Wine tastings in March 2021

As we do every month, SWL compiles information on the most interesting activities for wine lovers in Spain. The pandemic still makes it impossible to hold large-scale in-person events, so the few activities that are organised are restricted -with some notable exceptions- to online tastings. We will update the agenda as more wine-related events are published.

2 March. By 2023, all wines produced or sold in the European Union will have to provide nutritional, ingredient and calorie information. This important change in legislation will be discussed in the Zoom webinar presented by the Institute of Masters of Wine called ''Labelling and Transparency''. The panel of participants includes Pau Roca, Director General of the OIV, Jancis Robinson MW, Dr Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, Secretary General of CEEV, Richard Bampfield MW, Dominic Buckwell of WineGB, Caroline Hermann MW and Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW who will act as moderator. Registration is free but compulsory to take part in the webinar. Time: 18:30-20:10 (CET)

3, 10, 17, 24 and 25 March. This month, the Unión Española de Catadores presents five tastings at its headquarters in Madrid (Lope de Vega, 27). The sessions are scheduled as follows: Chianti Colli Fiorentini: Sangiovese in the Hills I and II (3rd and 10th respectively, €40 each tasting), double vertical of Alonso del Yerro and Paydos directed by María del Yerro and Lionel Gourgue (17th, €40), DO Jumilla: A Matter of Altitude (24th, €35) and Baga, a venerable variety (25th, €45), directed by Fernando Gurucharri. In addition, on 4, 11 and 18 March, Châteauneuf-du-Pape will be the focus of three theoretical and practical sessions on the wines and characteristics of this French appellation (€200).

5 March. Marcelino Calvo, sommelier at El Ermitaño restaurant in Benavente (Zamora), presents a live Instagram chat with Jesús Ángel Velado, from Vitis Velado, a producer who has been making wines with indigenous grape varieties in León since 2013. The conversation can be followed on the IG account @marcevino_ Time: 19:00

5 March. The Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences hosts a conference called "Biogenic Amines: problems and strategies to improve the safety of wines" led by Isabel Pardo, professor of microbiology at the University of Valencia. The session is open to all participants via this link and is free of charge. Time: 11:00

5, 12, 19 and 26 March. Shortly after the lockdown began, Gratias Wines began doing live Instagram chats with fellow winemaker friends every Friday. The idea has stuck and the members of this winery, with vineyards between the Júcar and Cabriel rivers, continue to talk with fellow winemakers every Friday. For those who would like to join in, these are the next live feeds at @gratias_wines: Sexto Elemento (5th), La Comarcal (12th), Bodegas Albamar (19th) and Rosalía Molina of Alto Landón (26th). Time: 19:30

6 March. The Appellation of Origin Jumilla launches a series of dinners to support the hospitality industry. Familia Jumilla Wine Dinners is the name of the initiative and will feature different chefs invited to prepare a takeaway menu paired with Jumilla wines. The first dinner will be hosted by chef Rafa Sánchez, from the restaurant Boxperience, accompanied by sommelier Antonio Chacón. Participants will be able to taste eight dishes and three bottles of wine at home. Price: €80 for two people, and €50 for the individual menu. Bookings: +34 635 96 13 70

8 March. To mark International Women's Day, DO Cava presents Women in Cava,  an Instagram conversation hosted by Meritxell Falgueras with six female Cava entrepreneurs: Mireia Pujol-Busquets (Alta Alella), Marta Vidal (Vallformosa), Marta Guilera (Heretat Guilera), Isabel Vidal (JARC), Gemma Torelló (Agustí Torelló Mata) and Meritxell Juvé (Juvé y Camps). Time: 20:00

8, 15, 22 and 29 March. Lavinia wine store in Madrid (Ortega y Gasset, 16) presents this month four online tastings with 21 Spanish producers who will explain their wines to the audience. They are Curii Uvas y Vinos, Abadía da Cova, Vinos Sinceros, Frontonio, Arte y Parte, Mario Rovira, Casa Aurora, La Brecha, Hacienda Solano, Cara Nord, Bodegas Verdeal, La Bicicleta Voladora, San Cobate, Michelini i Mufatto, Verónica Ortega, Bodegas Cinco Leguas, La del Terrero, Joan Rubió, Vinos de Montaña, Peixes and Vinifícate. Each tasting costs €65 but if you buy all four, the total price is €230. Time: 19:00-20:15. To receive the wines for each tasting at home and to join in the Zoom broadcast, contact Lavinia at least seven days before the date via email comunicacion@lavinia.com

10 and 18 March. To mark International Women's Day, Kalimera Estudio presents Adoradoras de Baco, an online art tour on the relationship between women and wine throughout history and their representation in art, from the classical Greece of the Bacchantes to the Folies-Bergère bar counter in Paris immortalised by Manet. The art tour will be followed by a tasting of Bodegas Arrayán wines guided by Maria José Huertas, sommelier at the Casino in Madrid. Those interested can choose between four different packs ranging in price from €22 to €60. Time: 19:00-20:30.

12 March. Wine merchant Wine is Social presents an online Zoom session on Garnacha presented by Fernando Mora MW in which he will explain the main characteristics of one of the world' s most planted grape varieties. The session also includes a pack of four wines from the Aragonese producer that will be sent to participants' homes: Microcósmico Garnacha 2018, Telescópico Garnacha 2017, As Ladieras 2018 and Cuevas de Arom 2018. Time: 20:00-22:00 Price: €78.99.

12-13 March. This year the Terra Alta winery Celler Bàrbara Forés presents its new White and Rosé vintages in a virtual tasting on Instagram (@cellerbarbarafores). Pili Sanmartín and her mother Carmen Ferrer will explain the details of the vintage and how these wines, which they call Paisatjes de Secà, are made. Anyone wishing to take part can buy three different packs ranging from €38 to €57 from the winery's online shop before 10 March. The session on the 12th will be conducted in Catalan and the session on the 13th in Spanish. Time: 19:30

13 March. The Txakoli Museum in Bakio (Bizkaia) hosts an interesting round table and tasting called Emakumeak eta Txakolina (Women and Txakoli) to celebrate International Women's Day. The event, be held in Basque and Spanish, will feature  sommelier Alaitz Galán, grower Mª Ángeles Zabala and producers Iratxe Eguskizaga from Bodega Zabala and Itziar Insausti from Doniene Gorrondona. Maider Zalduondo from Bizkaiko Txakolina will moderate the debate. Time: 12:00 For further information and bookings, call +34 94 602 85 13

17, 23 and 26 March. This month's activities at Enoteca Barolo in Madrid (Príncipe de Vergara, 211) include thee different tastings, all on Zoom. The first, led by Juanma Ruiz Casado, is about  Olororo wines from DO Jerez and Montilla (Antique Oloroso Fernando de Castilla, Oloroso Gran Barquero 25 años and El Cerro Oloroso Callejuela. Price: €115). The second, also commented by Ruiz Casado, features Monastrell reds (Alfynal 2011 Iberica Bruno Prats. D.O. Alicante, Elo 2015. Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico. D.O. Yecla and Los Frailes Caliza 2018. D.O. Valencia. Price: €85) and the third, on the 26th and conducted by Miguel Prohens, is a tasting of whites from Friuli (Livio Felluga Friulano 2018, Zidarich Malvazija 2015 and Radikon Jakot 2010. Price: €105). All tastings start at 20:00 and include three bottles of wine each and home delivery. More information and reservations on +34 91 745 19 27. 

23 and 24 March. The Old Vine Conference is an initiative to support wine producers engaged with the world’s oldest vines. Launched by Leo Austin, Sarah Abbott MW and Alun Griffiths MW, it seeks to highlight the work of old vine pioneers, advocate the scientific and oenological case for old vines, help build old vine wines into a recognised category amongst consumers and slow the loss of important old-vine vineyards worldwide. The initiative will be kickstarted with a conference -in English- hosted and moderated by Tim Atkin MW, Dr Jamie Goode and Sarah Abbott MW. Elías López Montero, co-owner of Bodegas Verum in La Mancha, will be one of the speakers. The conference is free to attend and you can register on the link above. 

25 March. DIAM presents an online conference to find out what tools wineries have to understand the keys to the evolution of consumer demand for wine and how to make it to the table of tomorrow's consumers. The speakers are Antonio Palacios, director of Laboratorios Excell Ibérica, Juan Park, director of Wine Intelligence-Spain and South America, Izaskun Fernández, professor of Viticulture, IES La Laboral and Álvaro Cerrada, marketing consultant. Time: 10:00 - 11:00 The recording will be available afterwards. More information at aula@laprensadelrioja.com

26 and 27 March. To mark its bicentenary, Bodegas Barbadillo presents Sumillería Efímera. This is a series of pop-up tastings featuring 12 sommeliers over the course of the year, for whom the winery will provide the soleras and the contemporary bottle cellar. For those who want (or are able) to live this sensory experience, the first tasting will be led by Bernat Voraviu (Alkimia restaurant, Barcelona) in the Salón del Bicentenario in Sanlúcar. Time: 13:30 Price for four people: €200.

30 March. Artean Wines in Bilbao presents an on-site seminar called "Enchanting, lesser known Italian grape varieties". Conducted by Juancho Asenjo, probably the greatest expert on Italian wines in Spain, he will talk about varieties such as Garganega, Nosiola, Dolcetto, Lagrain, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Sagrantino, Gaglioppo and Carricante. Eight wines of these varieties will be tasted. The tasting session will be held at Pangea in Bilbao (Plaza de Indautxu). Time: 18:30-20:30 Price: €75 For more information call +34 615897474

Until 30 April. The association IGUAL A TI and Bodega Carlos Moro announce the fourth edition of their International Brindis Literario (Literary Toast) contest promoting the values of social inclusion. The aim of the competition is to find "the best literary toast ever written". The texts entered must be written in Spanish, with a minimum length of 40 words and a maximum of 80. Both prose and poetry are accepted. The winner will take home €1,000  and a magnum bottle of Bodega Carlos Moro.