Wine tastings in January 2022

With the Christmas festivities not yet behind us —Spaniards celebrate the Three Wise Men Day on the 6th— and the Covid epidemic, 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 published.

10 January. The Association of Navarra Sommeliers presents a tasting of naturally sweet wines conducted by expert Paco del Castillo at Hotel Don Carlos in the outskirts of Pamplona. Time: 19:00 Price: €75 tasting (members €40). Registration before 6 January by email: actividades@sumilleresdenavarra.com

11 January. After a hiatus due to the pandemic, the Vila Viniteca tasting in pairs competition is back in Barcelona. Those who want to win one of the coveted seats at the Llotja de Mar on 13 March will have to register on 11 January at 10:00 a.m. Remember that places usually run out in a matter of minutes!

13 and 28 January. At Lavinia wine shop in Madrid (Ortega y Gasset, 16) the year begins with a Rioja vs Ribera tasting. Although they originally grow the same grape, the adaptation of Tempranillo to Rioja or Tinta Fina to the terroir of Castilla y León results in different types of reds, some of which will be tasted at this event. Time: 19:00 - 21:00 Price: €50 For the end of the month, Lavinia has programed an online tasting of Portuguese wines. Time: 19:30 - 21:00 Price: €99

15 and 29 January. For the first half of the year, DO Jumilla sponsors a series of wine tastings on a boat sailing along the Segura River with the presence of its winemakers. The first one is Viña Elena (15th) while Bodegas 1890 J. García Carrión will be in charge of the final event in January. Tickets will have a symbolic price and will be on sale on this link during the week of the tasting.

18, 19, 20 and 27 January. Sommelier Pilar Cruces of Lust for Wine presents four face-to-face activities in various locations this month. "Un Podcast con mucho arte" is the first one, on the 18th, and will take place at the Art Centre of Burgos (CAB) in partnership with Tao Platon, the Caja de Burgos Foundation and the CAB. Time: 18:30. Free with prior registration (maximum two passes) at cab@cajadeburgos.com. On the 19th at 21:00, Pilar will be at Clarita restaurant in Madrid (Corre. Baja de San Pablo, 19) offering a tasting for which tickets can be purchased on this link. On the 20th and 27th, at the Lust for Wine headquarters in Burgos (Ofi. 57, Pl. de Alonso-Martínez, 7A), there will be two seminars on Alsace and Ribera vs Rioja, respectively. Time: 20:30 - 21:45. Price: €45 and €35 (with discounts for Lust for Wine Club members). More information and bookings on +34 638 66 14 08.

18 and 21 January. In its shop at Calle Príncipe de Vergara 211 in Madrid, Enoteca Barolo welcomes the New Year with a tasting of wines from Tenerife and La Palma (Migan Envínate Tinto 19, Vera de la Fuente Baboso Tinto 18, Ignios Marmajuelo Blanco 16, La Tablada Pie Franco Blanco 18, Viña Gómez Malvasía Rosada Dulce 2018 and Viña Gómez Listán Blanco Dulce 2018) followed by a tasting of Champagne paired with different cuts of ham. Time: 20:30 Price: €40 and €55 respectively.

19 January. Wine bar La Vinya del Senyor in dowtown Barcelona presents Sommelier Invitado, with the presence of renowned sommeliers from around the country who will present their selection of bottles by the glass. Today Alberto Redrado, from L'Escaleta in Cocentaina (Alicante) will be there. Time: 17:00 - 22:00 Price: varies according to the wine you drink. Attendance to the session is free of charge, as it is not a closed tasting.

20 January. Sommelier Sara González has invited Alvar de Dios to Mercado del Puerto market in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. A producer who makes wines in  Toro and Arribes, he started out farming his grandfather's old vines. Alvar will present five wines during a tasting at 20:00. Booking is required and you can do it by sending an email to saragm@mercadodelpuerto.net Price: €17

20 and 27 January. Artean Wines training centre presents two activities this month. The first one, at the Plaza de Abastos in Vitoria, is a tasting of eight Jura wines, conducted by Ricardo Sanchoyarto, while the tasting in Bilbao, on the 27th at Espacio Pangea (Plaza Indautxu), features Loire wines and will be conducted by Teresa Guilarte, WSETDip. Time: 18:30 - 20:30 Price: €80 and €70 respectively.

22 January. The 1980s Spanish band Los Secretos, with iconic songs such as "Déjame" and "Sobre un vidrio mojado", will play live at the winery of Javier Sanz Viticultor in the final stretch of their acoustic tour. The concert, set to be held in the winery's Third Order space in the village of La Seca (Valladolid), will include a cocktail paired with wines from this Rueda producer. Time: 21:00. Price: €64

25 and 27 January. The Unión Española de Catadores in Madrid (Lope de Vega, 27) presents a couple of tastings this month with the chance to try some of the latest releases of 2021, both white and black, and led by Luis Vida and Andrés Proensa respectively. Time: 19:00 Price: €35 (€20 for members) 

28 January. Restaurant Entrevins in Valencia (Paz, 7) presents a tasting of four Chardonnay champagnes: Guiborat Prisme 2016, L' Aventure, Selosse-Pajon Sacré Blanc and Bolieu Fleur de Craie, all paired with four veggie dishes. Time: 20:30 Price: €43

31 January. The VI Salón de los Vinos Generosos, Dulces y Fortificados gathers around 30 producers at the Hotel Intercontinental in Madrid (Paseo de la Castellana, 49). Opening hours: 12:00-15:00 and 17:00-21:00 with tastings restricted to 90 minutes due to Covid. Free entrance but registration required.

1 February. Asome of the top scoring wines in the Ecovino Awards 2021 will be present at Vitoria-Gasteiz's Mendizorrotza Catering School in a tasting led by Antonio Palacios, professor of Sensory Analysis at the University of La Rioja and Iñigo Crespo, secretary of the competition. Time: 18:00 Registration is free but necessary on this link