Considered to be one of Spain’s most impressive temples of wine, the cellar in Atrio, a hotel and restaurant managed by partners Toño Pérez and José Polo, stores on their silent shelves around 35,000 bottles and 3,600 selections from across the world.
The who’s who of wine is here: Pétrus, Haut-Brion, Mouton-Rothschild, Romanée Conti, Vega Sicilia and the famous vertical of Château d’Yquem, with 80 vintages going back to 1806. This bottle is historic not only for being the world’s oldest from a château but because it fell and broke when it was being handled in Atrio; after what must have felt a never-ending trip to Sauternes, the liquid was recovered at the French winery. Nowadays it rests in the new bottle —with glass pearls in substitution of the lost wine— which was recorded in 2001. Its selling price? €310,000.
As well as the great names and some legendary verticals, Atrio has a wide variety of selections from the main wine regions of the world, a commendable feat given that the restaurant is in Cáceres, a small city in Extremadura far away from any major urban areas. French wines are the most numerous followed by Spain —the most popular country among diners, according to Diego Echegaray, one of the sommeliers who works there under the direction of José Luis Paniagua.
Familiarising oneself with all these wines must have taken some time to the young Argentine, who is part of a team of very friendly professionals, usually more than what is standard at this type of establishments.
There isn’t a wine list as such in Atrio; instead the restaurant uses an elegant hardcover book with 300 pages full of wines classified according to their country, area, producer and vintage which can be dowloaded on the restaurant’s website. Each section is preceded by a clear, concise introduction to the region plus photos charting the restoration of the building which nowadays hosts a five-star hotel and restaurant in Cáceres’ old town.
The cuisine, led by Toño Pérez, combines creativity of flavors and textures with a nod to tradition and local produce from Extremadura and is presented in two options: the traditional menu, with 11 dishes charting the history of Atrio (€149 plus drinks) and the 14-dish tasting menu which changes every year and captures the innovative cuisine of this restaurant with two Michelin stars (€149 plus drinks).
For anyone who feels overwhelmed when it comes to choosing a wine among such a vast array of amazing selections, Atrio offers four pairings with prices ranging from €66 to the “Prestige” matching with six wines for €885. Y.O.A.
