How many wines can you taste in a day? Although we didn\'t count, last Monday was certainly one of the most intense tasting days of the year. As it\'s been the case in recent years, both the gigantic Guía Peñín\'s Best Wines show and the more informal Off the Record, with more than 50 producers, took place simultaneously in Madrid.
We started with Off the Record in the morning and dedicated the afternoon to Peñín. SWL was not alone in doubling its presence; we saw other experts and producers such as Bodegas Frontonio, Gramona and Muchada Léclapart juggling both events. In Peñín, Artadi decided not to serve his garnachas from Artazu in Navarra, as they were already present at Off the Record.
Admittedly, professionals can also attend the Guía Peñín show on Tuesday morning, but the whole of Monday at Off the Record feels like too little time to have a good look around. With these opening times (Off from 11:00 to 19:00; Peñín from 12:00 to 20:00), it makes sense to start the day at Off the Record.
Both tastings are an excellent opportunity to try new wines or find out about new vintages from favourite producers, so our hearts were very much divided. There was even a poll on IG asking people whether they preferred Peñín, Off the Record, both or neither.
Could Off the Record be held on a Tuesday, or perhaps Salón Peñín be extended to two full days? Or maybe bring the opening time forward to 10am to allow more time for tasting? Another very frustrating thing is that many producers run out of wine long before closing time.
Over the next few days we plan to write about some of the discoveries and favourite wines we tasted. Today we just wanted to share our little quibbles with the ON/OFF experience.
Author
Amaya Cervera
A wine journalist with almost 30 years' experience, she is the founder of the award-winning Spanish Wine Lover website. In 2023, she won the National Gastronomy Award for Gastronomic Communication
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