THE 3 BEST WINE SHOPS IN MADRID (Octubre 2014)

All throughout Spanish history, farmers, monks and locals have produced wine and drunk it at their family tables, blissfully unaware that their daily vino was the nectar of the rich and privileged in faraway countries. Wine has always been available here, and it has always been good.

If you are not from Madrid, it can be hard to buy wine like a Spaniard. We tend to look for an imported bottle and an expensive label – but not anymore.

Forget your old assumptions about quality and price, because in Madrid, fantastic wine is produced just around the corner. On the edges of the city border, incredible Madrid wineries with vast vineyards are producing fantastic wines that have been enjoyed here locally for centuries. You have great wines at good prices right at your fingertips, and are in the perfect place to start a Spanish wine journey.

Working at a wine company, I have learnt a few things about where the Spanish buy their wine in Madrid. Drop your post-work trip to the supermarket and try these 3 best places to buy wine in Madrid- whether you are looking to pick up a bottle for a friend´s dinner, or spend as long as you like on a Saturday afternoon browsing and tasting the wines that they have on offer.

Bodega Santa Cecilia

Santa Cecilia is, in so many words, a wine supermarket. It has a mini supermarket check-out counter, push entry barriers, aisles of beautiful shining bottles, wine gifts and books. However, Santa Cecilia also has a somewhat hidden secret weapon: a selection of traditional Spanish foods. Originally founded in 1922 as a traditional Madrileño food shop, Santa Cecilia has stayed true to its roots and today still offers a selection of delicious gourmet cheeses, hams, aperitivo snacks and store cupboard patés to add to the wine in your shopping basket.

Following the theme of food, Santa Cecilia also has a mini cafetería style bar with high stools that serves tapas to try with the wine while you browse. This makes a visit to this shop with a friend a potential afternoon of food and wine tasting. They also have a serve yourself ´zona de catas´ wine tasting bar, with bottles open and ready to try if you need some inspiration, or are just figuring out what you like.

Wine tasting area with the tapas bar in the background

Santa Cecilia also offers a wide selection of liquors, juices, spirits and mixers, as well as tasting workshops and courses- this month Scottish whisky tasting and cocktail making.

Address: Blasco de Garay 74, Madrid

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