Wine tastings in May 2021

As the pace of vaccinations increases, the horizon of a gradual return to normality is becoming increasingly clear for many wine professionals and enthusiasts. In addition to the online tastings that we have been publishing in recent months, mixed events are starting to be organised, with tastings and onsite activities.

1 - 31 May. The Campo de Borja DO hosts Garnachas en el Museo on its Instagram channel @docampodeborja. There will be streaming from various locations associated with the arts and cultural and landscape heritage, where the wineries in the appellation will present their wines with live tastings. In addition, a restaurant from Zaragoza will prepare a dish made with Garnacha wine. This year, for the first time, sommeliers and experts Agustín Trapero, Ferran Centelles, Michael Cooper, Jorge Orte and Jonas Tofterup will present Garnacha wines from France, Italy, the United States, South Africa and Australia, respectively. Time: 19:00 - 19:30

1 - 2 May. This year's Fira del Vi de Falset is being held both in the town and online, with a variety of tastings of wines from Montsant and Priorat, a presentation of The Names of the Land, the new DOQ Priorat classification, music and other activities. You can browse the programme and buy your tickets on the link above. Other activities are scheduled to take place throughout the rest of the month.

1 - 2 May. To support the hospitality sector, Dehesa de los Canónigos, a winery in Ribera del Duero, will host a midday pop-up restaurant with dishes cooked by chef Dámaso Vergara on several weekends in spring. Price: €67 (drinks not included) Reservations by phone +34 666500736

May and June. The non-profit organisation Interprofesional del Vino de España offers free distance learning courses to promote wine culture for beginners and advanced learners. The training covers a wide range of topics, from tips on how to gift wine or where and how to buy it, as well as tastings and courses to learn to design a wine list. 

5 - 6 May. The Unión Española de Catadores in Madrid (Lope de Vega, 27) presents a couple of very special tastings this month. The first is a selection of wines from the solera of Tradición in Jerez, including vintages such as 1970 and 1975 of their Oloroso as well as their VORS and the very old Amontillado. The tasting will be conducted by José María Quirós and Lorenzo García-Iglesias (5th, €45, €35 for members). The following day, the guest is Javier Gil-Albarellos, from Bodegas La Horra, with a double vertical tasting of four of the most representative vintages of each of the winery's two flagship wines, Corimbo ('09, '10, '15 and '16) and Corimbo I ('11, '12, '13 and '14) (6th, €40, €25 for members). All tastings start at 19:00.

6 May. Vintage Class, a wine education centre in Aranda de Duero, presents an online tasting with wines from Chile. There will be two sessions: the first one in English (18:00) and the second one in Spanish (20:00). Price: €25 (€20 if you collect the wines at the academy).

6 and 27 May. Artean Wines education centre in Bilbao presents two on-site workshops this month. In the first one, conducted by winemaker Ana Martín, eight txakolis from the three Basque appellations will be tasted, while at the end of May, Juan Carlos Sancha, PhD in Viticulture and Oenology and professor at the University of La Rioja, will explain the new geographical indications of DOCa Rioja focusing on the new Singular Vineyard category with a tasting of six wines. Time: 18:30-20:30 Venue: Espacio Pangea (Plz. Indautxu) Prices are €60 and €70 respectively.

7, 25 and 31 May. This month we focus on three virtual tastings at Lavinia in Madrid. The first one is called ¡Y vino el viernes! (Friday's finally here!), a monthly selection of five wines to taste at home or online with a Lavinia sommelier. This month's wines include Pazo de Señorans Blanco de Guarda Cuvée 20 Aniversario 2012, Tantum Ergo from Bodegas Hispano-Suizas, Les Prunes and a couple of reds (20:00, €99). On the 25th, wines from DO Méntrida will be tasted (€25) while on the 31st there will be another tasting of wines from this DO with their winemakers (Arrayán 2019 Blanco, Maite Sánchez; Jiménez-Landi El Corralón 2019 Tinto explained by José Benavides Jiménez-Landi; Alonso Cuesta La Garnacha de Lola 2019, explained by Carlos Sánchez, A Pie de Tierra A Dos Manos 2017 Tinto, explained by David Villamiel and Canopy Tres Patas 2016 Tinto explained by Alfonso Chacón (€45). Time: 19:00-20:30 To receive the wines of each tasting at home and take part in the Zoom broadcast, please contact Lavinia at least six days before the date via email laviniaempresas@lavinia.com Prices include delivery in Spain.

8 - 30 May. The fourth edition of La Primavera del Cava returns (with limited seating) with 12 wineries in Penedès and Bages hosting activities: Agustí Torelló Mata, Artium, Codorníu, Covides, Giró del Gorner, Giró Ribot, Juvé & Camps, Pagès Entrena, Rovellats, Sumarroca, Vilarnau and Vins El Cep. Events include live music in the vineyards, yoga workshops, e-bike rides, food and wine pairings, Nordic walking and Cava cocktail workshops, among other things. Prices: From €20 to €45

19 and 25 May. This month's activities at Enoteca Barolo in Madrid (Príncipe de Vergara, 211) include two online tastings via Zoom. The first features Loire reds (Clos Tue-Loup Monopole 2017, Arnaud Lambert; Le P'tit Clou 2019, Bruno Rochard and Les Granges 2019, Bernard Baudry. Price: €75). The second is devoted to Chablis whites (Moreau-Naudet Premier Cru Vaillons 2017, William Fevre Chablis 2018 and Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Petit Chablis 2019 Price: €110). Both will be led by Juanma Ruiz Casado. All tastings are at 20:00 and include bottles of wine and home delivery. More information and reservations on +3491 745 19 27.

20-21 May. As part of its activities aimed at promoting and sharing knowledge about winegrowing and winemaking, Futuro Viñador presents a seminar called Mosaico Mediterráneo, with the participation of producers from the area as well as experts in biodiversity, territory and landscape. The meeting, with round tables and practical workshops, will take place at the Raventós i Blanc winery and will be streamed on the website www.futurovinador.com.

22 May. The ten wineries which are part of Corpinnat celebrate the third anniversary of the brand with an open-door day that includes a tour and tasting. All the proceeds will be donated to a local organisation in Penedès that works in defence of the territory's sustainability and the wine-growing landscape. Visits must be booked in advance and take place in the morning. Price: €5

22 May. For those lucky enough to be in Mallorca at this time of year, the Aubocassa estate in Manacor is organising free tours of its 7,600 olive trees in bloom with the chance to taste their two extra virgin olive oils, L'Amo and Aubocassa, as well as the wines of Bodegas Roda (DOCa Rioja) and Bodegas La Horra (DO Ribera del Duero). Opening hours: 10:00-14:00 and 16:00-19:00. To book, please call 971 100 388 or contact us by email at visit@aubocassa.com.

24 May. The Verema Experience arrives in Málaga (Gran Hotel Miramar) where around twenty wineries and distributors will present their wines. Thee will also be two guided tastings of DO Valencia and DO Ribera del Duero. Price: €10 online or €15 on the door. Timetable: 12:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 21:00

24 May. The Navarra Sommeliers Association presents Txakoli del siglo XXI, an opportunity to taste different styles of txakoli, including classic styles through to reds. The wines will be served with a few bites to eat and the cost of these two tastings is €75 (€50 for members). The deadline for registration is Thursday 20 May via email actividades@sumilleresdenavarra.com. Time: 18:00 Venue: Hotel Don Carlos, Huarte.

24 May. Launched by Virginia García, sommelier at Lu Cocina&Alma in Jerez, and Paula Menéndez, former sommelier at Noor, In Wine Veritas is a new wine tasting club that aims to foster and expand wine culture in the province of Cádiz. After their tastings featuring wines from Galicia and Champagne, this month they will focus on Italy with a look at the main wine production areas and the evolution of their wines. The blind tastings are conducted by Virginia and Paula and always include a few surprises. From the photos they upload to their Instagram feed, they are highly recommended. Time: 19:30 Venue: Restaurante Berdó, El Puerto de Santa María. To book one of the 10 places per session, please email inwineveritas@hotmail.com or via Instagram @inwine_veritas. 

25 May. The DO Valencia organises a seminar on organic, natural and biodynamic wines which is open to the general public. Venue: Calle Quart 22 Valencia Time: 19:00-21:00 Registration: cursos@vinovalencia.org

27-28 May. To celebrate its bicentenary, Bodegas Barbadillo presents Sumillería Efímera in a pop-up event in Sanlúcar. This is a series of tastings with 12 sommeliers pairing the wines of Barbadillo with different foods cooked by well known restaurants from across Spain. For anyone willing (or able) to live this sensory experience, this month's tasting will be led by Rayco Fernández, sommelier, producer and distributor of Canarian wines, who will pair Sanlúcar wines with dishes served at Gofio restaurant in Madrid. Time: 14:00 and 20:00 Price for four people: €200 

28-30 May. This year, the 58th Ribeiro Wine Fair will have a mixed format, with small-capacity on-site activities and online broadcasts of tastings and other activities. The programme will be published on this link.

29 May. The Cota 500 Wine Festival returns with limited seating and safety distance to Masia La Torreta in the town of Mediona (Alt Penedès). 16 producers whose vineyards are at an elevation of over 500 metres will be exhibiting their wines: Can Vich, Caves Joan Segura, Can Sumoi, Grapissó, Àrid vins, Tayaimgut, Mas Rodó, Penedès 500, Cota 500, Varietal 500, Les Iaies, L'Enclòs de Peralba, Montrubí, Carisma, Terrer de Pallars and Comalats. There will be tastings in the vineyards, one of them of wines from Cebreros, this year's guest PDO, gastronomy and live music. Time: 12:00 - 21:00

29 May. The tasting School in Alicante hosts at the city's Port Muelle 12 a tasting of Tempos Vega Sicilia wines presented by the company's director general Antonio Menéndez, the dean of Spanish sommeliers, Custodio López Zamarra and Ferran Centelles, who has written the book that accompanies this year's Vega Sicilia wines. Time: 11:30 Two tickets: €100  

31 May. The Enoaula training centre in Barcelona presents a one-day seminar on sparkling wines from around the world conducted by grower and producer Roc Gramona, who will talk about their history, production methods, styles, classifications, base wines and biodynamic agriculture, among other aspects. There will also be a tasting of 25 wines. The seminar is classroom-based and will take place at the NH Gran Calderón hotel. Time: 10:00-18:30 Price: €210 plus VAT (Spanish Wine Lover readers get a 10% discount with the code GRAMT48SEM).

31 May - 2 June. This year, the culinary conference Madrid Fusión will include MF The Wine Edition, an event with presentations, tastings and round tables that seeks to strengthen the link between wine and food. Among the speakers are Peter Sisseck, Pitu Roca, José Antonio Navarrete, Raúl Pérez, François Chartier, Pablo Alomar, Pilar Cavero, Norrel Robertson, Andreas Kubach MW, Pedro Ballesteros MW, Juancho Asenjo, Almudena Alberca MW and Ferrán Centelles. In addition to taking part in the conference onsite, there will also be the option of following the presentations online. Price for the three days: €300 (onsite) €100 ( online)