Wine tastings in October 2017

October is a  great month to visit vineyards. Although the harvest has arrived earlier than ever, and many growers, even in Rioja and other northern regions have finished picking the grapes, the green colours of the vines turn to red and ocres tones creating beautiful images. As well as the last harvest festivals of the season, our agenda features wine showrooms and tastings in many of the usual locations plus a couple of new additions.

2 and 9 October. The second Special Wines Showroom that Verema hosts in Madrid (Hotel Westin Palace) will be exclusively devoted to sweet, fortified and sparkling wines. Around 30 procures will be present at the event such as Rey Fernando de Castilla, Lustau, Colet, Llopart, Raventós i Blanc and Ochoa. As well as the showroom, the following tastings have been scheduled: Requena, home of Valencian cava, tasting of Reynolds Wine Growers wines from Alto Alentejo and Almacenistas by Lustau, Sherry artisans. On the 9th, the Experiencia Verema will travel to Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao with the chance to taste wines from around 50 producers. Tickets: € 5 online and € 10 at the gate.

3 October. Now in new premises, Alicante wine merchant Pedro Ruiz Belda from Tiza y Flor return to host interesting tastings. To start the new season, they have invited Arrayán, a producer from the DO Méntrida with this selection of wines: Arrayán selección 2014, Estela de Arrayán 2009, La Suerte de Arrayán 2014, La Garnacha de Arrayán 2014, Arrayán Albillo Real 2016. Arrayán Syrah 2011, Arrayán Petit Verdot 2010 and Arrayán Premium 2010. The tasting will be held at Syrah Wine Bar (Castaños, 7). Price: €10

4 October. After the summer break, Óscar Soneira returns with his tastings and starts with ancestral and traditional sparkling wines: José Michel & Fils Brut Tradition (Champagne), Langlois Chateau (Cremant de Loire), Vendrell Olivella Natural Brut Nature (Cava) and Acequión 2015 Ancestral. Location: La Vicoca in Barcelona (Carrer d’Hostafrancs de Sió, 18) Time: 19:30 Price: €20

5 October. Luis Martínez Lacuesta, from the eponymous Haro winery, will lead a tasting of old Campeador vintages at Bodegas Santa Cecilia in Madrid (Avenida de Europa 13, Pozuelo). The Campeador tasting, a brand that will turn 100 years old next year, includes the following vintages: Reserva 1968, Reserva 1975, Gran Reserva 1981, Reserva 2001, Gran Reserva 2005 and Reserva 2010. Price: €35 (members €30) Time: 19:00-21:00

5 October. Wine store La Mercería in Boadilla del Monte-Madrid (Avenida Siglo XXI, 4) presents the wines of Bodegas Toro Albalá (DO Montilla-Moriles) with a tasting that will include old Pedro Ximenez sweet wines plus a discussion about static ageing. Further information on +34 637 852 998

5 October. Wine store Jovani Vins in Barcelona (Comte Borrell, 28) presents a tasting of Celler 9+ wines, a producer that makes wines in the Tarragonès region, some 4 km from the sea. The wines will be paired with four types of cheese. Time: 20:15 Price: €6 (€5 members)

6 October. Jorge G. Balsera, better known in social media as Sibaritastur, hosts a day out for anyone wanting to share good wines. He calls it #TimbaVinicola and this will be its 17th edition. The idea is to hop from place to place in Oviedo to try a few chosen wines along the way. “I present the wines and then we drink; it’s not a formal tasting as such but rather an informal gathering with good wines,” says Jorge. The price is proportional to the wines shared. Further information on the event hashtag on Twitter and Facebook or here: sibaritastur@gmail.com

6 October.  Producer Alta Alella, whose estate is a 15-minute drive north of Barcelona, presents TierRaiz, a fusion of their wines with the music of Catalan singer-songwriter Joaquin Galiano and the poetry of Uruguayan Carlos Lema. Time: 19:00 Price: €22 Further information on enoturisme@altaalella.wine

6-8 October.  Around 20 cava producers will take part on this edition of Cavatast in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia (Barcelona), a three-day event with wine and food stands, tastings, winery tours, artisan products and ludocavas, to introduce children to the culture of wine. Check the programe on the link above for timetables and information. Price: Cava tasting (4 tickets) €5. Riedel glass €5

7 October. To celebrate its 125 years of existence, the Winemaking Station (Estación Enológica) in Haro (La Rioja) opens its doors to the public. Visitors will be able to tour the centre and discover its history with narrated tours (10.30, 12.00 and 13.30) and workshops for families and children (11.30 and 12.30). The Estación Enológica, one of the pioneers in Spain, will also host an exhibition about the development of the wineries in Haro over the years. Further information on +34 670 531 534

7 October. Bodega Urbana in Bilbao (Gran Vía, 66) organizes a tasting course in English with Armand Laurenns. Over three sessions (the following will be held on 11/11 and on 16/12) participants will be able to learn vocabulary and ways to describe wines in English. The first session, Wine tasting and vocabulary, is a basic introduction to tasting wine and includes a tasting of four wines. A B2 level of English is required to take part in the course. Price:  €75 for the three days. Inscriptions on +34 94 4416181

7-8 October. The Sitges Harvest Festival has a longstanding tradition in this Catalan town and includes a showroom of wines from a dozen producers from the DO Penedès and Garraf, a traditional wine pressing and a grape treading competition. Price: €7 for three wines plus the glass. Time: 12:00-15:30 and 17:00-21:00 on Saturday and 12:00-15:00 and 17:00-21:00 on Sunday.

9 October.  As well as welcoming many well-known chefs, San Sebastián Gastronomika also organizes Wine&Win, a wine tasting in pairs competition aimed at both professionals and aficionados. La competición consta de semifinal y final y consiste en contestar preguntas teóricas así como adivinar vinos a ciegas. The competition includes a semifinal and a final where participants answer questions and taste a few wines blind. The winning couple will take home €2,000. Time: 17:00 Price: €50 € per couple with discounts on the Wine Sessions.

12October. Fintan Kerr, author of the blog Wine Cuentista, gathers a bunch of wine lovers and hosts wine tastings of all kinds in English. Probably the most popular are his blind tastings, and that’s precisely what he has organized for today in Barcelona (Carrer Sant Pere Mes Baix, 92). There will be six wines from Spain and other wine regions across the world. Time: 19:00 Price: €30 Inscriptions via email: fintankerr@winecuentista.com

15 October. Over 400 runners have confirmed their participation in the Priorat Wine Run, a marathon and half-marathon across the vineyards of DO Priorat that will start and finish at the Cooperative Falset Marçà. At victualing points, and in cooperation with producers from the DO Montsant and DOQ Priorat, participants will find local products and wine. There will also be music and food throughout the race. Price: From €44
 
19 October. As part of the Valenciso Experiences in La Rioja, there will be a tasting led by Juancho Asenjo with white and red wines from New Zealand. It will take place at Hotel Husa Gran Vía de Logroño (Gran Vía Juan Carlos I, 71 bis) Time: 19:00-22:00 Price: €15

19 October.  Quim Vila celebrates its Colección 75 Aniversario -a set of wines he commissioned to top producers in 2007- with a special dinner and the presence of five of those producers who made wines for this special range: Daphne Glorian, Juan Carlos López de Lacalle, Eulogio Pomares, Rafael Palacios and Ramón Castaño. Colección wines will be paired with a tasting menu created for the occasion by chef Paco Pérez. Location: Restaurant Enoteca Paco Pérez, Hotel Arts Barcelona (Marina 19–21) Time: 21:00 Price: €275 (members €245) 

20 October. Wine store Vinosfera in Vitoria (Rafael Alberti, 24) presents a tasting of red varieties from Rioja with five single-varietal wines: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo and Maturana Tinta. The tasting will be followed with a few bites including Iberico ham and Idiazabal cheese. Time: 19:00- 21:00 Price: €22

21 October. If you like padel and wine, the Ciudad de la Raqueta in Madrid (Monasterio de El Paular, 2) has organized a padel tournament in pairs at 16:00 followed by a tasting of five wines from five different regions (Dehesa de Luna, Dominio de Tares, Izadi, Marco Real and Pago los Balancines). Price: €20per player or €10 for guests. Further information on +34 629 682 802 

21-22 October. Bodegas Lecea in San Asensio (Las Cuevas, 246) hosts the 9th Grape Treading Fiesta in which guests are invited to tread grapes on the winery's stone lagar on Friday a manual press of the grapes on Sunday. During both days, visitors can tour the 16th century cellars, taste Lecea's wines, taste a variety of dishes and take part in wine raffles. Free entrance.  Further information on +34 685 010 400

21-22 October. The 9th Wine Festival in Lleida (Plaça de la Llotja) takes place this weekend with tastings of white and red wines from the DO Costers del Segre vs others from the rest of the world led by sommelier Manu Jiménez, best sommelier in Spain in 2017. Castell del Remei, Cérvoles, Costers del Sin, L’Olivera, Raimat, Tomás Cusiné and Vinya els Vilars are some of the producers that will have stands at the event. There will also be guided tours, live music and good tastings. Price: €15 for tasting session. Information and bookings on +34 973 700319

23-24 October.  Over 200 producers will attend the 18th edition of Spain's Top Wines Show, organized by Guía Peñín at Pavilion 2 in Ifema Madrid  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. Opening hours: 23rd: 12:00 to 20:00 and 24th: 11:00 to 15:00. Price €100

23-29 October. For the sixth consecutive year, 25 hotels in Barcelona offer tastings of wines from all the appellations in Catalonia. Some of the tastings include pairings such as that of great cavas with Iberico ham (Hotel Sofía, 27 and 28 October) and others are followed by dinners. Price: €15

24 October. “The dream of an English woman". That’s how Charlotte Allen describes the project she set up in Arribes del Duero to make wines with grapes such as red Juan García and whites Godello and Malvasía. The tasting at Enoteca Barolo in Madrid (Príncipe de Vergara, 211), led by Charlotte, will feature the following wines: Charlotte Allen Blanco Godello and Malvasía 2016 (new release), Pirita Tinto Crianza 2008, Cielos y Besos Tinto 2016, Charlotte Allen Tinto Crianza 2011, Pirita Blanco 2016 and Pirita Tinto Crianza 2013. Price: €30 Time: 20:30 Bookings on: +34 91 745 1927

25 October. As part of the International Jazz Festival of Barcelona  Monvínic (Diputació, 249) will host the eighth edition of Monvínic Experience, with a tribute to the great wines of Andalusia led by Sherry expert Álvaro Girón, and the flamenco guitar sounds of Juan Gómez, 'Chicuelo'. Time: 20:00 Price: €85

25 October - 13 December. The DO Navarra Regulatory Body launches the second edition of Jornadas Vitivinícolas DO Navarra with four talks about digital communication, wine tourism, exports, R&D in wine growing and international markets. 
The first event, with consultant Reyes Ávila, digital communications expert Andrés Sáenz de Tipsa and Jesús Mora from Spain’s Wine Regulatory Body Association (CECRV) will talk about how to reach new consumers, improve winery management and wine tourism strategies. On November 8, export professional Pablo Buján will talk about success strategy in the US. On November 22 the debate will verse around the role of R&D in the current wine growing challenges in Navarra while on December 13 the closing conference will be led by Rafael del Rey, from the Observatorio Español del Mercado del Vino (OEMV), who is set to talk about the future of Spanish and Navarra wines in the world. Location: Agro-engineering School of the UPNA in Pamplona. Inscriptions on +34 948 741812. Price: €40 (€20 for professionals, lecturers and students).

26 October.  Mostrador de Vila Viniteca in Madrid (General Díaz Porlier, 46) presents a tasting of worldwide Sauvignon Blanc wines, such as Còsmic Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Neudorf Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Saint Clair, Pioneer Block 1 Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc Perdeblokke 2014, Les Champs Libres 2014, Domaine Vacheron Le Pavé 2012 and Araujo Sauvignon Blanc 2013. Price: €46 Time: 20:00-22:00

26 October.  The Casa del Vino in El Sauzal (Tenerife) presents a fun tasting of Tenerife wines, eadable flowers and candies. Further information and bookings on +34 922 57 25 35 Time: 18:00-21:00 Price: €15

26 October. Vinos Divertidos is the project of Julio César Ferri who wants to bring together wines from various origins but which share an informal outlook. The following wines will be presented at the tasting today: Cojón de Gato Garnacha Blanca, Cojón de Gato Blanco, La Moto Garnacha, La Furgo Crianza and Barón de Filar Crianza. There will be tapas after the tasting. Location: Vinoteca Collado. Plaza Itálica s/n. 11311 P.N. de Guadiaro (Cádiz). Time: 19:30 Free entrance

26-28 October.  Bodegas Franco-Españolas brings back its ghosts from the past with Hallowine, a theatre for children and adults in the centuries-old winery in Logroño followed by a tasting of Bordón and Diamante wines. Bookings on +34 941 251290 Price: €15 (Children: €10)

27-29 October. Although on a later date than usual, the Mostra de Vins y Caves de Catalunya returns to Barcelona (Passeig de Lluís Companys). Sixty-six Catalan producers will show their wines, among them Abadal, Alta Alella, Castell del Remei, Celler de Capçanes, Celler Masroig, Coca i Fitó, Codorníu, Espelt, Jean Leon, Juve & Camps, Llopart, Marco Abella, Mont Marçal, Perelada, Raventós, Rovellats, Torelló and Torres, among others. The wines, which will be on sale at the event, can be paired with local produce such as cheese, cured meats, pies etc. Time: 22nd 16:00-21:00  and 23-25 September: 12:00-21:00 Price: fine tastings €6, 12 tastings €13 and 22 tastings €20

28 October. The village of Escaladei hosts the 9th Festa del Vin Blanc to revive the tradition of "vimblanc", a sweet wine that used to be made across Priorat for the dates around All Saints Day. As time went by, this festival has welcomed sweet and rancio wines produced in the DOQ Priorat, as well as other wines produced by the region's wineries. The following producers will be at the tasting: Cellers de Scala Dei, La Conreria de Scala Dei, Celler Pasanau, Joan Ametller, Cellers Tane Vins, Burgos Porta and Celler Mas d'en Just. Time: 11:00 - 15:00 Price: €10

28 October. The town hall of Mallabia (Bizkaia) and Ardosaltsan in Durango host a tasting event with the chance to taste wines from producers like Itsasmendi, Carmelo Rodero, Losada, cava Bohigas or txakoli Urkizahar paired with pintxos prepared by the town's bars. Location: Probaleku de Mallabia  Hours: 12:00-17:00 Price: €5