Where to drink wine in Madrid

TO MANY tourists, Madrid is kind of an afterthought, Spain’s second city after Barcelona, which, in their minds, abounds with youthful energy, quirky architecture, a thriving arts scene, beautiful beaches and superb restaurants.

But Madrid, with its relaxed disposition, warm generosity and excellent museums, is full of wonderful restaurants that are great places to drink wine. Madrid is a terrific place to visit, too.

I have passed through the city many times over the past 15 years, generally for a night or two on my way to somewhere else in Spain. But over 10 days in late spring, I explored its restaurants, tapas joints and wine bars.

I was thrilled by the breadth and variety I found in many places, which went far beyond the deep selections of Spanish wines that I remember on earlier trips. Like so much of the world, Madrid has fallen in love with Burgundy and champagne, with many excellent bottles at prices far below what I’d expect to pay in New York. That goes for Spanish wines, too.

The list that follows avoids the sorts of expensive Michelin-starred places where you might dress for a meal and expect big wine lists. Instead, you’ll find simpler, comfortable places with exceptional food, no matter how rustic.

Some are well-known among wine lovers, others not. Madrid is a sprawling city and offers plenty of opportunities for discovery.

Here are nine places I loved, in no particular order.

La Canibal

On my visit to La Canibal, an airy wine bar just a few minutes walk from the Reina Sofía museum, I sat below a handwritten sign that set the tone for my meal. Loosely translated, it read: “Life is wonderful, and you are, too.” I enjoyed two superb whites, a taut, complex 2020 Cantalapiedra La Otea, a verdejo from very old, ungrafted vines, and a floral, stony 2020 Os Pasas Ribeiro from Luis Anxo Rodríguez Vazquez. The menu starts with easygoing tapas, like a tangy pickled eggplant salad, grilled Basque peppers and grilled razor clams. La Canibal offers main courses as well and, if you’re in the mood, an excellent lineup of craft beers. 28 Calle de Argumosa, Lavapies

La Fisna

This tiny rustic wine bar and bottle shop is simply a great place for food and wine. Creature comforts are few – wood stools, high-top tables – but the warmth of the people and quality of the food stands out. The wine list is great, with extensive selections of champagne, Burgundy and aligote at exceptional prices, and the Spanish selection is quite good. We drank a fresh, succulent La Llorona Bierzo godello from Veronica Ortega, for about US$45, with classic Spanish dishes such as wood-roasted red peppers with thin slices of tuna belly, delicate bacalao croquettes and a beautiful, distinctive tortilla, the ubiquitous Spanish egg dish, made with sobrasada, a cured sausage. Each ingredient seems to come from a relative or friend of the proprietor, Delia Baeza, including the superb cheeses and membrillo, the quince paste. 91 Calle del Amparo, Lavapies

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Berria

With its sleek, curving bar, upholstered chairs, soft lighting and stylised dishes, this handsome wine bar is like a hyper-designed version of La Fisna. The food and wine list are superb. Bottles are everywhere, whether behind the bar (50 wines by the glass) or empties on walls lining staircases, hallways, even restrooms, offering testimony to past pleasures. It’s not hard to contribute to those memories, with excellent bottles in every price range. I had a subtle, textured, saline Catalonian Improvisacio xarello from Enric Soler, and a mellow 1994 Vina Real Rioja Reserva from Cune. Exceptional dishes include a simple but wonderful housemade potato chip topped with an anchovy and cured pork jowl, and delicious fried eggs with shrimp and an umami element, like a Thai fish sauce, prepared tableside. 6 Plaza de la Independencia, Retiro

La Venencia

This old, dim, Spanish Civil War-era bar, its walls stained by decades of cigarette smoke, has a few rules. First, no photos, a reminder of the days of conflict when suspicion could easily be cast on anybody. Second, no tips. And third, no unnecessary chatting with the stern bartenders. A friend ran afoul of this last rule when he added a “por favor” to our order. “I don’t need your ‘pleases’,” was the curt reply. So, keep things simple, because this is a singular place. Sherry is all that’s offered to drink, besides tap water. Bartenders fill unlabelled bottles from ancient wood casks on the wall. No producers named here, and don’t ask. Just stand up to the wooden bar to order one of the five sherries available: manzanilla, fino, amontillado, oloroso and palo cortado. They are fresh and wonderful. So are the simple treats: rounds of chorizo and other meats sliced behind the bar, preserved tuna, olives, a few slices of Manchego, maybe anchovies on bread. 7 Calle de Echegaray, Barrio de las Letras

Roostiq

Roostiq is a sleek, friendly asador, where the specialty is grilled organic meats. They are wonderful, whether crunchy pork crackling, smoky boneless chicken legs, excellent pluma pork (like a pork skirt steak) or tender, flavourful rib steak. You could begin with a salad, but how about pizza topped with guanciale and spring onions? The Spanish selections are excellent. I enjoyed a tangy 2019 Pur xarello from Pardas in the Penedes, and a delicate, complex 2014 Cantos del Diablo Mentrida garnacha from Daniel Gomez Jimenez-Landi. It’s also a rare Madrid restaurant open on Sundays. 47 Calle de Augusto Figueroa, Chueca

Ganz Wine Bar

This comfortable, stylish, neighbourhood spot is a great source for beautifully chosen bottles at great prices, like 2021 Cami dels Xops, a savoury, saline, focused petillant naturel from Anima Mundi; a 2020 Fato, a rich, meaty but light-bodied red blend from Eloi Cedo on Majorca; and a spicy, direct 2021 Rioja Vinedos en San Vincente de la Sonsierra from Jose Gil. Food is casual but thoughtful and made with superb ingredients, like wonderful anchovies on tomato toast, richly flavoured minced shrimp served under a shroud of Iberico lardo, and lamb served in a crusty pastry, like a Spanish take on a Jamaican meat patty. 9 Calle de Almaden, Barrio de Las Letras

Angelita

When you order a bottle of wine in Angelita’s spacious, open dining room, the sommelier will pour a bit into each glass. “Our policy is, everybody tastes,” he said. So it goes in this serious, yet friendly and knowledgeable place run by two brothers, Mario and David Villalon. Wine is David’s sphere: He has assembled an excellent list, with dozens of wines by the glass and particularly strong Burgundy and Spanish sections. Much of the produce comes from the family farm. Top dishes included a deconstructed salad of roasted red peppers, anchovies and potatoes; a delicious pisto, a sort of Spanish ratatouille; and oxtail cannelloni with porcini mushrooms. I drank a rich, saline 2020 69 Arrobas albarino from Bodegas Albamar and an earthy 2014 Morey-St.-Denis from Domaine Arlaud. If a nightcap seems in order, head downstairs to Mario’s realm, a lovely, creative cocktail bar. 4 Calle de la Reina, Puerta del Sol

Cuenllas

Cuenllas opened in 1939 as a delicatessen, and over time, added a small tapas bar and a tiny restaurant. At lunch one day, the bright tapas bar was packed almost entirely by locals, tended to by a friendly staff in starched white jackets. Ingredients are superb, whether shrimp that taste like the essence of shrimp, sardines escabeche dressed in a lightly sweet vinegar, or a wonderful callos ala Madridilena, a thick, spicy tripe soup with morcilla. The fairly priced, international wine list is not huge, but carefully selected with many hard-to-find treasures like a racy 2021 Krettnacher Euchariusberg kabinett riesling from Hofgut Falkenstein. 5 Calle de Ferraz, Arguelles

Vinoteca García de la Navarra

This is another restaurant run by two brothers, Pedro and Luis Garcia de la Navarra. Pedro is the chef; Luis, the sommelier. It’s a pleasant place, full of families on a Wednesday night, yet the wine list is long and deep, with an exceptional Spanish selection and many old vintages as well as hard-to-find bottles. I drank a lovely, resonant 2013 Finca Calvestra from Mustiguillo, made of the rare merseguera grape and a complex, intense 1994 Prado Enea Rioja Gran Reserva from Muga. The menu has traditional, seasonal cuisine, such as peas with ham, bursting with spring freshness; savoury, peppery eggs and morcilla; and an excellent 45-day dry-aged top-loin steak. 3 Calle de Montalban, Retiro. NYTIMES