Vinos Off the Record, an unmissable event for any wine lover
Vinos Off the Record is a “petit comité” exhibition of small producers first held in Barcelona in 2016, and quickly becoming a must for all wine lovers who are looking to discover new products and try wines made by new talent before they become too well known and their small productions are not readily available.

This exhibition is held in Madrid in odd years and Barcelona in even years. This year it was one of the great successes of Barcelona Wine Week held in the Catalonian capital, with a flurry of activities that took place as part the event and drew in this group of extraordinary winemakers whose work is well worth discovering.
This year, 32 small producers from across Spain took part, with some exhibitors from Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
For us, it is without doubt an event not to be missed because it gives us chance to discover those special, artisan wines that reflect emotions and landscapes, and also gives us chance to stay up-to-date with projects we love and those who are making special wines that we really want you to experience.
As you can imagine, it was a challenge, because the 32 producers all have exceptional wines. From the selection, we have chosen five that we think you should experience.
5 unmissable winemaking projects
1. Bodega Alvar de Dios Hernández
Alvar de Dios comes from a winemaking family and works his own vineyards in Zamora, which lie within the Toro wine region where the Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) variety is the absolute protagonist. Wines made here are usually intense and blunt. Alvar de Dios decided to listen carefully to his vineyards, reviving ancient varieties that are still growing there and breaking with this style of full-bodied wines that are not necessarily to everyone’s taste.

He also works with native white varieties like the Doña Blanca. His white and red wines, are a reflection of the terroir they come from and are full of elegance and subtlety, wines that will change your perception of the Toro region, and that are great for all tastes and occasions.
2. Bodega Barco del Corneta
Beatriz Herranz is the captain of this ship, Barco del Corneta, which offers a pure expression of the Verdejo variety that she inherited from her grandfather and that she works with such care to respect its expressiveness, without dressing it up and making it overly sweet. The vineyards are located in La Seca, Valladolid, more than 700 metres above sea level, where the Verdejo grape expresses itself according to the age of the vines and the soils they grow in. This is a lovely revival project and a sign of respect for the environment and the varieties. They have also revived the Juan García variety, which they use to make a red wine in Arribes del Duero.

3. Bodega La del Terreno
Julia Casado made her way to Bullas, a region she had been told about and that she had fallen in love with because of its altitude, its greenery and how different it is to other wine regions in Murcia. Julia went into a hunter’s bar and said: “I’m looking for vineyards”. Just like that, passionate and direct. What must the people sitting in the bar have thought of this young and determined woman looking for plots to work?
They named her “La del Terreno”, which is also how the Monastrell grape is affectionately known there. She, in turn, gave this name to her first wine, a fresh and smooth, single-variety Monastrell that is full of fruit and with a completely different personality than we have come to expect from this characteristic Murcia grape.
Then came “Ninja de las Uvas”, another name that very much suited Julia Casado and that she uses for her Garnacha made in the land of Monastrell.

Julia Casado also has a musical background, so she puts great importance on finding harmony in her wines.
In short, she is a determined women who works to get the best out of this privileged location she fell in love with in Bullas, and who has turned her land into her trench.
4. Bodega Javier Revert Viticultor
Javier Revert is a young vine grower and winemaker who is part of the Celler del Roure team who decided to revive a plot planted by his great grandfather in 2014. Javier Revert fell in love with this vineyard and settled in the highest area of La Font de la Figuera, in Valencia. From there, he makes interesting wines that come from revived vineyards of the region’s ancient varieties. These are wines with a rustic spirit but with amazing finesse and elegance. His work, both at Celler del Roure and here with his own project is attracting some attention and turning Valencia into a wine region that is worth rediscovering.

5. Bodega Verónica Ortega
Verónica Ortega is moving from being a revelation to becoming a reality. This young Cadiz winemaker has an enviable background and experience: she has taken part in grape harvests at Romanée Conti and Domaine du Compte Armand in Burgundy, she has worked with Daphne Glorian and Álvaro Palacios in Priorat, and has even taken part in grape harvests in New Zealand. When you see her in person, before even tasting her wines, the first impression you get is of elegance and self-control, characteristics that are conveyed in the wines she makes in Bierzo where she works with the Mencía and Godello varieties and seeks to obtain maximum expression of the terroir. Sharp, mineral, elegant and characterful wines, where the Burgundy influence is clear; extraordinary, vivid and unmissable wines.

Vinos off the Record is a Lectores Vini initiative and the next event will be held in Madrid in 2021 and Barcelona in 2022. An unmissable event for anyone interested in and passionate about wine.