Wine tastings and events in August 2020

August is normally a quiet month when it comes to wine tastings and events.This year, the Covid-19 has slowed down the activity even more, but there are still interesting destinations to go to, such as Sanlúcar de Barrameda with the tastings der Guerrita -a classic summer event, regardless of the virus-, the wine sessions of Muchada-Léclapart club and Rioja, where Valenciso in Ollauri and several wineries in Labastida organize activities for anyone wishing to enjoy wine culture in the open air. 

All hours are CET. As usual, we will update the agenda frequently.

Several dates in August. Like every year, La Taberna der Guerrita in Sanlúcar de Barrameda holds a variety of summer tastings with the presence of Spanish wine personalities. This year, numbers are limited to 15 people and some sessions, such as the one with Montse Molina (Barbadillo), will be held in the facilities of their respective wineries. This is the remaining calendar for August: Juanma Terceño of González Byass (1st), Rafael Palacios and his vertical of As Sortes (7th), Reyes González Rubio of Romate (8th), Pepe Ferrer and palo cortado (14th), Montse Molina (15th), Armando Guerra and his Contubernio club (28th) and Dani Corman and champagne (29th). For further information, please visit info@lasacristia.es. Price per tasting: €60

5 August onwards. The DO Ribera del Duero has launched Cita con Ribera, a series of interviews on Instagram (@RiberaDelDuero) to present the trajectories and projects of the bodegas which form part of the appellation. Vega Sicilia, Bodegas Carramimbre and Bodegas Briego will premiere the series on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, respectively. Starting on the week of the 10th, the series will be broadcast weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:00.

Several dates in August. In the summer, Valenciso in Rioja organises various activities in its winery. This year they continue to do so, but everything will be in the open air and with limited capacity. The calendar starts with outdoor yoga in the vineyard (day 6), a guided tour of Ollauri with Mercedes Pascual and a night tour of Valenciso with Luis Valentín and Carmen Enciso (day 14), live painting by José Uriszar (day 20) and a trip to the vineyard and presentation of the new Valenciso Graciano 2017 (day 27). In addition, every Friday in August visitors will have the chance to taste the Valenciso range of wines on its terrace overlooking the vineyards. More information and reservations on 941 304 724

8 August. Sommelier Sonia Molero of Uvepositivo and Cadenote Yacht organise unique wine-tasting sessions that combine wine and sailing in the Ría de Sada, in A Coruña. During the four-hour trip, four Atlantic wines made by Galician producers will be tasted while enjoying a meal with local products. Time: 16:00 Price: €90/person (max. 8 pax). Information and reservations by phone +34 981 619100

Saturdays in August. EDV winery (Margaride de Por) in Ribeira Sacra arranges visits to the winery and nightly tastings every Saturday in August. Time: 22:00-01:00 Price: €20  Booking by phone on +34 650983654

Weekends in August. The monks who lived in the Monastery of Sant Benet, in the north of Barcelona province, had a long wine-producing tradition. Now, in partnership with the DO Pla de Bages, they are inviting the world to rediscover the monastery and its winemaking past. The visit ends with a tasting of wines made by the wineries of the appellation. Check the timetable and make a reservation by calling +34 93 875 94 01 or writing to info@monstbenet.com. Price: €15 adult - €7 child

Videos and podcasts

Agustín Santolaya from Bodegas Roda in the Haro Station District in Rioja, publishes a daily video explaining vineyard tasks. The entire series is available on the winery's YouTube channel.

For anyone interested in viticulture, the La Filoxera team, which includes journalist Irene Guede, viticulture specialist Julián Palacios and researcher and director of viticulture at the Public University of Navarra Gonzaga Santesteban, publish a monthly video podcast focusing on this fundamental aspect of vine growing but in a very relaxed tone. The videos are available on their YouTube channel but can also be listened to on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcast or ivoox.

Bodegas Gramona and its team of sommeliers are available to anyone interested in learning more about sparkling wines, long aging or biodynamics through #cataconmigo, an online personalized service via Zoom. If you want to know more or take part in a session, send an email to contact@gramona.com

Every Friday, Marimar Torres and her daughter Cristina present from California a traditional recipe sourced from Marimar's cooking books and paired with some of the family's wines. The show cookings can be watched on the Marimar Estate Facebook page. 

Free content

Guía Peñín has launched its first Vermouth Guide with over 380 brands from Spain, Italy, France and Germany, all of them available in Spain. You can download it for free on this link. Additionally, the members of the Guide's tasting panel publish weekly videos on their IG account @guiapenin in which they discuss varieties, styles of wine and wine vocabulary.

Magazine MiVino also offers free access to its archive and contents. Click on this link to read them.

Sequel to Albariño Rías Baixas: from tradition to the world, this documentary by Eva Parga Dans and Pablo Alonso Gonzalez called The Awakening of Wine in Galicia: the return to terroir tells the reawakening of wine culture and tradition in the Galician regions of Monterrei and Ribeira Sacra. Featuring wine producers like José Luis Mateo, Eulogio Pomares and the Envínate team, critics like Luis Gutiérrez of The Wine Advocate and restaurant owners like Miguel Anxo Besada of cult wine bar A Curva or wine store owners like Diego Vecino of Viños Vivos in Santiago de Compostela, the documentary is shot in Spanish and Galician and has subtitles in English.

Another documentary that is free to watch online is (R)evolution Champenoise, an interesting promenade along the vineyards of Champagne with some of the  top growers in the region. It was filmed by Spanish distributor À la Volé and is available on this link. French language with subtitles in Spanish.

Draws and quizzes

For those who are studying the WSET advanced courses or simply want to improve their international wine culture, sommelier Agustín Trapero has launched #winequestionsathome, a series of multiple choice questions with four possible answers. They are published on weekdays on his Instagram Stories (@agustin_trapero). 

Historic producer Marqués de Murrieta hosts a quiz with questions about the Rioja producer and the world of wine in general. The quiz has nine levels and two lives and the winner will enjoy a tour of the winery and lunch for two people. Wine lovers can also do a virtual tour of the historical Castillo de Ygay cellar and sign up for free to an online tasting course via Murrieta Academy.

Do you know of any interesting wine events which are not on this list? Send us what you are doing at home to yolanda@spanishwinelover.com