Wine Salon Session: Picasso & Wine
- Victoria Daskal
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
The third instalment of my Wine Salon Sessions explored the relationship between wine and art, taking Pablo Picasso as our guide. Through the wines of the regions where he lived, worked and found inspiration, we traced his journey from Andalucía to Galicia, Catalunya, Paris and Provence.
By this point, I had settled into the rhythm of hosting at Linden House, our beautiful riverside venue in Hammersmith overlooking the Thames. Megan, my mentee and invaluable helper for the evening, and I had also become much more in sync. Feeling more confident with the format, I decided to experiment.
For the previous salons, guests arrived to a sparkling wine reception before taking their seats around a communal table for a guided tasting. This time, I wanted the evening to feel more immersive and exploratory.
The weather was glorious, so we began outdoors with an apéro overlooking the river, which felt entirely appropriate for a wine experience inspired by the Mediterranean.
Our first wine was Sumarroca Núria Claverol Homenatge 2015, a traditional-method sparkling wine from Penedès. Served alongside jamón Ibérico, olives and Spanish crackers, it set the tone for the evening beautifully.
When guests entered the room, they found no set table waiting for them. Instead, the space had been transformed into a series of tasting stations, each
representing a different chapter of Picasso's life. Every station featured a wine from the region, carefully chosen food pairings and decorative elements inspired by the place and period.
Rather than following Picasso's life chronologically, we let the wines themselves guide the journey.
Provence: Picasso's Final Home
We began with Provence, even though it represents the final chapter of Picasso's life. The bright freshness of rosé felt like the natural place to start.
The wine was Château Henri Bonnaud Sainte-Victoire 2025, a crisp and elegant rosé from the foothills of Mont Sainte-Victoire. The connection felt particularly fitting. Picasso spent his later years nearby, while the mountain itself was immortalised by Cézanne, an artist he greatly admired.
Alongside the wine, guests enjoyed black olive tapenade and saucisson seasoned with Provençal herbs, classic flavours of the South of France.
Galicia: The Young Picasso
From Provence, we travelled back to Picasso's childhood in northwestern Spain.
When Picasso was ten years old, his family moved to La Coruña in Galicia, where his father taught drawing. Although an artist himself, Picasso's father quickly recognised the extraordinary talent of his son. According to family lore, he eventually handed over his own brushes and palette, convinced that the young Picasso had surpassed him.
To represent Galicia, we poured Albariño from La Val, a bright, high-acid white wine with citrus, peach and maritime freshness.
The pairing was a classic Gilda, the iconic skewer of olive, anchovy and guindilla pepper that perfectly captures the salty energy of northern Spain.
This was also the ideal moment to introduce the cheese board, featuring Manchego, fresh goat's cheese and Gorgonzola Dolce.
One unexpected advantage of the venue became apparent here. Linden House is home to a sailing club, and the walls are already lined with images of boats and dramatic seas. The Atlantic atmosphere worked beautifully with Galicia. I added paint brushes, palettes and squeezed tubes of oil paint to complete the scene.
Barcelona: Experimentation and Creativity
For the next chapter, guests finally took their seats around the table.
We explored Picasso's formative years in Barcelona, where he frequented Els Quatre Gats, immersed himself in the city's artistic circles and began pushing the boundaries of his creative expression.
The wine was Loxarel Òps Garnatxa 2023 from Penedès.
Rather than leading a traditional tasting discussion, I invited guests to do something different. Sheets of paper and artist's pastels had been placed around the table. Instead of searching for tasting notes, guests were asked to draw their sensory impressions of the wine.
Was it bold or delicate? Angular or rounded? Bright, energetic, layered, powerful?
The exercise encouraged everyone to move beyond vocabulary and engage directly with their perceptions. The results were wonderfully imaginative. Some guests worked in bold colours and dramatic shapes, while others created subtle, abstract sketches. Sharing the drawings around the table sparked fascinating conversations about how differently we all experience the same wine.
Paris and the Artist's Label
The artistic theme continued with our fifth wine.
Château George 7 2020, from Fronsac in Bordeaux, represented Picasso's years in Paris. Bordeaux would have been a familiar sight in the cafés and brasseries of the city, and Picasso himself was known to enjoy structured, powerful red wines.
The choice also opened the door to one of wine's great intersections with art. Since 1945, Château Mouton Rothschild has commissioned leading artists to design its labels. Over the decades, contributors have included Chagall, Cocteau, Miró, Warhol and many others.
Picasso's artwork appeared on the 1973 label, released as a tribute following his death that same year. Inspired by this tradition, guests were invited to create their own wine labels after tasting the wine.
The results were extraordinary. Some designs were playful, others deeply personal. Every label reflected something different about the wine and the person tasting it.
Platters of charcuterie and chorizo accompanied the Bordeaux and fuelled plenty of lively discussion.
Returning to Andalucía
For the final wine, we returned to where Picasso's story began.
Born in Málaga, Picasso's roots were firmly Andalusian. While Málaga itself offers fascinating wines, from dry mountain-grown styles to its historic sweet wines, I chose to finish with a nearby regional classic.
The wine was Barbadillo Criadera Selection Amontillado En Rama from Jerez.
For many guests, it was their first experience tasting Amontillado. The wine's complex layers of toasted nuts, citrus peel and savoury depth prompted some of the evening's most animated conversations.
Alongside it, we served an almond cake from Brindisa. The pairing worked beautifully, with the nutty sweetness of the cake echoing the wine's own character.
Ending the evening in Andalucía felt like bringing the story full circle.
As we finished, I shared one of my favourite Picasso quotations:
"My mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope.' Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."
It felt like the perfect way to conclude an evening dedicated not only to wine and art, but also to creativity, place and the stories that connect them.
The more I host these salons, the more convinced I become that wine is at its most powerful when it acts as a gateway into something larger. A place, an idea, a conversation, a work of art. This evening reminded me that wine does not simply accompany culture. It is part of culture, and it has an extraordinary ability to bring people together around a shared story.
Next Wine Salon Session: Wine &. Landscape
