Rafael Sandoval News · Wine cellar
Inside the colosseum: Coque's wine cellar, 3,000 labels and one point of view
More than 3,000 labels from five continents, arranged like a colosseum around the room. The cellar run by Rafael Sandoval is not tucked away or under lock and key: it is a stop on the journey, and one of the menu's courses is served there.
In most restaurants the cellar is wherever it is out of the way. At Coque it is right in the middle: Rafael Sandoval runs it as the second stop on the journey guests make through the house, and one of the menu's courses is served there. What follows is what is inside, and the thinking behind it.
A colosseum, not a storeroom
The bottles are not lined up against a wall: they surround the room like a colosseum, spread over three levels, so that whoever walks in stands at the centre. The space is part of the premises at Marqués del Riscal 11, opened in 2019 and designed with each brother deciding on the space of his own craft.
The sacristy, named after bullfighting
Inside the cellar there is a separate space: the sacristy. The name is neither decorative nor religious; it comes from bullfighting —the custom before the decisive pass— and marks exactly that on the journey: the stop immediately before entering the kitchen. The cellar is, in the house's own words, a liquid library; the sacristy is the moment of silence before what comes next.
Three thousand labels and one point of view
A long wine list is easy to announce and hard to sustain. Coque's brings together more than 3,000 labels of wines and spirits from five continents, with particular attention to Spanish appellations and to a balance of quality and price that lets guests explore it without its length making it inaccessible. Wine is not bought to be owned: it is bought to be served.
That collection is what makes the pairing for the Madrid Menu possible, and it is also the craft for which Rafael received the Spanish National Gastronomy Award for Best Sommelier.
Frequently asked questions
- How many labels does Coque's wine cellar hold?
- More than 3,000 wines and spirits from five continents, with particular attention to Spanish appellations.
- Can guests go into the cellar?
- Yes: it is the second stop on the guest's journey through the restaurant, and one of the menu's courses is served there.
- What is the sacristy?
- A space inside the cellar. The name comes from bullfighting, the custom before the decisive pass, and on the journey it is the stop before the kitchen.
- Since when has Coque been at Marqués del Riscal?
- Since 2019. The premises were designed with each brother deciding on the space of his own craft.
Sources
- Rafael Sandoval, sommelier at Coque Restaurant, Coque Restaurant.
- The experience, step by step, with the wine cellar and the sacristy along the journey.
The house, before all of this: why the restaurant is called Coque.
More about the team: Rafael Sandoval, sommelier · Mario Sandoval, chef · Diego Sandoval, maître d' · The experience, step by step
