Decanter magazine’s recently published Spain supplement for 2025 features a round-up of key news for Spanish wine lovers, including new English-language books from the elBullifoundation and a London pop-up for Barcelona’s Bar Brutal during October and November.
elBullifoundation English edition books V and VI released
Created as a natural evolution of the ethos of the former elBulli restaurant, the eponymous foundation has been keeping star chef Ferran Adrià and his team very busy since they served their last meal at the celebrated Catalan restaurant in 2011.
One of the institution’s most impressive projects is the spectacular Bullipedia, a series of gorgeously designed tomes exploring the world of gastronomy, from produce to business by way of history and science.
The seven volumes of the Sapiens del Vino – published in English, with the support of Juvé & Camps, as Wine Sapiens – hone in on all things wine.
The English translation of the fifth and sixth titles, totalling more than 1,000 pages dedicated to tasting technique and ‘the origin and evolution of wine’, has recently been released.
It’s a monumental, detailed exploration of how the technical analysis of wine is done, the different purposes it serves, the processes it relies on and how different factors contribute to outcome. €120 per volume, ElBullifoundation.
Barcelona’s Bar Brutal hits London
Bar Brutal has a pop-up bar in London until the end of November. Photo credit: Nico Delporte.
Barcelona cult wine haunt Bar Brutal is in London until 30 November for a two-month pop-up at Seabird, the 14th-floor rooftop restaurant of The Hoxton, Southwark.
Known for its extensive natural wine list, progressive small plates, quirky interior and collaborations with winemakers, visual artists and musicians, Bar Brutal was founded in 2013 and quickly became one of the world’s trendiest wine hotspots.
As part of the London residency, in partnership with Scotch whisky brand Monkey Shoulder, Seabird will be serving eight special dishes described as ‘coastal classics with a Brutal twist’.
These will be paired with three wines from the Brutal canon – Celler Pardas’ Rupestris 2023, Terroir al Límit’s Històric 2022 and Escoda Sanahuja’s Els Bassotets 2022 – and three cocktails created by Monkey Shoulder. Bar Brutal’s sought-after merchandise will be available for purchase.
Mallorca gets new boutique retreat: Finca Banyols
Finca Banyols: a new luxury retreat in Mallorca.
Nestled in the Tramuntana mountains – designated a UNESCO Cultural Landscape since 2011 – a new five-star boutique hotel was scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2025 in Alaró, northwest Mallorca.
In a renovated manor and surrounded by 100ha of olive groves, vines and citrus orchards, Finca Banyols will have 32 rooms (including a signature suite designed by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada), a wellness centre, a heated outdoor pool, two restaurants developed with the help of prominent chef-patron Dani Chávez-Bello (currently of Babette in Miami, Florida, and others), and a bar pouring a selection of Mallorcan wines alongside European classics.
Update: No rooms were available until 30 April 2026, according to the booking system for Finca Banyols via InterContinental Hotels & Resorts.
Vintae’s productive pandemonium
It’s been a very fruitful year for Vintae, the family-owned Rioja group behind Hacienda López de Haro and Viñedos El Pacto (both in Rioja), Bardos (Ribera del Duero) and Matsu (Toro).
In February, Vintae signed an agreement with Terramoll, in the island of Formentera, and will now oversee vineyard management and production. The partnership was followed by the announcement, in August, that Vintae had returned to 100% ownership of El Bandarra, the very recognisable Catalan vermut brand, having bought back the 25% stake previously held by an arm of Diageo.
These developments build on a string of interesting releases and projects, headlined by Le Naturel, a collection of low intervention and no-alcohol wines, and Pandemonium, a duo of traditional-method sparkling wines aged for three years on the lees.
Book corner: The Wines of Central and Southern Spain
The epicentre of Spanish wine is – as this guide vividly shows – fast-moving. Sarah Jane Evan MW’s latest book, published in June by Académie du Vin Library, explores the outstanding evolution that the country’s centre and south have undergone in the last couple of decades – some of Spain’s most exciting wines are now coming from perhaps unexpected geographies, beyond the better-known northern counterparts.
A comprehensive reference work with essential information on indigenous grape varieties, wine styles and key producers. £35, Académie du Vin Library.
Ramón Bilbao backs Spain’s national football teams
Ahead of the 2026 football World Cup – to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the USA – and of the qualifiers for the women’s counterpart in 2027 in Brazil, Ramón Bilbao has announced a partnership with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Support from the Rioja-based producer comes at a pivotal moment; both teams are currently leaders of the FIFA world rankings and the female cohort will be defending the world champion title achieved in 2023.
First Spanish Master Sommelier: Roberto Durán
This past June, Roberto Durán became the first person from Spain to attain the status of Master Sommelier.
It was the culmination of a strenuous but worthwhile journey for the Madrid-born, Singapore-based Durán, whose preparation process involved mental coaching, thousands of flashcards and daily 15-kilometre runs.
Having honed his craft at 67 Pall Mall in central London, Durán relocated to Singapore where, after a stint at Joël Robuchon, he joined the London club’s Singaporean outpost when it opened in 2022. He oversaw its wine list and sommelier team until March 2025 when he took a break to focus on his study and preparation.
He’s now easing back into activity at Temper wine room and lounge at the Mondrian Singapore Duxton. Has anything changed since he’s added the hard-earned suffix to his name? ‘No. I’m still the same person; I’m still the first to get in [to work] and the last to leave,’ Durán said.
This article was first published in the Spain 2025 supplement accompanying Decanter magazine’s November 2025 issue.
