Wine tastings in January 2016

With Christmas celebrations left behind, austerity seems to be the order of the day in terms of wine tastings in Spain with only a few events scheduled for the time being. Please come back to this page for further updates —we will add new tastings throughout the month.

January and February. Santander restaurant El Serbal (1 Michelin star, Andrés del Río, 7) offers a €55 menu featuring seasonal dishes such as game and mushrooms paired with some old vintages from its cellars at cost prices like L’Ermita 1999 (€210), El Pisón 2005 (€120) or Krug Vintage 1996 (€160 ), among others. For further information and bookings, call +34 634 204358.

4 January. The revamped Abastos market in Vitoria opens a new tasting room with a cheese and wine pairing event run by Tycho, great connoisseur and owner of Corre 34 cheese store in the Basque city. Comté, Idiazabal, Appenzeller or Stilton among others will be paired with wines from various wine regions. Time: 5:30pm Price: €30

6 January. The arrival of The Three Wise Men —a festive day in Spain— coincides with the traditional opening for inscriptions for the Vila Viniteca Tasting Contest in Pairs at midnight. The contest, which will take place in Barcelona on April 24th, is open to worldwide trade professionals and wine aficionados with a fabulous €20,000 prize for the winners. Inscriptions cost €100 and must be done through Vila Viniteca online store on a first come first served basis.

14 January. Valladolid wine store Majuelos Singulares (San Ignacio, 9) presents a tasting with seven white wines from various regions and grape varieties: Viña Zorzal Chardonnay 2014 and Garnacha Blanca 2014 (DO Navarra), Finca La Emperatriz Viura 2014 (DOCa Rioja), The Flower and the Bee 2014 (DO Ribeiro), Erre de Herrero Verdejo 2014 (DO Rueda), Arcán Albariño (DO Rías Baixas) and Los Pedregales Godello 2015 (DO Bierzo). Time: 20:30 Price: €5 Bookings on  +34 983 370 974 /616 675 123

16 January.  Calvente is a producer based in the province of Granada, where it has around 20 hectares under vine at high altitude. The varieties found there are mostly Tempranillo, Moscatel as well as a few French grapes. Today they will be at Vinoteca Los Patios de Las Beatas in Málaga (Las Beatas, 43) to present five wines made with these grapes: Rania (Sparkling Moscatel), Calvente Blanco (dry Moscatel), Rosa-O (Petit Verdot Rosé), Guindalera 2010 and Castillejos 2010, two blends of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Merlot. The tasting will be followed by a paired menu. Time: 14:30 Price: €30 

16-17 January. The Castle of Santiago in Sanlúcar de Barrameda holds the Vine and Must sessions, which will be launched with a conference about the tradition and history of Sanlúcar must (with alcohol) led by wine producer Antonio Barbadillo Mateos, of Sacristía AB. There will also be round tables and tastings of musts from various vineyards as well as a must competition on Sunday January 17. All the activities, except for the paired dinner on Saturday, are free of charge. Further information on +34 651 356 032

18 January. Viñoteca Bagos in Pontevedra (Michelena, 20) presents a tasting of  Fedellos do Couto wines, a small project aimed at recovering vineyards on the imposing slopes of Ribeira Sacra, in northwestern Spain. Pablo Soldavini, one of the men in charge of the winery and vineyards, will present their trio of wines Cortezada, Lomba dos Ares and Bastarda. Time: 21:00 Price: €20 Bookings on  +34 986 852 460 

20 January. Espai Penedès (Muntaner, 21) in Barcelona holds a tasting of wines paired with asparagus and artichokes, two seasonal products grown in the region. The vegetables will be accompanied by De Muller mass wine, González Byass Palo Cortado, Georg Breuer Estate Rüdesheim 2010 and the sweet red Lyric Merlot from Mas Comtal. Time: 8pm. Price: €19 for non-members.

21 January. Made only in exceptional vintages —around three or four in a decade— Vintage Port stands at the top of Portuguese wines with a history dating back over 300 years. Some outstanding examples will be tasted at El Mostrador de Vila Viniteca (General Díaz Porlier, 45) in Madrid: Graham’s Vintage 2000; Taylor’s Vintage 2000; Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage 1997; Noval Vintage 1997; Dow’s Vintage 1994; Gilbert’s Vintage 1994 and Niepoort Vintage Especial 1970. Time: from 8pm to 10pm. Price: €95 (€82 for members).

22 January. Wine store Tiza y Flor in Alicante (c/ César Elguezábal 31) presents a tasting of Barolos and Barbarescos with the following wines: Barbaresco Cascina Roccalini 2011; Barbaresco Roagna Pajè 2008; Barolo Aráldica Flori 2011; Barolo Bava Contrabasso di Castiglione Fallett Scarrone 2003; Barolo Roagna Pirá 2008 and Barolo Cavallotto Bricco Boschis 2010. The tasting will be followed by cheeses provided by local store La Cave a Fromage. Time: 20:00 Price: €55 Bookings on +34 965 14 20 03

23 January. Champagne importer Philippe Cesco together with his disciple Jean Marcos, owner of La Ruta del Vino wine store in Santander (Arrabal, 18) will be hosting a tasting duel. Attendants will blind taste two champagnes, two red wines and two whites. Price: €30.

23 and 30 January. La Rioja Turismo organizes a bus route to visit the province's monasteries, tighly linked to grape growing in the past. On 23rd January there will be a visit to Santa María de la Estrella in San Asensio, the only mosastery in La Rioja whihc still makes its own wine, followed by a tour of Cvne in Haro. On the 30th the bus will stop at Roda and the monastery of Piedad de Casalarreina, the largest in the north of Spain.  Price: €14 Time: 09:50 - 15:00 Pick up and drop off at Logroño's Tourist Information Office.  Further information on +34 941 291 260

23 January to 7 February. Over 400 restaurants, cocktail bars, cooking schools, gourmet shops, cultural centres, art galleries and museums in Madrid will take part in Gastrofestival 2016, an event to promote the city's gastronomy. There will be around 300 activities for all tastes and budgets such as Tapas and Rioja wine at €6, a Sephardic, Islamic and Christian music concert followed by a wine tasting (February 3, €10); cinema sessions with a tasting of Freixenet wines (4 and 5 February, free entrance) and even a competition to make the best calamari sandwich. Check the programme here. 

25-27 January. Among the tastings scheduled at Enofusión 2016, the wine fair held within Madrid Fusión food congress, we highlight the Garnacha tasting (January 26, 4:30pm) run by the International Grenache Competition which will take place in Campo de Borja in February. The tasting in Madrid will showcase different Garnacha wines from Campo de Borja in Spain, Roussillon and Châteauneuf-du-Pape in France, Sardinia (Italy) or Australia. Other tastings include Bordeaux Grand Crus Classés and Uruguayan wines while the DO Catalunya will pair some of its wines with dishes made by 1-Michelin star Hotel-Restaurante Casamar in Girona. More info on the Enofusion website.

26 January. Priorat reds are going through a golden moment again with wines moving towards fresher and more drinkable styles,  although the great names in  the region and many old vintages are still highly sought after. Enoteca Barolo (Príncipe de Vergara, 211, Madrid) has prepared a journey through several examples from the past decade with the following wines: Finca Dofí 2007 by Álvaro Palacios; Trío Infernal La Colección 2/3 2006 ; Cims de Porrera Garnacha 2007; Clos Mogador 2013; Terroir Al Limit Vi de la Vila de Porrera 2013 and Ferrer Bobet Vinyes Velles 2011. The tasting will be led by Juanma Ruiz Casado. Time: 20:30 Price: €50 

27 January. David Molina, manager of Outlook Wine school in Barcelona, hosts a six-hour single-varietal wine course with around 20 wines made with 20 different red and white grape varieties from various origins. Location: Hotel Catalonia Barcelona Plaza (Plaza de España, 6 and 8) Price: €160  Time: 10:30am - 18:30pm.

28 January. Lavinia (Ortega y Gasset, 16, Madrid) holds a vertical tasting to celebrate Finca Allende's 20 Anniversary. Six vintages of its crianza will be tasted. Time: 19:00 Price: €10.

Until 29 January. Basque architect Iñaki Azpiazu was behind the imposing glass box which is the main access to Bodegas Baigorri, a landmark building within winery architecture in the DOCa Rioja. To honour Aspiazu's memory, who passed away in 2014, the Rioja Alavesa winery has organized the second photography competition about architecture and wine. The deadline to hand in the works is January 29 with  prizes ranging from €250 to €2.000 for the winner.

Do you know of any interesting wine events which are not on this list? Are you a restaurateur or retailer who organises tastings or wine events for the general public? Send us your calendar to info@spanishwinelover.com