2014-2015

INTRODUCTION The PROGRAM AT INSTITUTO CERVANTES offers an ambitious series of eleven seminars with an outstanding selection of for the 2015 WINTER SEASON that runs from January to March.

THE INSTITUTO CERVANTES WINE PROGRAM OFFERS • Unique tasting seminars on top appellations, winemakers, and hot wine trends in Spain and the world, frequently presenting new and unreleased cutting edge wines. • Exclusive blind tastings on great , regions, varieties, and wine styles, showcasing the best Spanish wines, plus top mystery wines from the world’s best wine regions.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE WINES OF SPAIN • Spain has more land under vines than any other country, and has an ancient tradition that goes back thousands of years. • Spain became in 2013 the largest wine producer in the world, surpassing Italy and France, and is, according to the International Wine Office, the second largest wine exporter by volume, after Italy. • Spain has over 60 officially designated wine regions (called Denominaciones de Origen or D.O.) with more than 2,000 that make several thousand different wines every year. • Spain is the cradle of and Albariño, and also of more than 150 grape varieties, among them Garnacha (a.k.a. ), Godello, Graciano, Mencía, Monastrell (a.k.a. Mourvèdre and Mataro), and Verdejo, which are fashionable grapes in France, Portugal, California and Australia.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR Helio San Miguel was born in Madrid. He is the New York Correspondent of Club de Gourmets, Spain’s leading wine and food magazine, and a frequent contributor to publications in English and Spanish.

WINTER 2015 – WINE SEMINARS

19TH CENTURY HISTORIC WINERIES [Thursday, January 15] To start 2015 on a high note, we open this wine tasting season with a seminar devoted to the historic 19th century wineries of Rioja. Following the lead of Marqués de Riscal and Marqués de Murrieta, they created the traditional wine style that has given fame to Rioja for well over a century. At the same time most of them continue to be the quality leaders today. If you love the subtle elegance and age-worthy potential of Reserva and Gran Reserva wines, or if you just want to discover their traditional and modern styles, this seminar is for you. RIOJA: TO BLEND OR NOT TO BLEND [Thursday, January 22] Traditionally Rioja wines have been blends dominated by Tempranillo with the addition of small amounts of Graciano, Garnacha and Cariñena. However, the emergence of modern riojas twenty years ago introduced new star wines made with 100% Tempranillo. Last year, in our own tastings we asked two top winemakers about their preferences. The results were split, but made us realize that surprisingly nobody has done a comparative tasting between those styles. It’s about time.

RIBERA DEL DUERO ICONS [Thursday, January 29] The labor of Vega Sicilia, Pesquera, Valsotillo, Viña Pedrosa, and Protos led to the birth of as a wine appellation over thirty years ago. Since then a few more star wineries and winemakers, like Mariano García, Peter Sisseck, Emilio Moro, Dominio de Atauta, Casajús, etc., have taken their region to new heights in the international markets. This tasting is devoted to those pioneering wineries, visionary winemakers and star wines responsible for the style and world-class reputation of this acclaimed region.

RIBERA DEL DUERO VS. NAPA VALLEY [Thursday, February 5] Ribera del Duero wines, made with the Tempranillo grape in a tannic and concentrated style, are Spain’s answer to Napa Valley reds. Despite using different varieties, these wines share many common features. In this tasting we will compare these modern, powerful, complex and age-worthy wines.

1994: TWENTY YEARS LATER [Thursday, February 12] 1994 was immediately recognized as a milestone year, even better than the historic 1982. It also became the showcase for a generation of young and ambitious winemakers from Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat and other areas of Spain that were bursting into the international spotlight. Since then we have followed this hallowed vintage in our tastings proving time after time that for once the expression “vintage of the century” might not be an exaggeration. Now, two decades later, it is the perfect time to taste this magnificent year at its peak.

THE FIRST DECADE [Thursday, February 19] The first decade of this century has been simply the best in the wine history of Spain. In most wine regions half of the vintages were excellent. In addition, the revolution that has taken place in Spain since the 1990s has resulted in a bigger and more diverse crop of top wineries and wines than in previous decades. In this seminar we will taste the greatest vintages of this historic decade from Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Toro, Priorat, and other wine regions.

TWIN PEAKS: 2004 VS. 2005 [Thursday, February 26] Like 1981 and 1982, and 1994 and 1995 before them, 2004 and 2005 are a rare duo of back-to- back outstanding vintages in most major areas. Now that both vintages are about a decade old, it’s the perfect time to compare the evolution of these two hallmark vintages, tasting the same six top wines from both years.

2010: THE CROWNING JEWEL OF A GREAT DECADE [Thursday, March 5] From the onset 2010 was considered a superior vintage to even 2000 and 2005 in Bordeaux. In Rioja it was simply deemed as the best of the century so far, and in Ribera del Duero, Toro and Priorat as better than 2009. In addition, as it happened with 1995 and 2005, 2010 has resulted in a very fine vintage in most major areas. In this seminar we will take an early look at the evolution of this legend-in-the-making vintage.

THE CASKS OF AMONTILLADO AND PALO CORTADO [Thursday, March 12] is Spain’s most traditional, original, unique, and imitated wine creation. And amontillados and palo cortados are the most revered of all the Sherry styles. Amontillados grow under a yeast called “flor” to later undergo a controlled oxidative period that makes them darker and nuttier, and adds extra nuances to their rich aromas and flavor profile. One step beyond is palo cortado, a fluke of nature and a true rarity. Palo cortados just happen when some casks seem to choose their own destiny against the cellar master’s will. The finest amontillados and palo cortados are considered the best and most sophisticated wines of Spain by demanding connoisseurs. In this tasting we will get to know and taste these two distinctive Sherry styles focusing on the top VOS and VORS quality levels.

TERROIR, TYPICITY, STYLE [Thursday, March 19] In wine regions with a long history, the personality of their wines is so much determined by the past that the introduction of new grape varieties or even novel winemaking techniques is many times banned or seen as a betrayal of the region’s or style. Barolo and Rioja are examples of this. On the other hand, many modern areas are more open to experiment with different winemaking techniques and grape varieties, and label their wines after them. In this seminar we will discuss the concepts of terroir and typicity tasting wines with unmistakable character and style from both historic and modern regions.

TIMELESS WINES [Thursday, March 26] Most wines are meant to be consumed upon release, while others keep improving for a few years. A handful of wines, however, need years of cellaring to reach their peak and then evolve at a glacial pace for decades. In Spain, some of the classic examples of this select group are the best Rioja gran reservas, Vega Sicilia, and the top . This tasting is devoted to these timeless wines that reward a few years of patience with decades of pleasure.

* Policies for language courses apply. Please refer to the Academic program.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to offer a special thanks to the wineries and importers and their assistance in our aim to offer the best possible wines.

REGISTRATION Registration begins Friday, December 5 at 7 am All seminars will be held from 6 pm to 9 pm Maximum of 3 seats allowed to be registered by each person, per seminar Maximum of 14 attendees per seminar (no waiting list)

* Instituto Cervantes reserves the right to cancel seminars for which fewer than six participants have registered. Students registered in a cancelled seminar will be notified and may transfer to another session, providing it is not full, or receive a full refund.

Ticket prices Single tasting $95 Three tastings $275* Six tastings $540* *Please note that the discounts are based on the number of wine seminars attended and not on the number of tickets purchased.