Madrid, 1964. Rafael, winner of the 2017 Spanish National Gastronomy Award, looks after and enriches Coque's wine list, a personal selection of wines and spirits from five continents comprising more than 3,000 labels. With his advice on vintages and appellations chosen to amaze the guest, Coque's cellar offers a choice among the finest wine regions in the world, with special attention to Spanish regions and to wines of excellent value.
Trained at the Escuela de la Vid in Madrid, Rafael has completed a number of specialist tasting courses, including the advanced course of the Unión Española de Catadores. He has also taken part in professional development programmes in Europe's leading wine regions, such as France and Italy. Day after day he devotes himself to seeking out the newest and most interesting wines on the Spanish and international markets.
In 2006, Rafael Sandoval received the National Award for Best Establishment in the Care of Wine, granted by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the National Award for Best Restaurant Wine List Design, granted by the Royal Spanish Academy of Gastronomy.
Rafael Sandoval / Insights
Mario Sandoval's new menu travels through five centuries of Madrid cooking, and Rafael Sandoval signs a pairing to match: chosen vintages from a cellar counted among the best in the world. Each glass adds another chapter to a story that begins in the 15th century and ends at the table.
More than 3,000 labels from five continents, arranged like a colosseum around the room. Coque's cellar is not tucked away or under lock and key: it is the second stop on the journey, and one of the menu's courses is served there.
The Royal Academy of Gastronomy gave Rafael Sandoval the 2017 National Award for Best Sommelier. With Mario (2013) and Diego (2016), the Sandovals became the only Spanish family to hold all three awards for the three disciplines of a restaurant: kitchen, dining room and cellar.
