Wine tastings in November 2021

Each month, we compile some of the most interesting wine activities that take place in Spain but this month we also include an event outside the Iberian Peninsula. It is the 5th Be ranci! Salon and the Third Meeting of Dry Oxidative Wines that will be held in the French town of Perpignan, less than half an hour by train from Barcelona. Over two dozen Spanish producers will be present alongside some other 70 bodegas from seven different countries.

4-5 November. This year, the Rioja Oriental Wine Route hosts the 3rd Congress of Historic Winery Districts, which can be followed in person or via streaming. There will be presentations and round tables with interventions by Pablo García Mancha (Bodegas Queirón), Berta Valgañón (Pretium), Luis Alberto Lecea (Bodegas Lecea), the anthropologist Luis Vicente Elías and architect and producer Javier Arizcuren, among others. Place: Centro Fundación Caja Rioja in Arnedo (La Rioja). Time: from 09:00. Registration is free.

4, 16, 18, 24, 25 and 30 November. The calendar of in-person tastings presented by the Spanish Tasters Union at its headquarters in Madrid (Lope de Vega, 27) includes the following events: tasting of Lustau wines with its technical director, Sergio Martínez (4th), long-aged sparkling wines with medals in the Vinari awards (16th), Chianti Clásico (18th and 25th), Protos Gran Reserva vertical tasting (24th) and Dominik Huber and his Terroir al Limit wines (30th). All tastings cost €40 except for the sparkling wines (€35) and there are discounts for members. All activities are at 19:00. Reservations by phone on +34 914 293 477 

5, 12, 19 and 26 November. The Sonrojos wine shop in Almoradi (Alicante) presents four tastings this month with the following speakers and themes: Pepe Rodríguez de Vera presents the wines of his family winery in the DO Almansa; wines under a veil of flor with Hilarión Pedauyé; Sherry and Champagne with David Bernardo López Lluch and Fondillón with Miguel Pedauyé. Time: 19:00 Registrations at sonrojos@sonrojos.es

6 November. Argentinian sommelier Paz Levinson will be in charge of today's Sumillería Efímera, a series of events organised by Barbadillo in Sanlúcar de Barrameda to mark its 200th anniversary.  With dishes from the El Espejo restaurant, Paz, who is executive sommelier at Anne-Sophie Pic's group, with restaurants in France, the UK and Switzerland, will present a selection of wines. Price: €50 per person. Shared tables for 4-6 people. 

8 November. Seven countries, 21 production areas and upwards of 70 producers will be present at the 5th Be ranci! Show and 3rd European Meeting of Dry Oxidative Wines to be held at the contemporary art gallery in the French city of Perpignan, less than an hour and a half by train from Barcelona. Among the participating Spanish producers are Sicus, Gramona, Vall Llach, Mas Martinet, Celler Orto, Menade, Esencia Rural, Esmeralda García, Emilio Hidalgo, Cota 45, Bodegas Luis Pérez, Mario Rovira, Alvear, Robles and Bodegas Monóvar. Time: 10:00 - 19:30 Price: €10 (Includes entrance and glass). Further information at en beranci66@gmail.com

8 - 12 November. Sherry Week is back again with over a hundred events, mainly online with live feeds on the @sherrywinesjerez Instagram account, such as a masterclass on biological ageing with César Saldaña, president of the DO Jerez, and Josep Roca from El Celler de Can Roca restaurant; a cocktail session with sherry wines led by Chantal Tseng or the #MySherryPleasure competition with prizes worth €250. In addition, on 9th and 10th November, the Copa Jerez will take place with a producers's tasting event, presentations and round tables with the participation of professionals such as Ferran Centelles, Luis Gutiérrez, Paola Medina, Willy Pérez, Ramiro Ibáñez, Juan Ruiz Henestrosa, Manuela Romeralo, Chelsea Anthon, José Antonio Navarrete, Juan Manuel Bellver and Ramón Coalla, among others.

9-24 November. Penedès holds a new edition of Most Festival, which brings together the best audiovisual production about vineyards, wine and cava. The screenings will take place at Vinseum in Villafranca del Penedès with a final event featuring a journey through the wines of the three films programmed for Most Reloaded conducted by Toni Carbó of La Salada and Mas Candí. Tickets can be purchased on the festival website (€4 and €20 for the tasting).

12 November. The Regulatory Board of D.O. Navarra Wines presents #Winecom, a communication and wine conference, at the University of Navarra in Pamplona. Topics such as content creation, influencer marketing, online sales communication and the brand as an element of communication will be discussed and there will also be a round table. Among the speakers are Pedro Blanco, presenter of "Hoy por hoy Madrid" on Cadena SER radio, José Luis Orihuela, professor at the Faculty of Communication at the University of Navarra, Ramón Piqué, storyteller and creative, British writer and columnist Jamie Goode and Daniel Morales and Javier Euba, founders of Moruba Graphic Design. Price. €50 (online attendance) and €150 ( in person, €100 before 5 November.)

12 November. The first 21st Century Mavex Forum brings together a small representation of women in the wine sector at the Science Museum in Almendralejo (Badajoz) with the aim of promoting wine culture in Extremadura and raising women's visibility in the wine sector. Among the speakers are managers of Regulatory Boards such as Misericordia Bello from Bierzo, producers such as Pilar Higuero, Charlotte Allen, Mireia Torres, or Anne Cannan and experts in wine communication and marketing such as the journalist Paz Ivison, María Antonia Fernández Daza; Andrea Alonso, from Makro Europe or Pilar de Haya, from Lavinia España. Registration is free and can be done by clicking on this link

13 November. Tasta Porrera is a wine and local gastronomy fair hosted by the Asociación de Bodegas de Porrera and the town council in this village in Tarragona province. Wines from the wineries of the village will be on display accompanied by local cuisine and there will be direct sale of wines. Time: 11:00 - 14:00 Price: €20.

13-14 November. Bodegas Aragonesas in Fuendejalón (Zaragoza) presents a vertical tasting of its Fagus wine that also includes a visit to the Terroir Garnacha space, as well as a ham and cheese platter for two people to pair with the 2018 vintage with which the vertical tasting will end. Two sessions will be held at 11:00 and 17:00 Price: 30 €. Reservations can be made by whatsapp on +34 650 376 519 or by email: enoturismo@bodegasaragonesas.com

15 November. Bierzo wines will be present at the Hotel NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding in Madrid. An opportunity to taste the latest vintages and discover new releases from around 20 producers. Opening hours: 12:00 - 15:00 and 17:00 to 21:00

15 November. After visiting several Spanish cities this year, the Experiencia Verema arrives at Barcelona (Maritime Museum). As well as the showrooms, with around 50 producers, there will be themed tastings hosted by Campo de Borja, Somontano and Ribera del Duero appellations as well as by producer Ramón Bilbao. Hours: 12:00 - 21:00 Price: €15 online and €20 at the gate.

15 November. Malauva presents in Madrid the Biodynamic Diary 2022, an excellent series of portraits by photographer Abel Valdenebro, who has photographed 12 producers and their wines in the nude, with texts by Luis Vida. In addition to the presentation of the agenda, the event will be attended by the winemakers and their wines: Roberto Regal (Enonatur), Diego Losada (Bodega La Senda), Julia Casado (La del Terreno), Julien Ben Hamou (Bodegas Coruña de Conde), Melanie Hickman (Struggling Vines), Julián Ruiz (Esencia Rural), Pilar Higuero (Lagar de Sabariz), Javier Castro (Ziries), Alfredo Maestro, Inma Badillo, Alejandro López y María Sacristán (Punta de Flecha) and Samuel Cano (Bodegas Patio). Where: Restaurant Portomarín (c/Valencia, 4) When: 18:00 - 22:00 Entrance + agenda: €15

15 November. Although without the usual competition in pairs of other editions, the San Sebastian Gastronomika Congress maintains in its programme three wine-related activities: a tasting of five Miguel Torres Anthology wines hosted by winemaker Josep Sabarich (11:30, €40), whites from Tenerife with Custodio López Zamarra and José Hidalgo (16:30) and Rioja wines with Pablo Franco (18:30, €40).

18 and 25 November. The wine training centre Artean Wines presents two activities this month. Both are held in Bilbao (Espacio Pangea, Plaza Indautxu), are Sherry-related and include a seminar on VOS and VORS wines (18th, 18:30 - 20:30, €75) taught by Teresa Guilarte, and an advanced course, endorsed by the Regulatory Board of Jerez, which will take place on the 27th (09:30 to 14:30, €90).  

21 November. The wine bar La Vinya del Senyor in Barcelona's central Santa María del Mar square presents Sommelier Invitado, with the presence of renowned sommeliers from around the country who will be offering their selection of bottles to taste by the glass. Today is the turn of Mohamed Benabdallah, from Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo (Bizkaia). Time: 17:00 - 22:00 Price: varies according to the wine you drink. There is no charge for attending the session, which is open to everyone.

22 November. La The Association of Sommeliers from Navarra presents at Hotel Don Carlos near Pamplona a vertical tasting of five vintages of cava Can Sala led by producer José María Ferrer. Time: 19:00 Price: €50 (€25 members).  Registrations at actividades@sumilleresnavarra.com

23, 25 and 30 November. Enoteca Barolo (Príncipe de Vergara, 211, Madrid) presents three tastings this month. The first will be a sushi pairing with wines from France, Spain and Portugal (23rd, €55); the second is a tasting of Amarones and Valpolicellas from Dal Forno Romano led by expert Juancho Asenjo (25th, €120) and a tasting of classic wines from Spain, France and Italy with Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva 2010, Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2009 or Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo 2014, among others (30th, €70). Time: 20:30

22-23 November. Around 400 bodegas will attend the 20th edition of Spain's Top Wines Show, organized by Guía Peñín at Pavilion 2 in Ifema Madrid (Campo de las Naciones). It's a chance to literally taste your way around some of Spain’s top scoring wines and meet some of the people who make them. As well as the tasting tables, there will be conducted tastings. For the first time, the show will have a special area to showcase the Best Vermouths. Opening hours 22nd: 12:00 to 20:00 and 23rd: 11:00 to 15:00.

23 November. The Fundación para la Cultura del Vino hosts the 15th Technical Meeting on Winemaking Adaptation to Climate Change at the Hotel Princesa Plaza in Madrid with several presentations throughout the day and a final debate with representatives from wineries such as La Rioja Alta, Bodegas Muga, Marqués de Riscal, Pago de Carraovejas, Vega Sicilia and Terras Gauda. Time: 08:45 - 19:00 Registration: €225 with lunch (discounts for students and FCV members).

25 November. Wine store Lavinia in Madrid (Ortega y Gasset, 16) hosts a showroom of wines from DO Montilla-Moriles with the presence of some of the region's producers. Time: 18:00-20:30 with shifts of 45 minutes each. Price: €20

25 November. The Palacio Tondón restaurant in Briñas (La Rioja) presents the tasting Champagne Terroirs with wines made from Chardonnay grapes grown in different areas of the region. Time: 19:30 Price: 49 € Registration: infowinebar@palaciotondon.com

26 November. More than 20 wineries from Spain, France and Italy will be present at the Mediterranean Wine Show being held at the L'Escaleta restaurant in Cocentaina (Alicante). Doors open between  11:00 to 14:00 - 16:30 to 21:00. There will also be a round table discussion starting at 9:30 Price: €35

26-28 November. For three days, Vinarama in Málaga hosts at La Térmica (Av. de los Guindos, 48) an event where visitors can taste more than 100 wines from Malaga producers such as Dimobe, Victoria Ordóñez, Bentomiz, Viñedos Verticales, La Melonera or Lunares, among others, with guided tastings, music, talks and presentations and a playroom for children under 12 years old. Times: 12:00 to 22:30 and until 18:00 on Sunday. Price: €6

28-29 November. The Castes festival returns with a more intimate format featuring a wine tasting tunnel at the Derby tavern in Villagarcía de Arousa (rúa Alcalde Rey Daviña) with wines from producers such as Attis, Cume do Avia, Cabana das Bolvorertas, Constantino Ramos, Iria Otero, Mauro Estévez, Alcalá, Albamar, Laura Lorenzo, Verónica Ortega, Dominio do Bibei, Manuel Rojo, Fulcro, Viña Somoza, Formigo, Dominique Roujou, Vimbio, Pagos de Brigarte and Adega Pomba. There will also be vertical tastings with the presence of several producers, including Laura Lorenzo, Verónica Ortega and Dominio do Bibei. Opening hours: 12:30 - 17:00 (wine tunnel) and 20:30 - 22:00 (vertical tastings). Price: €15 for the wine tunnel and €20 per tasting.

30 November. The ninth Salón de las Estrellas de la Guía Peñín will take place today in Madrid (Palacio de Neptuno) with the opportunity to taste a selection of around 500 wines that have obtained three, four or five stars in the Peñín Guide. Time: 12:00-20:00

30 November. The Association of Rioja Sommeliers hosts a meeting at Villa-Lucía in Laguardia for members as well as wine lovers and even rock 'n' roll aficionados. The event will start at 18:30 with a round table with Luis Gutiérrez,  The Wine Advocate critic and journalists Alberto Gil (Diario La Rioja) and this writer, and chaired by Javier Pascual and José Félix Paniego, followed by dinner and a concert by The Winedrinkers, arguably the most wine-loving music band in the country. Price: €110