A wonderful garden where you can escape for a few hours under a hundred-year-old vine
The world of wine is constantly evolving. It is increasingly present in restaurants, which take maximum care of the choice to put it at the height of the food they serve, at the same time that spaces where it is almost a religion, such as Coalla or the recently opened Berria wine bar.
And this is how it should be, because in one of the most important producing countries in the world, we still have a lot to learn. when you think of do a tasting, It may be that, on many occasions, you are overwhelmed by the simple idea of not identifying the aroma of fruit or that for you, what is described as amber, seems yellow to you.
We have become afraid of it to a certain extent and many consider wine even elitist. But beyond the tasting notes or the technical specifications of a wine, it is the history of its vineyards and winemakers.
Precisely to value the latter, it was born a new and idyllic space to enjoy with friends, with wine as the protagonist. Is named the vine and just 15 minutes from the center of Madrid, they have managed to create a place where time stands still, where you can get in touch with nature and do it outdoors in a wonderful garden, which will make you escape for a few hours from life and the big city under a hundred-year-old vine. And all this in addition, humanizing wine and making it available to everyone.
A new and idyllic space where you can enjoy wine in a relaxed way
Behind this idea is Pilar Oltra, sommelier with extensive experience and studies in the world of wine She (2 years of Master of Wine and Level 3 of WSET), in addition to consulting for wineries, wine bars, Regulatory Councils and projects, which she set up years ago her own company, Vinology.
We sat with her while the little birds flutter around us, the sun sneaks through the leaves of its centennial vine and we tasted a glass of rosé, so that it puts us in context about her trajectory, until we got to mount La Parra.
“I have come from the world of wine since I was little. I was born in Mendoza (Argentina) and both my father and grandfather are winemakers who came from Spain. I was born in a vineyard” , she explains to Traveler.es.
And what is sometimes told figuratively, here is literal. "I even learned to walk through a vineyard," she laughs. “We lived on a farm surrounded by vines, I went to the winery and got involved in everything that had to do with wine.”
Pilar Oltra, founder of Vinology and La Parra
Things in life, when it came to studying, she wanted to rebel and study something different and that is how she began to study Business and Marketing. “I ended up studying in France and while there I went to do a grape harvest in Burgundy in a wonderful place. There I reconnected again and realized that I had always had it at home” she recounts.
Her path returned to wine. She worked in an importer of great French and Spanish wines in Mexico and her destiny brought her to Madrid, where she began working with wineries and continued training.
“It was 10 years ago when I set up Vinology, which initially emerged as an events agency both for individuals and corporations around wine, to later also add consulting work, ”she points out.
So she, like everyone else, was surprised by the pandemic. “Until that moment I was very focused on events and even though it was an important weight in my company, it was completely paralyzed. We did online tastings, but it's not the same”, she laments.
Fate played her cards again. “I believe in it a lot. I lived in an apartment and wanted to move to a place with outdoor space, where both my children and I could get back in touch with nature, just as I lived in my childhood”, she shares.
"We are not a restaurant, but we always accompany the wines with quality products"
Finding the one now in her house, she fell in love with it. And not so much from the inside but from the outside, with a fantastic patio sheltered by one of the oldest vines in Madrid, over 100 years old and the way of life that this space could give her, both for her and her family. Sometimes, things are waiting for a specific person...
How did the idea of turning it into a space where wine be disseminated come about? “I was with some friends one day, doing a tasting and enjoying a meal in the sun and they all thought it was wonderful. ** The idea arose completely spontaneously, without having planned it, why not do tastings in this place?”, she asked herself. **
And so it was shaping what is La Parra. Is about “an oasis of tranquility where time stands still and where, under a hundred-year-old vine, I open the doors to a world of wine that is more human, more rested, more intimate” , in Pilar's own words. The place, as you can see, is magical and rarely can you enjoy something so special.
She maintains that “Wine is like a work of art. You can go to a museum and be fascinated by a work, but if they explain it to you or you know a little about the life of the artist, you will enjoy it much more. Same with wine. Anyone can drink it and enjoy it, but the more they tell you about it and give you its context, the more you enjoy it in a different way.”
"We take a walk through these wines, but slowly"
In La Parra you arrive at a place where you are going to be in privacy, in a house. And for this she has designed a series of experiences around wine that are neither tastings nor meals in themselves.
The idea is that they live for several hours and allow you to approach the world of wine from a different perspective. “People reconnect a lot with nature in this space, enjoy the silence, the little birds... It seems that you have left Madrid, being in Pozuelo de Alarcón” Oltra points out.
The experiences are designed ad hoc for each client but to make the choice easier It has launched several themes such as wines from the Old World, New World, Sparkling, Sherry, great wines from Spain...
An oasis a stone's throw from the capital
“We take a walk through these wines, but slowly. Here everyone will learn as much as they want to. It is a talk where we discuss the regions, the grapes, the styles... But above all, the stories behind the wine and not so much the technical part. That cultural part of wine has been lost a lot. What we want is for fear to be lost and the barriers that consider it elitist to be erased”, she recounts and continues “In addition, we give more practical topics, on how you can consume it and keep it at home.”
From there and once in La Parra, he enjoys different moments, having an aperitif standing up in one of the spaces, and then going to the table, where the tasting continues. "We are not a restaurant, but we always accompany the wines with quality products."
It is Pilar herself who is in charge of selecting cheeses from artisan shops, Iberian, smoked, preserves, breads and even jams that they make with their own fruit trees, like an 80-year-old fig tree or a quince. All this without forgetting that the true protagonist is the wine.
"What we want is for the fear of wine to be lost and the barriers that consider it elitist to be erased"
For now, the experiences are for closed groups of six people, taking into account the current restrictions, both for groups of friends or family and for professionals such as Vinology, “smaller, but much more personalized.” In the future the concept may evolve, but it will always continue to do so in petit committee.
At the moment the tastings are during lunch hours and more towards the summer they will become in the afternoon to avoid the central hot hours. To book your experience, you can contact through his Instagram @laparrabypilaroltra. The prices are from 120 euros per person and the complete table of six people, from 720 euros.
A dream space, a relaxed talk about wine, delicious food and a great professional accompanying you along the way. Does anyone give more?
La Parra: humanize wine and make it available to everyone