Wine tastings in July 2021

Summer is already here and wine activities tend to be more fun-oriented with onsite festivals focusing on music and wine intertwined with other events. Winelovers working in July as well as those on holiday will have many opportunities to enjoy at least one of the activities taking place across the country this month. Remember to return to this page for updates - Spanish Wine Lover doesn’t go on holiday in July!

1 July. The itinerant meeting Vinos de España una Pasión, organised by Bodegas Emilio Hidalgo, is back. This year it will be held at El Baluarte de Los Mártires in Cádiz and will be attended by more than 40 producers from all over the country. Tickets are sold out but there is a waiting list. Hours: 11:30-15:00 and 17:30-20:30

1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 July. Bodegas Franco-Españolas opens the doors of its cellars in Logroño to show five films in their original language with subtitles preceded by an outdoor wine bar with food and tailor-made sessions with DJs. Time: 19:30. Films are due to start at dusk. Price: €8 and €14 on the 8th (featuring Joana Serrat playing the original live soundtrack).

2 - 4 July. Vilafranca del Penedès near Barcelona welcomes summer with the festival Vijazz Penedès, which blends in wine and cava with national and international jazz. As well as listening to good music, attendees will be able to take part in tastings of Penedès wines. You can check the full programme in the link above. Price: €15

2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 July. Entrevins restaurant in Valencia (La Paz, 7) presents several tastings throughout this month: Rías Baixas wines (day 2, €39), Ribeiro wines (day 9, €30), Valdeorras wines (day 16, €45), Ribeira Sacra wines (day 23, €43) and Champagne (day 30, €60). To book, send an email to v.entrevins@entrevins.es 

3, 10, 17 and 24 July. Territorio Luthier, whose winery is located just five minutes from Aranda del Duero, livens up the summer nights with a variety of music combined with wine and food prepared by El Majuelo Food Truck. Time: 20:00 Price: From €10.

From 6 July. Corpinnat hosts Gastronomic Festival with lunches and dinners prepared by 60 renowned Catalan restaurants such as Botafumeiro, Nandu Jubany, Gresca, Les Magnolies or Dos de Vins, among others, which will be paired with Corpinnat wines in some unique spaces of the 11 bodegas in the group. Check the link for times and prices.

8, 15, 22 and 29 July. The Galician winery Martín Codax presents As Enoviaxes, a series of tastings led by different sommeliers and focused on white wines: on the 8th, the tasting will cover wines from the different PGIs of Galicia: Negueira de Muñiz, Barbanza e Iria, Tierra de Betanzos, Ribeiras do Morrazo and Val do Miño Ourense; on the 15th, wines from the different Galician DOs, sparkling wines (22nd) and white wines from Spain (29th). Price: €20.

8, 15, 22 and 29 July. Cal Feru wine shop in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (Patí de Can Guineu) hosts open-air tastings focused on sparkling wines every Thursday in July, starting with cavas from classified sites (8th), Corpinnat sparkling wines (15th), long-ageing cavas (22nd) and innovative sparkling wines (29th). Time: 20:00 The price of each tasting is €26 or €80 for a pack of four.

9 July. The tasting school Vinaliti holds at Palacio del Limonar in Málaga the Fiesta No Filoxera with a dinner and the wines of Ana de Castro, winemaker at Bodega La Melonera in Ronda and Fernando Giménez de Alvear (Alvear, Montilla) who will both be presented with a prize. Attendees must wear red, white or black clothing. Time: 21:00 Price: € 65

9, 15 and 22 July. This month we highlight three online tastings and one in person at Lavinia in Madrid. The first is a selection of five wines for its monthly activity "Y vino el viernes" (€99), while on the 15th the tasting will focus on summer whites (€95) and on the 22nd on rosés (€90). Time: 19:00-20:30 To receive the wines of each tasting at home and to take part in the Zoom broadcast, contact Lavinia at least six days before the date via email laviniaempresas@lavinia.com Prices include shipping costs.

10 July. This year there will be no wineries present at the eighth Ribeiro Son de Viño festival on the Barrosa beach in San Vicente do Mar but there will be performances by Delafé and Elba. Attendees will be given a bottle of Fillas D.O. Ribeiro white wine and a cooler bag. Time: 18:00-20:30 Price: €18.30

10 July. Sommelier Jaume Pàmies presents a tasting of six wines from five continents at Vi Happy, his new venue in Arbuciès (Can Penjarella) C/ Sorrall, 5. Time: 19:00 Price: €25

14 July. The magazine Terruños, published by Spain's Foundation for Wine Culture, presents a debate about the situation, heritage and challenges of forgotten or minority grape varieties: cultural and ampelographic wealth, commercial value or both? Pablo Álvarez, President of the Foundation for Wine Culture and CEO of Vega Sicilia, Pedro Ballesteros, Master of Wine, and Félix Cabello from the IMIDRA research centre, will debate this issue in a free webinar. Time: 18:00

15-17 July. The Verema Experience moves to Valencia (Hotel Balneario Las Arenas) for three days of tastings and a showroom with more than 50 producers and designations of origin. Timetable: 12:00-21:00 Prices vary depending on the activities. More information on the link.

15 and 24 July. The Artean Wines education centre in Bilbao presents two interesting activities for this second fortnight of July. The first one is a tasting of Riesling wines with Pilar García-Granero who will explain the styles, classification, terroir and production areas. It will take place at Espacio Pangea from 18:30 to 20:30 and the price of the activity is €70. Meanwhile, on the 24th, a workshop will be held at the Itsasmendi vineyards and winery in Gernika (Bizkaia) to learn about the factors and actions to consider when starting up a vineyard and its subsequent management. The event, held from 09:30 to 13:30, also includes tastings. Price: €60 

15, 20 and 22 July. Enoteca Barolo (Príncipe de Vergara, 211) in Madrid presents three tastings this month with the following topics: whites from the Rhone, tuna paired with wines from around the world and vintage champagnes. Time: 20:30 Prices from €60.

16-18 July. After two editions and a break due to the pandemic, the third Rioja Alavesa-Euskadi En Torno a la Mesa festival will be held this year in Labastida featuring wine producers from Rioja Alavesa, tastings and talks on topics such as the environment and sustainability, the price of wine, how to organise a wine tasting at home and the evolution of white wines in Rioja. There will also be stalls selling local products and music. Tickets: €10 plus tastings €18.

16-18 July. Wine and gastronomy will be present at the 17th Ribeira Sacra Festival, which will feature performances by groups such as Teenage FanClub, Depedro and Auto Sacramental, among others. The concerts will be combined with catamaran routes along the river Sil, guided tours and tastings in wineries such as Regina Viarum, the catamaran Ponte de Sol or Rectoral del Gundivós. Price: Some events are free but the three-day pass costs €60.

16 July and 29 August. The outdoor terrace of Bodegas Montecillo in Fuenmayor (La Rioja) holds two concerts featuring the band Cielo Arissa Duo accompanied by wine and tapas. From 19:00 to 22:00 and 12:00 to 15:00 on 29 August. Tickets can be purchased at the winery on the day of the event, or emailing visitas.montecillo@osborne.es. Price: €25.

22 July. The Institute of Masters of Wine presents a webinar about biogenic amines in which three experts will share their knowledge about the impact, prevalence, legislation, and prevention through the use of selected wine bacteria. They will also explore how the trend in SO2 reduction influences biogenic amines. Panellists are professor of wine microbiology Dr Patrick Lucas, Lallemand manager for wine bacteria R&D Dr. Sibylle Krieger-Weber and wine producer and consultant Sophie Parker-Thomson MW. The moderator is Sam Harrop MW. Time: 10:00 CET Registration is free but compulsory.

22 and 26 July. Celler El Tros, the bar owned by Vall Llach in Barcelona, presents a couple of activities for the second half of July. On the first, the 22nd, Mireia Pujol Busquets, assistant director of Celler Alta Alella, presents a tasting of their wines, while on the 26th there will be a wine-pairing concert with singer Sandra Bautista and sommelier Gisela Royes, who will bring four wines of different styles and producers. Time: 20:00 Price: 20 and 25 euros respectively. 

23-24 July. Wine store De Albariza in Sanlúcar de Barrameda presents Wines & History: romantic Sanlúcar and the dukes of Montpensier with History doctor Manuel Parodi as guest and guide of the tasting. Time: 21:00 (Friday) and 13:00 (Saturday). Price €18 Information and bookings by phone +34 606770532

23-31 July. With the good taste still in mind from the recent Innoble festival, La Taberna der Guerrita in Sanlúcar de Barrameda resumes its summer tastings led by Spanish wine personalities starting this year with Delia Baeza, from La Fisna in Madrid, who will present Pinot Noirs from Burgundy and continuing with names such as Pedro R. Aragoneses (23rd) from Alma Vinos; Fátima Ceballos and Miguel C. Maíllo about Montilla (24th), Eloi Cedó from Cható Paquita (30th) and Salvador Real from Bodegas Fundador (31st). Hours: 12:00 and 20:00 Price: €60

24 July. Bodegas Corral in Navarrete (La Rioja) presents a new edition of “Una parada en el Camino, Don Jacobo” to mark the day of Santiago. The winery, which is in the route of the French Way to Santiago de Compostela, celebrates the festivity with tastings, activities for children and live music. Price is yet to be confirmed.

25 July. As part of his Cork Talk series, Master of Wine Tim Atkin talks to Almudena Alberca, the only Spanish woman who holds the Master of Wine title. It will be on Sunday at 20:00 CET and the conversation can be listened to on their respective Instagram accounts.

31 July - 12 August. The Patio de la Tonelería, the gardens of Villa Victorina and Las Copas cellar are some of the venues selected for the Tío Pepe Festival hosted by González Byass this summer in Jerez de la Frontera. The festival will be starred by indestructible figures of the Spanish music scene such as José Luis Perales, Victor Manuel, Ana Torroja and Isabel Pantoja.  After the performances there will be dinners paired with wines from the González Byass bodegas and prepared by restaurants such as Lu and Mantúa, which will cook together on 9 August. Tickets can be purchased from €13. 

July and August. In addition to walks among the vineyards and chocolate tastings, Bodegas Fuentes del Silencio in León organises a very unusual activity which consists of exploring the banks of the river Jamuz for gold. Wearing rubber boots and a pan, the aim is to find that hidden nugget. This activity depends on the flow of the Jamuz, so booking in advance is necessary. It lasts approximately two hours and includes a tasting of several wines and an aperitif with traditional local products. Price: €70 Bookings on +34 987 688 861

Until 10th September. Dénia presents the exhibition "3000 years of Alicante wine culture", which unites history, wine and art. Organised by the Regulatory Board of DO Alicante, the exhibition is intended to travel around different villages in the province and outdoors.