fino en Rama, Amontillado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado VORS and Pedro Ximénez VORS) conducted by César Saldaña, director of the Appellation’s Body, and Alonso Ruiz, owner of the winery. Price: €12  Time: 12:00 - 14:00 Information and bookings on +34 956 332 050

3-4 October. Sitges' Harvest Festival is a fiesta with a long tradition. This year there will a chance to try wines from over twenty wineries based in DO Penedès and in nearby Garraf, a traditional wine pressing and a grape treading competition. Price: €7 for three wines plus the glass. Time: 12:00 - 22:00

3, 10, 11, 17 and 24 October. Coinciding with the harvest, Legaris organizes a tasting of four wines with tapas to enjoy the sunset at the terrace of this Ribera del Duero’s winery with a view of the vineyards and the Peñafiel castle. Price: €18 Time: 18:30 Bookings on +34 983 878 088

5 October. As well as many food-related activities for the trade, San Sebastián Gastronomika holds Wine&Win, a wine tasting competition in pairs. Aimed both at professionals and wine enthusiasts, the contest includes a semifinal and a final where participants answers questions and taste a few wines blind. The winning couple will take home €2,000 Time: 10:00 (semifinal) and 17:45 (final) Price: €50 per couple with discounts on the Wine Sessions talks.

8 October. Enoteca Barolo in Madrid organizes a sushi and wine dinner led by expert Naumi Uemura. Different types of fish rich in oil will be served along with six wines from Rioja, Navarra, the Canary Islands as well as Champagne and Uruguay. Price: €40 Time: 20:30 Bookings on +34 91 745 1927

9 October. Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona organizes a tasting of six Gran Reserva Cavas paired with six products sold at the market. The wines belong to some well-known wineries like Recaredo, Agustín Torelló Mata, Segura Viudas, Freixenet, Juve y Camps and Giró Ribot. Time: 19:00 Price: €27

10 October. Alta Alella, in the province of Barcelona, has planned a relaxed, offbeat activity with a yoga workshop in the terrace of its winery, located in Serralada de la Marina Natural Park, with views of the vineyard and the sea. After the session, attendants will walk along the organic vines and will taste wines without added sulfites made at the winery. Time: 09:00 Price: €25 Bookings on +34 628 624 182

10 October. Rioja winery Valenciso, located in Ollauri, organizes a tasting of international wines from friends' wineries which practice sustainable viticulture in other regions in Spain, France, Italy or Chile. The wines on taste are easy to drink and are made with Sauvignon Blanc, Garnacha Blanca, Vermentino, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bobal, Garnacha and Syrah. Free event. Time: 12:00

14 October. Wine and culture centre Vide Vide in Santiago de Compostela (Rúa da Fonte de Santo Antonio, 10) has organized, along with the first St James' Pilgrimage Forum, a journey along the Portuguese Route, in parallel with the Atlantic Ocean, and tasting the following wines and cheeses from Portugal and Galicia: Porto Niepoort Dry White and Acehúche cabra; Fossil 2012 Vale da Capucha Lisboa and Torta Serra da Estrela; As Bateas 2012 Albariño Sanxenxo and Prestes azul; Moinho do Gato 2012 Douro and Touza Vella semicurado cabra; Goliardo Caíño 2013 Rodrigo Méndez DO Rías Baixas and Capricho da Chaira Prestes. Bookings on +34 981 582911. Price: €25 Time: 20:30

15 October. Colleiteiros are small vignerons based in Galicia who by law cannot produce more than 60,000 litres of wine per year. Their role has been key in boosting and consolidating a local white variety treixadura. To learn more about this Galician grape sommelier Luis García de la Navarra will lead a tasting at the Unión Española de Catadores with wines which  “express the potential” of this variety. The list of wines has not been released. Price: €35 for the general public (Discount for members) Time: 19:00

16 October. Vinoteca Belostikale (Belostikale, 8) in Bilbao has organized a tasting of wines by Altolandón, a winery in Manchuela working with organic vines at high altitude. The following wines will be served: Altolandon 2010 Chardonnay; Altolandon 2014 Moscatel; Irrepetible 2013 Bobal; Rayuelo 2012 Bobal, Malbec; L-ame Malbec 2011; Malbec CF and Altolandon 2012 Cabernet franc. Price: €20 Time: 19:30 - 21:30

16 October. The Arms Room at La Ciudadela fortress in Pamplona holds La Noche del Vino, a wine tasting event aimed at making wine more popular among the young with wines from 40 producers in the DO Navarra. The theme this year will be the city of Berlin with live music and artist exhibitions. Price: €15 which include four wines and four pintxos prepared by Reyno Gourmet. Time: 21:00

18 October. The town of Balmaseda in the Basque province of Bizkaia launches the first Bizkaiko Txakolina Harvest Festival. There will be 16 txakoli wineries at the event, including Axpe, Bizkaibarne, Galdames, Itsasmendi or Ulibarri, which will hold individual tastings of their wines (€1  per session). The rest of the producers' txakolis will also be available for tasting after purchasing a glass and tickets (€1 per ticket). Information and inscriptions on +34 946 802976

19 October. Vino Vintage Santander, a specialist retailer dealing with old vintages, has planned a lunch at restaurant Anna in Santander (Paseo Menéndez Pelayo, 49) which will be paired with old wines such as Tondonia Gran Reserva 1934 or Murrieta Blanco Reserva 1948, among other surprises. Price: €45 (Yes, you’ve read well; it’s an absolute bargain!) Time: 14:30 Booking is necessary on +34 600 443 717

22 October. Veteran sommelier Custodio Zamarra presents at Bodegas Santa Cecilia in Madrid (Blasco de Garay, 74) a demo to show how wines behave depending on the type of glass they are served. Three organic wines from Terra Remota (DO Empordà) will be put to the test with three Riedel glasses. Price: €20 Time: 19:00-20:30 

23 October. Granite or slate? It’s the classic debate among wine nerds who discuss which of these two types of soils producer better wines. For some, the power of slate wins  over while others value the finesse of granite. The owners of Tiza y Flor (César Elguezábal, 31) in Alicante put them to the test with wines made on these two types of soils. Price: €30 Time: 20:00 Information and bookings on +34 965 142 003

24 de octubre. Sant Joan Despí, a town near Barcelona, holds its 16th Wine, Cava and Craft Beer Fair with a chance to taste wines from several  Catalan regions such as Can Ràfols dels Caus (Penedès), Bàrbara Forés (Terra Alta), Celler de Capçanes (Montsant) or Terra de Verema (Priorat) among others. Time: 10:00-23:00 Price: Five tickets and a glass: €10

26 October. Vila Viniteca (Agullers 7, Barcelona) presents a tasting of great PX by Pedro Albalá, one of the leading wineries in Montilla-Moriles, led by winemaker Manuel M. López Alejandre and Pilar Bujalance, marketing director at the Córdoba winery. The following wines —some of them very hard to find— will be tasted: Fino Eléctrico El Lagar; Amontillado Marqués de Poley 1951; Selección Don PX 1955 Convento (98 Parker Points); Selección Don PX 1965 and Selección Don PX 1946 Selección. Price: €49 Time: 20:00-22:00

26 October. This year Experiencia Verema in the Basque Country travels to Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao (Avda. Abandoibarra, 4) where over 60 producers will present their wines. There will be two led tastings, one with Abadía Retuerta and another one with wines from Galicia. Inscription is free but compulsory. Time: 12:00 - 21:00

26 October. Producers, sommeliers, journalists, distributors and the general public will have a chance to take part in the 7th Salón Vinoro at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid with wines which have received awards in several Spanish competitions. For the first year, there will be wineries from other European countries. Time: 12:00 - 21:00 Tickets can be purchased on the event’s website.

27 October. Julio Sáenz, winemaker at La Rioja Alta, leads a vertical tasting at Monvínic (Diputació 249, Barcelona) of La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904, in a journey through the best vintages in the past 40 years of one of the legendary wines in Rioja. The following vintages will be tasted: 1982, 1985, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2005 Price: €75 Time: 20:00. Bookings on +34 932 726 187

27 October. Bodega Urbana in Bilbao (Gran Vía, 66) holds a cheese and wine tasting led by winemaker Ana Martín. Cheeses come from Gipuzkoa, Girona, Valladolid and Albacete and will be matched with the following wines: Godello 2014 by Bodega Urbana; Pinot Noir 2013 by Oliver Conti (DO Empordà); Carmelo Rodero 2011 (Ribera del Duero); Caliza 2011 Dominio de Valdepusa and Quinta del Infantado Oporto Reserva Especial. Time: 20:00 Price: €35 Book your seat on +34 944 416 181

28 October. Organic wines and chocolates will be paired at Barcelona Food Makers (Passeig de Sant Joan, 13) in a tasting led by Joan Ayra, sommelier at Marco Abella (DOQ Priorat), and journalist Nerea Prieto, from El mundo del chocolate. Four bean to bar chocolates from Ecuador, Venezuela and Madagascar will be tasted. They are made by small Parisian retailer Ara Chocolat, winner at the International Chocolate Awards with its Criollo Porcelana tablet, which will be tasted. The following wines will be paired with the chocolates: Clos Abella, Mas Mallola, Loidana and Òlbia. Time: 19:30 Price: €20 Further information and bookings on +34 609 45 37 58 

29 October. Over 200 producers will attend the 16th Fair of Spain's Top Wines, organized by Guía Peñín at Palacio Municipal de Congresos in Madrid (Campo de las Naciones). It's a chance to literally taste your way around some of Spain’s top wines (those with 93 points or more in Peñín's Guide) and meet some of the people behind the wines as well. Although the event is meant for the trade, wine aficionados will be allowed in the premises from 17:00. Price: €60

29 October. Sala Espai Penedès in Barcelona (Muntaner, 21) organizes a round-the-world trip with six wines from different regions in the planet: La Masia Blanc, a Pinot Noir by Marimar State (California), Cordillera Carmenere by Bodegas Torres (Valle de Curicó); 4 xarel·los by Mas Candí (Penedès) and three wines from France, South Africa and Germany which will be revealed at the tasting. Price: €19 Time: 20:00

29 October - 1 November. The second edition of Cine&Vino at Valladolid's Seminci Film Festival includes several activities which link cinema and wine such as the chance to watch the films Jerez y el Misterio del Palo Cortado, Barolo Boys and Vinodentro. The festival  will also host a tasting of 100 wines from Toro, Rueda, Cigales and Ribera, live music concerts, a wine cocktail workshop and the Cinema and Wine Grand Gala with a debate about the way wine has been portrayed in films. Three-day pass: €30 Daily tickets: €10 Time: 17:00-00:00 

30 October - 1 November. The town of Gandesa, in Catalonia's Terra Alta, celebrates its 28th Wine Festival with a calendar of activities which includes a shorwroom with wines from 28 DO Terra Alta producers such as Edetària, Celler Piñol, Vins del Tros or 7 Magnifics, among others; and Garnacha Blanca Night, with 40 wines paired with tapas prepared by restaurant Villa Retiro de Xerta (1 Michelin star). Live music is also on the menu as well as a popular dinner with clotxa, a traditional meal prepared by local farmers. Guided tours of the area's wineries will also be available throughout the weekend. Price: €10 which includes five tastings and a Riedel glass. Check the programme for a full list of activities and prices.

Do you know of any interesting wine events which are not on this list? Are you a restaurateur or retailer who organises tastings or wine events for the general public? Send us your calendar for free to info@spanishwinelover.com