“Wine tasting is evolving towards discovering and trying other grape varieties and styles, such as natural, orange or ancestral wines”
Archive interview recovered from Winerim. Roles, distinctions, figures, relative dates, recommendations and personal assessments are presented in the context of the original publication, not as newly verified current facts or guaranteed outcomes.
Álex Pardo, Spain's Best Sommelier 2023 and sommelier at Restaurante Coque**.
In that week's Sommelier Corner, the original article introduced Álex Pardo as one of the most recognised figures in Spanish sommellerie. Named Spain's Best Sommelier in 2023 at the prestigious UAES Sommelier Championship, Pardo had turned the wine experience into a combination of knowledge, innovation and passion. At the time, he worked at the renowned Coque restaurant in Madrid, marked with two stars in the original article, where he led a team of sommeliers managing a cellar with more than 2,500 references and designed exclusive pairings that had captivated critics and diners alike.
From his beginnings at the family bar in Cubas de la Sagra, Pardo knew that his vocation lay in customer service and wine. Over the years, he had built a solid educational foundation, with qualifications such as WSET 3 and specialist training in the wines and vinegars of Montilla-Moriles, alongside experience at some of the most prestigious restaurants in Spain and the United Kingdom, including La Terraza del Casino, Santceloni and Quique Dacosta. His approach went beyond classic pairing: Álex considered a sommelier's success to depend not only on technical knowledge, but also on the ability to communicate and adapt the experience to each customer, bringing together wine, cocktails and management.
In this interview, Álex Pardo shares his vision of the sommelier's role, his passion for wine and his approach to creating unique experiences through the senses.
1. When Did Your Interest in Wine Begin?
When I was a child in my family's restaurant. That was where I began to take an interest in wine and where I designed my first wine list.
2. What Qualities Should a Good Sommelier Have?
A sommelier must first be a good professional on the restaurant floor. Then, if you want to specialise in wine, you need to know about wine, of course, but also about financial management, English, communication and sales techniques, Excel... Knowing only about wine is not enough.
3. What Is the Most Unusual Place Where You Have Organised or Attended a Wine Tasting?
In Santorini, at a viewpoint overlooking the sea, watching the sunset.
4. What Are the Trends in the Sommelier Profession?
I see, for example, that wine tasting is evolving towards discovering and trying other grape varieties and styles, such as natural, orange or ancestral wines. Also dealcoholised wines. Another trend is using technology to continue your education or attend virtual tastings. You can now learn from expert sommeliers from the comfort of your home, as I do at my school, Grand Cru Academy. Technology has also revolutionised sommellerie through mobile apps that help you keep a record of your tastings or find information about particular wines. It is like carrying another sommelier, who knows more than you, in your pocket. Social networks, blogs and newsletters (mine is called La Wineletter), where we share knowledge and experiences, create a virtual community in which ideas and experiences can be exchanged. Finally, social networks, with platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or LinkedIn, for sharing knowledge and experiences by posting photos or videos of tastings, wines or trips.
5. Recommend a White, Red, Rosé, Sparkling, Fortified and Dessert Wine
- White: a Burgundy from Meursault, by Vincent Girardin.
- Red: Alma de Luzón, Jumilla.
- Rosé: Miraval Rosé, from Provence.
- Fortified: Apóstoles VORS, by González Byass, from Jerez.
- Dessert: Ariyanas Naturalmente Dulce, by Bentómiz, Málaga.
Editorial note: the original answer gives five recommendations; it does not name a sparkling wine.
“Cava or Champagne and birthday cake... a terrible pairing.”
6. What Should Someone With Little Wine Experience Consider When Choosing a Wine to Accompany Their Meal? In Other Words, What Basic Rules Should a Diner Know to Choose a Good Wine?
Choose the one you like best, within your budget.
7. Challenge a Myth About Wine and Food Pairing
Sparkling wines such as Cava or Champagne with birthday cake. It is a terrible pairing.
8. What Requirements Must a Wine Meet to Be a Good Wine?
As for its aromas, it should have a pleasant and varied aromatic range of high intens… On the palate, it should be smooth, without astringency, and balanced in components such as acidity, sweetness, alcohol and body; after swallowing, it should have a long, pleasant finish.
Editorial note: the original source reads «alta intens». The word ending has not been recovered or reconstructed; the unfinished fragment is marked with an ellipsis.
9. What Steps Should We Follow to Taste Wine at an Amateur Level?
First smell the wine to discover its aromas or whether it has a fault, then take it into your mouth to feel its texture, body and alcohol, and finally swallow it to check how long its impression lasts.
10. Which Wine Had Surprised You Most Recently?
A bottle of Pingus 2020 surprised me negatively. It was disappointing because it lacked aromas, character, balance and persistence.
11. What Is the Best Wine You Have Tasted for Value for Money?
La Plazuela, by Más Que Vinos.
“With Winerim, there is no need to print; it lets me keep the wine list up to date at all times, helps me manage stock, purchases and sales, and is very visual and attractive, which has an impact on the customer experience and sales.”
Editorial note: this is the interviewee's historical account of his experience, not evidence of a measured or guaranteed sales increase or independent verification of the product's current features.
12. A Traditional Paper Wine List or a Digital Wine List?
A digital wine list, without a doubt. Above all, for the possibilities it offers for management, organisation, cleanliness and updating... There is no comparison.
13. How Does Winerim Help You in Your Work?
There is no need to print; it lets me keep the wine list up to date at all times, helps me manage stock, purchases and sales, and is very visual and attractive, which has an impact on the customer experience and sales.
Editorial note: this historical personal assessment is not a measured sales result, a promise of outcomes or verification of current product features.
14. Finally, a Piece of Advice for Any Wine Lover
You do not need to know about wine to enjoy it.