Wine tastings in January 2017

With the Christmas festivities well behind us, January begins in an austere mood in terms of wine tastings with few events scheduled for the first fortnight of the month. Please come back to this page for further updates —we will add new tastings as they are announced.

2 -7 January. A great deal of the music on the stage of Festival Actual in Logroño will be paired with wine and tapas thanks to the participation of places such as Bodegas Franco-Españolas, Wine Fandango and La Tavina with artists like Rhá, 7 Notas 7 Colores, the Irish-Rioja band Conn Bux & The Deltic Underscore, Hidrogenesse and Pájaro Sunrise. Price: from €6

6 January. The arrival of The Three Wise Men —a festive day in Spain— coincides with the traditional opening at midnight of inscriptions for the Vila Viniteca Tasting Contest in Pairs. The contest, which will take place in Madrid on March 26th, is open to worldwide trade professionals and wine aficionados with a €30,000 prize for the winners, €10,000 than last year. Inscriptions cost €200 (a substantial increase from last year too) and must be done through Vila Viniteca online store on a first come first served basis.

10 and 26 January. As part of their ample tasting programme, Espai Penedès (Muntaner, 21) in Barcelona has prepared a tasting of five sushi pieces paired with five wines from Penedès. The tasting is led by a sommelier. Time: 20:00 Price: €23 for non-members.

12 January. Bodega Urbana in Bilbao (Gran Vía, 66) presents a tasting of red wines accompanied by the secrets of the mystery novel genre led by writer Carlos Bassas, who will present his latest book Mal Trago. The wines are: Angelitos Negros 2014 (DO Toro), El Maximo 2012 (DO Navarra) and Cèdre Heritage 2011 (AOC Cahors). Time: 19:30 Price: €15 € Bookings on +34 944416181

13 January. At their store in Madrid’s Ortega y Gasset street, Lavinia holds an evening market with bin end bottles from over 100 prestigious brands from Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Burdeos, Borgoña, Champagne… with discounts between 10% and 40%. Access is restricted and inscription is required. Time: 19:00-22:00 Price: €10 which will be deducted from purchases over €50.

13 January. Producer and president of Pago de Carraovejas, Pedro Ruiz, will present at El Buen Gusto in Valladolid (Manuel Silvela, 2) the wines of this winery based in Ribera del Duero, including Crianza 2014,  Reserva 2012, Anejón 2009 (first vintage) and 2012, Cuesta de las Liebres 2011 and a sample of the future 2014 as well as Autor 2014 -which is exclusively made for  restaurant Jose María in Segovia. Time: 20:00 Price: €30 Bookings on +34 983 377199

19 January. José Antonio López Domínguez, owner of Compañía de Vinos Tricó, based in Rías Baixas, will lead a vertical tasting of his wine Tricó (vintages 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) and Nicolás (vintages 2012 and 2013) to experience the evolution of his Albariño wines and dispel the idea that these are wines to be drunk only when they are still young. The tasting will take place in Umami, Avda. Rufo Rendueles, 8, Gijón. Time: 20:00 Price: €24

19 de enero. Wine merchant Vinicia in Lleida (Humbert Torres, 19) has invited  Valentí Llagostera, owner and winemaker at Celler Mas Doix, to lead a tasting of his Priorat wines Les Crestes, Salpiques, Mas Doix y 1902. Time: 21:00 Price: €20 (members €15). Further information and bookings on +34 973 247554

20 January. Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona organizes a tasting of wines from DO Alella, a wine region on the vicinity if Barcelona. The tasting includes six wines paired with market produce. Time: 19:30-21:30 Price: €27

21 January. The sommeliers at wine merchant Los Patios de Beatas in Málaga (Beatas, 43) have chosen their favourite great value wines and will present them at a tasting. They are: Taleia Blanco (Castell d'Encus), Fragancias de Marta Rosado (Bodegas Canals), Tilenus Pago de Posada Reserva 2010 (Bodegas Estefanía), Goren 2011 (Benetakoa) and Moscatel Tresañejo 2002 (Bodegas Almijara) Time: 13:15 Price: €15 (non members) Bookings on +34 952 210350

23 January. Fernando Martínez de Toda, viticulture specialist and professor at the University of La Rioja, presents a seminar called “Viticulture: Vineyards, Climate and Quality” in which attendants will be able to understand the importance of wine growing in terms of quality. The seminar is organized in partnership with Outlook Wine learning centre in Barcelona  Location: Hotel Catalonia Barcelona Plaza (Plaza de España 6 and 8) Time: 10:30 - 18:00 Price: €140

23 January. Wine bar Cork (Licenciado Poza, 45) in Bilbao launches its tastings calendar with the presence of Olivier Rivière, a French producer who settled in Rioja a few years ago and makes wine in the Rioja and Arlanza appellations such as Jequitibá, Mirando al Sur, Ganko, Las Viñas de Eusebio or Basquevanas. Time: 20:00 Price: €35 Bookings on +34 944 42 50 05

23-25 January. As part of Enofusión 2017, a side trade meeting which is part of Madrid Fusión, Miguel Angel de Gregorio (Finca Allende, Rioja) will be in charge of opening the programme with a vertical tasting of Calvario, his single vineyard wine sourced from a plot in Rioja Alta with less than two hectares. The programme also includes tastings of wines from DO Ribeira Sacra, Codorniu, Marqués de Riscal, and Vintae as well as EnoBar, a free tasting space with over 150 wines from different Spanish regions. 

26 January. The Spanish Union of Tasters (UEC) based at Lope de Vega, 27 in Madrid has invited Julio Sáenz, winemaker at La Rioja Alta, to present a vertical tasting of Viña Ardanza Reserva as part of the producer’s 75th anniversary celebrations. Participants will be able to enjoy the evolution of several vintages, from 1985 up to the current 2008. Time: 19:00 Price: €35 (members €20)

26 January. Wine merchant DiVino Cultivo (Mercado de Abastos, Puestos 89-90) in Aranjuez commences the tasting season with the presence of Antonio Barbadillo Mateos who will present his Manzanilla AB (2016 saca and two older sacas), Amontillado AB saca 2015 and Oloroso AB saca 2015. Time: 20:30 Price: €18 Further information and bookings on +34 626 706 970

26 January. Wine merchant La Mala Uva in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Remedios, 4) organizes a tasting of whites from Tenerife and La Palma and cheese from Gran Canaria with the following wines: Trenzado 2015 by Suertes del Marqués (DO Valle de la Orotava), Artífice Vidueños 2015 by Borja Pérez Viticultor (DO Yocden-Daute-Isora), Albillo Criollo Matías i Torres 2015 by Victoria Torres (DO La Palma), Los Loros Fermentado en Barrica 2015 by Bodegas El Borujo (DO Valle de Guímar) and La Tablada 2014 by Bodegas Llanovid (DO La Palma). Time: 20:30 Price: €35 Booking is necessary. Just send an email to lamalauvatriana@gmail.com

27 January. Mostrador de Vila Viniteca in Madrid (General Díaz Porlier 45) starts the year with a tasting of amontillados from the Sherry Triangle and Montilla-Moriles. The list of wines includes La Bota de Nº61 Amontillado; Quo Vadis? Amontillado Muy Viejo; Lustau Amontillado Escuadrilla; Tradición Amontillado VORS; Pérez Barquero Amontillado Gran Barquero; Alvear Solera Fundación Amontillado and Toro Albalá Amontillado Convento 1971. Time: 20:00-22:00 Price: €49 (€45 for members of El Club)

27 January. The Club de Amigos de la Vid y el Vino in Alcobendas has decided it is time to spend some time finding out about vermouth, a drink that is going through a revival. During the evening, participants will discover more about its origins, production, characteristics and leading producers as well as taking part in a blind tasting of various vermouths paired with an aperitif. Location: Calle Francisco Largo Caballero, 44 (Agrupación PSOE, Alcobendas, Madrid). Time: 19:00 Price: €20 (members €15). Further information on +34 669 404 169

27 January. For the seventh consecutive year, La Ruta del Vino (Arrabal, 18) in Santander organizes a duel Ribera del Duero vs Rioja, a tasting where surprises are not unusual. Time: 20:45 Price: €30 Inscriptions on +34 942 216503