When you walk through the door of Vertical Wine Bar & Shop, you experience a space trip. Or in other words: the sensation that floods you is more of being in a nice bistro Bordeaux than on the Costa del Sol. In Malaga, unlike what happens in the French land of wine, it is not common to enjoy these small and intimate spaces in which the main actor is the broth , accompanied, in the background, by a concise variety of bites with which to further expand the pleasure of tasting.
Also few dishes, informal, but resounding and really exquisite -such as the tuna, green mustard and quail egg muffin, or the delicate pinsetta with tomato and burrata-, accompany in this new establishment in the center of Malaga a a menu by the glass with 40 extraordinary height references and a natural wine store with 250 initial references , in continuous growth. It is not for less: whoever has them is neither more nor less than Julio Barluenga, sommelier of the Michelin stars elBulli, Noor and Azurmendi.
The idea of opening Vertical Wine Bar & Shop came to Barluenga after returning from Peru in 2017, where he landed hand in hand with the former elBulli room director, Luis García Lacuesta. There he was directing the sommelier of the prestigious Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio , developing the wine lists of 65 different restaurants during the four years he spent in the South American country and training the workforce of the nine restoration lines.
“I have always thought that the mixture of experts, journey, handling of good product and humility when it comes to transferring knowledge to those who know the least about my field, these are aspects that translate into a resolute and winning formula”, the sommelier tells Traveler.es.
With those values in mind, Barluenga has given birth "a harmonic, sensory and personalized journey, focused on awakening the curiosity of wine lovers", according to those responsible for the project, which is both shop, bistro, meeting and movement space around the culture of this concoction.
VERTICAL NIGHTS
"Vertical is the first space in Malaga with a very resounding offer in biodynamics, naturalness and accessibility thanks to the breadth of the letter. In addition, we have a expertise national and international for more than 15 years, that we will use to try to make customers vibrate with a glass of wine”, continues the sommelier.
A perfect corner for lovers of biodynamic wine.
So much so that Vertical Wine Bar & Shop promotes the event 'Vertical Nights', that gathers in tastings, presentations and talks to the best producers, oenologists and national experts in wine culture around the natural wines, that is, of low intervention.
The first of these appointments with very limited capacity (they can be booked by phone or by mail) will take place on May 14 and will include the sommeliers Ferran Centelles and David Seijas, who will review their experience at El Bulli.
“Over time, Vertical will go bringing Andalusian, national and international chefs to make very interesting four-handed nights”, says Berlanga. And he tells us more ambitious plans: “Our dream is to lead the first Low Intervention Wine Fair”.
A UNIQUE PROPOSAL IN MÁLAGA
For now, what is clear is that Vertical Wine Bar & Shop offers an exclusive proposal in Malaga, a city with a wide range of hotels -although with a certain lack of quality, according to Barluenga-. Why is this so particular bistro located here?
“In 2018 and 2019 I was analyzing the city on multiple trips when I lived in Bilbao, making comparisons of lifestyles, tourism, knowledge on the subject, sociability of residents and weather, and Malaga turned out to be the ideal city in European growth. Furthermore, it is a place gives me life, joy and where I can spread my knowledge to people who want to get rich with them”.
The experience at Vertical Wine Bar & Shop is, in fact, as sensory as it is educational. proper nouns ( Onra Blanc, Orange Puglia, but also Cal Rovira -for the sobrassada- or skull -for cheeses-) are a delight in the mouth, but they acquire new dimensions thanks to the details that Barluenga provides about their origin and production.
Oyster Fine de Claire Verte de Marennes d'Oléron nº2, by Nathalie et Sébastien, served at Vertical Wine Bar.
This experience is magnified from Tuesday to Thursday, when they take place introductory and personalized tastings with five liquid preparations and four artisanal cheeses for those who want to learn a little more about “wines in motion”.
“The word ‘vertical’ is used to talk about fresh, radiant, agile wines, with a thin drawing in the mouth, persistent and prolonged. That verticality is exciting of our wines", says Barluenga, who is already beginning to gather a small army of followers around the many pleasures of this warm bistro.