Wine: A VIRTUAL (& DELICIOUS) Art Tour
Wine-makers and connoisseurs would tell you that winemaking is an art in itself. This is especially true in Spain, where painting and viniculture are so entwined that great museums of Madrid are awash with scenes of biblical, historical, and mythic heroes raising, drinking, or otherwise sloshing a glass of red or white.
This virtual tour brings you the best of both worlds, as Madrid-based art historian Teresa de la Vega guides you through the grandest collections of the Spanish capital, tracing the story of wine through masterpieces in oils and watercolours.
As you look at the paintings you’ll hear how this ancient, eternal drink has developed over the centuries as a privilege of the powerful, a form of currency, a symbol and a wellspring of health and merriment. Works by Brueghel, Velázquez and Ribera are just some of the masterpieces that we explore.
Whether you’re an art-lover, a wine aficionado, or a relative beginner in either area, here’s an opportunity to drink in wondrous images paired with specially-selected vintages from the Madrid region. Cheers, or salud, to the fruits of the vine, and the painters it has inspired.
A word on your guide, Teresa de la Vega…
On her guided tours of Madrid’s great art museums, Teresa de la Vega can tell you everything you need to know about the masterpieces and the lesser-known gems in each collection. More importantly, perhaps, she can communicate her passion for those works in such a way that you find yourself sharing that enthusiasm. “Terete” is one of those rare art historians who can take you beyond the mere facts of a painting – the life of the artist, their social context, their materials and methods – and help you actually see and feel it to its full effect.
A graduate in American Anthropology, Ancient History and Art History from Madrid Complutense University, Teresa has spent her whole professional life in service of tourism and the promotion of culture. She is a certified guide to the art institutions of Madrid, from the Prado, to the Thyssen-Bornemisza to the Reina Sofia museums and beyond. Teresa has worked with a range of organisations and even guided the guides with courses on Floral Painting, Colour, Beauty and the Body, and The Correspondence between Painting and other Arts. In 2019, her extraordinary self-designed tour Madrid With The Five Senses was awarded the coveted first prize for “Madrid’s Best Guided Visit”.
By Heather