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<span style="font-size: medium;">This is a much needed update to my 2010 post on good wine places in Madrid. Madrid is still a challenging wine place....getting better, but challenging. Great tapas and easy-drinking quaffable wines to wash them down abound, but if you are visiting and really want to explore some of the better wines it's still not easy. For wine lovers visiting Madrid there are a few vital stops I would recommend....the top two being Casa Lucas and the Mercado de San Miguel.</span>


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<span style="font-size: medium;">1. Casa Lucas at Cava Baja 30, near Plaza Mayor. My favorite wine bar in Madrid. Not only because the wine selection by the glass is excellent and the tapas outstanding, but especially because the service and the welcome is unfailingly warm and inviting. These guys are awesome! My favorite tapas are the Cariñena tosta, the Arroz cremoso, the carpaccio de pulpo and canelonis de curry….really unique and delicious food…but really anything on the menu is amazing. I tend to order wine by the bottle and they always have new and great recommendations…but by the glass is great too. Go early, they open at 8PM, to get a seat if want to order food. (Make sure you don’t confuse them with the famous Casa Lucio across the street…very pricey…definitely not my favorite!) </span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">2. Taberneros at Calle Santiago 9, near Plaza Mayor: Excellent wines and excellent tapas in a gorgeous setting, though the service is never what it is in Casa Lucas. It has remained one of my favorites over the years…love the cecina, the scallops, the potatoes and eggs with truffles and many more. Great selection of dessert wines by the glass…very hard to come by in Madrid. One of my favorite Spanish dessert wines by the glass, a botrytis Chardonnay, Caligo, is usually available by the glass here.</span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">3. Mercado de San Miguel, also right by Plaza Mayor: Really beautiful renovation of a historic market into a market/tapas place and one of the most popular places in Madrid! One of my long time favorites. It is not perfect, can be overcrowded, and sometimes it can be closed for private events, but Pinkleton, the wine bar in the Mercado has some of the best wines in Madrid. I love to go there with my friends…we usually order by the bottle, but the by-the-glass selection is excellent. These guys know their stuff and can recommend a great bottle of wine for a good price…almost always have an English-speaking staff member. We rarely spend more than 20€ for a great bottle. If you like the bottle you can even buy one at a reduced price to go. Grab a table and go around the market and get a few tapas to go with your wine. The cheese stand is outstanding as is the olive stand. My personal favorites are the Sorlut oysters at the oyster stand and the cheese stand....but there is so much more. Lots of choices at different price ranges. Open till very late. Love it...a really great concept!</span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">4. El Corte Ingles Gastronomic Space: El Corte Ingles will be on your radar if you are at all interested in shopping while you are in Madrid, but even if not, stop by for some great food and wine. There are various of these now...the original one I recommended is in El Corte Ingles Goya but there is a much bigger one in El Corte Ingles Castellana. The newest and most convenient to many visitors to Madrid would be in El Corte Ingles Callao, right by Sol in the center. These gourmet areas combine tapas with restaurants for a total Spanish gastronomic experience. </span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">Great selection of wines and gourmet food to sample and you can buy it all to go! The selection avries depending on the store, but there is the oyster and champagne bar, the gourmet hamburger stand, the cheese and jamon vendor....also some decent wines and beers to sample. They even have a corkage concept…you can get a bottle from the wine section and for 3 euros over retail price they will open it for you to enjoy with your tapas. Open 7 days a week…only limitation is that it closes at 10PM or 11PM depending on the day....and it is in a department store! Not too crowded...which you will appreciate after the Mercado de San Miguel! You can do your shopping and then sample great wine afterwards!</span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">5. A new favorite is the Cheese Bar from the folks at Poncelet, one of my favorite cheese stores. Beautiful space, amazing selection of artisanal cheese and wines. Not super cheap but worth every penny. Spectacular! Also a bit off the beaten tourist track up on Calle Abascal, 61. Check my detailed <a title="Poncelet Cheese Bar Madrid" href="http://planetavino.net/2012/10/14/cheese-heaven-in-madrid/" target="_blank">review</a>.</span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">5. Laredo and Taberna Arzàbal: These are off the beaten track a little on the east side of Retiro Park, near Ibiza or Goya metros. Great restaurants, but also great places to stop for nice wines by the glass and fantastic tapas. See my separate review of <a title="Taberna Arzábal Madrid" href="http://planetavino.net/2012/12/04/taberna-arzabal-in-madrid-butter-and-truffle-potatoes/" target="_blank">Arzàbal</a> or check Laredo's <a title="Taberna Laredo Madrid" href="http://www.tabernalaredo.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. </span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">6. Cava Baja: the best wine street in Madrid. There are lots of great tapas areas but this street has the largest concentration of bars with good wine selections by the glass. El Tempranillo, Orixe, and of course, Casa Lucas, are some good ones, but there are lots! Very centrally located right by Plaza Mayor. The streets around also have some great places. The places are open for lunch, closing around 5ish and then reopen at 8 or 830. </span>

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