Wine tastings in December 2018

Most wine events this month involve fizz, an unjustifiably seasonal style that drives consumption and sales in December. As well as bubbly, there is the odd festival or special event, like the tasting of VDP wines with Pedro Ballesteros MW which promises to be very interesting as the debate over the usefulness of DOs is a hot topic right now in Spain. Don’t forget to return to this page to check for updates!

2 December. Coinciding with the miners’ festivity, Santa Bàrbara, producers in Bellmunt and les Solanes del Molar, among them Mas d’en Gil, Costers del Priorat or Casa Gran del Siurana, present Tast de Santa Bàrbara, an annual fair where local producers show their wines in Bellmunt (Priorat). There will be a screening of the film Grand Cru (11:00) followed by the tasting (12:30). Time: 11:00 - 18:30

3 December. Champagne distributor A la Volé present in Vigo (Galicia) a tasting of six grower champagnes at Concesionario Ford-Galmotor Vigo. Entrance is free but booking is required by writing to this email address: pedrolopez@dos-setenta.com 

4 December. Wine store Vins i Licors Grau in Palafrugell (Girona) presents a tasting of wines with 100 Parker points conducted by Luis Gutiérrez. Booking is required on +34 972 301835. Time: 16:30 Price: €100

5-9 December. The Basque capital Vitoria hosts Ardoaraba, an annual wine tasting event with local txakoli and wines from Rioja Alavesa —plus guests DO Cava and Rías Baixas— paired with local pintxos at marquees dotted around the city centre. There will be tastings at some leading tourist attractions in town as well as shops and bars. In order to try the wines, visitors need to purchase a set of tickets (€15) which include a glass and can then be exchanged for wines and pintxos in the marquees and participant bars across town.

6 December. Fintan Kerr, aka Wine Cuentista, hosts “Fintan’s Fridge”, an eclectic mix of some top-end wines that he does every six months. This month's selection features Bodega Leirana Finca Genoveva Albariño 2016, Gini Soave Vechie Vigne 2014, Badenhorst Family Red Blend 2015, La Sena 2013, MdM Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2007 and Domaine Schoffit Sommerberg Riesling 2000. The tasting will take place at Maestrazgo (San Pere mes Baix, 92) in Barcelona. Time: 19:30-21:30 Price: €40

8 December. Wine store Belostikale in Bilbao (Belostikale, 8) hosts a tasting of wines from Coca i Fitó with the following: Tocat de L’ala blanc (DO Empordà), Jaspi blanc (DO Terra Alta), Tocat  de L’ala negre (DO Empordà), Jaspi negre (DO Montant), Samara (DOQ Priorat) and Tolo do Xisto (DO Ribeira Sacra). Snacks will be served after the tasting. Time: 19:00 Price: €20 Bookings on +34 946 793 851

10 December. Wine expert and communicator Juancho Asenjo will today be at Vinoteca La Laguna Gran Hotel (Tenerife) alongside sommelier Rasa Strankauskaite presenting a tasting of eight top-class wines sourced from the monasteries in Burgundy to Santiago de Compostela. Time: 19:00 Price: €50 Bookings on +34 650 818879

11 December. Food consultancy Tándem Gastronómico in Valencia presents a tasting of long ageing sparkling wines that will be conducted by sommelier Eva Pizarro and Toni Pérez, sommelier at Bodegas Gramona, one of the country’s leading producers of this style of bubbly. The tasting will take place at restaurant Fierro (Doctor Serrano, 4) in Valencia. Time: 19:00 Price: €35

11 December. Enoteca Barolo (Príncipe de Vergara, 211) in Madrid joins in the Christmas spirit with a tasting of vintage Champagnes made with Chardonnay and led by Juanma Ruiz Casado. The following wines will be at the tasting: Pascal Doquet Le Mesnil Sur Oger 2005, Legras Cuvée Saint-Vicent 2008, Doyard Clos Abbaye 2011, Bonville Millésime 2012, Gimonnet Cuvée Fleuron 2009 and Bonville Pur Avize 2012. Time: 20:30 Price: €45

12 December. Sharon Grundy, who runs The Spanish Wine School in Barcelona, hosts a tasting that she has named Festive Tipples of Europe and Wines for Celebrations, a one-off festive Special tasting some of the seasonal drinks enjoyed around Europe, discovering their origins, stories and sampling their finest examples. In terms of the wines, the selection includes some top sparkling bargains to the perfect wines for roast meats, not forgetting something to pair with the cheese board and dessert. Time: 19:00-21:00 Location: Transforma BCN, (Consell de Cent, 394) in Barcelona. Price: €45 per person.

13 December. María José López de Heredia, alma mater of the historic bodega in Haro, and Fernando Mora MW will pair seven wines of this great Rioja producer with the dishes prepared by Roberto Alfaro at restaurant Absinthium in Zaragoza (Coso, 11 - Hotel Oriente). Time: 21:00 Price: €120 Bookings on +34 876 707274 

13 December. After the sad news of the closure of Bodega Urbana in Bilbao (Gran Vía, 66), owners and winemakers Ana Martín and Pepe Hidalgo have planned for today a special tasting with friends to share five special bottles that they hold dear. They include old vintages, limited production magnums and international cuvées. Time: 19:00 Price: €20

13 December. Wine store El Gusto por El Vino in Santa Cruz de Tenerife presents at Recinto Ferial in Tenerife a tasting of wines with Rául Pérez, one of Spain's most prestigious winemakers. Time: 18:30 Price: €50

13 December. Jaume Pamies, WSET3 from Barcelona, hosts a tasting at Bodega Maestrazgo (Sant Pere mss Baix, 90) in English that will be focused on wines to drink around the Christmas period, including wines for the aperitif, for first courses, main courses and dessert. Time: 19:00 Price: €30 

13 December. Gourmet store Pesoneto (Alburquerque, 3) in Madrid presents a tasting of sparkling wines made by Raventós i Blanc and paired with Ibérico ham from Gabriel Castaño, Foie Gras from Pateria de Sousa and Caviar from Riofrío. Time: 20:30 Price: €40 Bookings on +34 91 805 8829

14 December. Wine store in Madrid Lavinia (Ortega y Gasset, 16) presents a masterclass of Château Talbot, a cru classé with over 100 hectares in Saint Julien in Bordeaux. The tasting will be fronted by Château Talbot co-owner Jean-Paul Bignon and will include the following wines: Sénéjac 2015, Caillou Blanc 2017, Connétable Talbot 2014, Connétable Talbot 2016, Talbot 2008, Talbot 2014 and Talbot 2015. Time: 18:30 Price: €55

15 December. Goñi Ardoteka in San Sebastián (Aldamar, 3) presents a new edition of their Wine Market, with the presence of 14 producers such as Bernabeleba, Recaredo, Rimarts, Los Aguilares, Cantayano, Abel Mendoza, Remírez de Ganuza, DSG Vineyards and Struggling Vines Mas La Mola, Gran Bazán, Mar de Frades, Torremilanos, Torralbenc and Champagne L'Excellence, as well as delicatessen products and good atmosphere. Opening hours: 10:30-14:00 and 17:00-19:30 Price: €5 including a Gabriel Glas glass.

15 December. As part of his winter tastings, sommelier Rafa Rodríguezhas invited Antonio Barbadillo who will lead a tasting with manzanilla and jerez wines, including some extinct wines and others from his Sacristía AB project. The tasting will be held at Castillo de Santiago in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Time: 19:30 Price: € 40 

16 December. Producer Alta Alella, on the outskirts of Barcelona, takes part for the fifth consecutive year in La Maratón de TV3 to raise funds for charity with a tasting of four cavas made in this organic winery. Time: 11:00 Price: €10 Call +34 628 624182 to take part.

19 December. Espai Penedès in Barcelona (Muntaner, 21) presents a paired tasting of Iberico hams and Penedès wines with different ageing times and styles. Time: 20:00 Price: €24

19 December. Dani Corman, owner of wine store Essencia in San Sebastián (General Etxague, 2) presents a Christmas special tasting with wines such as Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 2011, Champagne Jacques Selosse Les Carelles, Valdespino Moscatel Toneles and three blind bottles. A few bites to eat will be served during the tasting. Time: 19:00 Price: €90

19 December. Restaurant Los Cabezudos in Zaragoza (Antonio Agustín, 12-14) hosts for the eighth consecutive year a paired dinner with "the best champagnes in the world" with the following wines: Besserat de Bellefon Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, Amor de Deutz 2008, Cristal Louis Roederer 2007, Dom Perignon 2009, Jacques Selosse Initial, Bollinger RD 2004 and Krug. The tasting will be conducted by Fernando Mora MW and Guillermo Cruz, sommelier at Mugaritz. Time: 21:00 Price: €253 Bookings on +34 652954923

19 December. Appellation DO Uclés hosts in the Monastery of Santiago in Uclés (Cuenca) their fourth technical seminar with a very topical issue: "Opportunities to fight against climate change: energy, waste, water resources and innovation". The event is free and there is a bus service from Madrid, but inscription is necessary by calling this number: +34 652 148 531 Hours: 09:30-14:30

20 December. To round of a great year, the Unión Española de Catadores has invited Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros to present a tasting of German VDP wines, a hot topic at a time when the Denomination of Origin system is increasingly questioned as a true upholder of quality. The tasting will take place at Hotel Villareal in Madrid (Plaza de las Cortes, 10) Time: 19:00. Price: €60. Bookings on +34 914 293 477

20 December. Bodegas Bentomiz in Sayalonga (Málaga) hosts a gourmet dinner with music with a performance by poet, composer and musician Keith James, who will cover a broad range of work – songs from brilliant folk artists from Leonard Cohen to Cat Stephens – and some of his own compositions as well, based on his poetry and that of writers such as Federico García Lorca and William Blake. The evening dinner of five-courses will include wine pairing… or rather, the dishes are designed to match the wines Time: 20:00 Price: €65. To book email Rose at reservas@bodegasbentomiz.com or call +34 951 386 706.

20 December. Also in Málaga Vináliti tasting school (Salinas, 3) presents a tasting of Gutiérrez Colosía wines, one of the few family producers still making quality sherries in El Puerto de Santa María. Time: 21:00 Further information and bookings on +34 952 218906

21 December.  The Wine Drinkers, undoubtedly the most wine-savvy band in Spain with members such as Dani Landi (Comando G), Luis Gutiérrez (The Wine Advocate) or Pilar de Haya (Lavinia), invites other wine drinkers and lovers to their Wine Drinkers Christmas Party, held at We Rock in Madrid (José Abascal, 8). Time: 20:30 Price: €10 (includes ticket and a glass of wine)

22 December. Bodegas Franco-Españolas in Logroño (Cabo Noval, 2) presents the sixth edition of Fashion Day, with music, workshops with young designers, a wine and food bar and Wine Fashion Market, with 25 stands where designers will sell their creations. Free entrance. Time: 12:00-21:00