"Being wine lovers and regular wine drinkers we are aware that other people like us may find great pleasure in tasting brands that are not mainstream”, says Delia Baeza, founder of this small wine store in Doctor Fourquet, a hidden and quiet street in the busy district of Lavapiés, a stone’s throw away from the Reina Sofía Art Museum.
Born in Madrid, Delia earned a B.A. in Business Administration but she later trained as a sommelier and established the wine store in 2008. Since she launched the business, her idea was to sell to restaurants and bring French wines to Spain. She sourced most of her foreign wines from Iñaki Gómez Legorburu, an agricultural engineer who quit his job at a Rioja winery to start his own wine distribution business. In 2011 they decided to join forces and become partners thus widening the wines on offer and working simultaneously as importers, distributors and retailers.
They remain in the central Lavapiés district, but they have moved from Dr. Fouquet to Amparo Street, where they have converted an old, traditional tavern into a cozy wine bar. Around 40 wines are sold by the glass as well as tapas and platters like goose rillettes or a fine selection of cheeses and charcuterie. All of them come with home-made sourdough bread.
Prices are very reasonable with wines by the glass ranging from €2.5 to €4.5. There is a wide selection, with national and international red and white wines almost equally represented. We recommend to explore the “special wines” section including Sherry, Port, Madeira and sweet and sparkling wines.
Mixing a casual atmosphere with the déco of an old Spanish tavern, La Fisna is perfect for both wine lovers and consumers who just want to enjoy good wines. The best is to rely on Delia’s and Iñaki’s advice, both of them always willing to discover new styles and wine regions to clients.
Clients can buy all the wines served at the bar and many others on the wine shop, at the back of the store. What sets La Fisna apart is that, with very few exceptions, most of their wines are exclusively sold there. The list includes fabulous Loira wines from François Chidane, Patrick Piuze’s Chablis and a fine selection of producers from areas such as Burgundy, Rhône or Champagne. In terms of Spanish wines, the focus is on small and unique producers like Charlotte Allen in Arribes de Duero, Rafa Bernabé’s Viñedos Culturales, Antonio Cajide’s Ribeiro or the rare jewels made by El Maestro Sierra in Jerez.
“If we find a really good wine, we add it to our portfolio, but we try to offer affordable prices”, says Delia. They are proud to sell French wines from €10 or Burgundy from €17 with premier crus form this region retailing at around €30.
Closed on Sundays A.C.
