La Fisna

La Fisna is a wine bar, shop, tasting centre and importer, on Calle del Amparo, in Lavapiés. It is open Monday to Friday in the afternoon and evening, with seasonal cooking and a wine list of over a thousand references.

From tasting shop to wine tavern

Delia Baeza opened it in May 2008 on Calle Doctor Fourquet, as a shop and tasting venue. In February 2016 it moved to its current site, the former tavern Casa Donato, which keeps its castizo bar architecture, and added the bar and dining room. It works mainly with independent wineries and low-intervention wines; it imports French wine directly, with Burgundy as a speciality, and expands its Spanish wine side each year. It serves no soft drinks, coffee, spirits or draught beer: wine is almost all of its liquid offer. Wines from the shop are sold with a 15% discount to take away.

The Wednesday tasting

On Wednesdays the team of sommeliers leads tastings in the Sala de Sed, the venue's private room, for groups of six to eight people. They can be introductory, themed or comparative: the group chooses the level and the theme. Five bottles are tasted in an hour and three quarters, starting between 17:30 and 18:30, and the introductory one costs €29 per person. Request it by email stating day, time, number of people, type of tasting and whether you want to have dinner afterwards; they reply in 24 to 48 hours.