Wine geeks will undoubtedly feel at home here given La Tintorería’s focus on small producers like Raúl Pérez, David Sampedro, Rodrigo Méndez or Marc Isart.
The shop, located in the upmarket Salamanca district of Madrid, stocks the most obscure grape varieties, the coolest wine ventures and the works of up-and-coming young winemakers but also some tried and trusted brands to cater for less adventurous clients.
Their offerings go beyond Spain, with an excellent selection of foreign brands including interesting Burgundies and Champagnes among other European regions. Tastings, held on a regular basis at the shop and published on their website, often give punters the chance to try hard-to-find wines either because of their rarity or their limited production.
La Tintorería is the result of the collaboration between respected importer and distributor Alma Vinos Únicos and three wine-mad friends —Flequi Berruti, César Ruiz and Nacho Jiménez, who trained in wine stores like Lavinia. Their passionate advice and knowledge about any of the wines on sale will surely please the most ardent wine geeks. The trio have also dabbled in winemaking —Flequi makes Garnacha in Méntrida while César produce wine in the beautifully rugged Sierra de Salamanca appellation in Castilla y León and Nacho has a project with other friends in Rioja.
La Tintorería’s first shop used to be a dry cleaning business, which explains its peculiar name (it means dry cleaner in Spanish). Although the business later moved to a more central location, the name stuck and continues to this day. A.C.
