Alexandra Kalinina — Cava expert and private wine guide.

I started organising private wine tours because the standard options didn't reflect the Catalonia I knew. Big buses, generic cellars, rushed tastings — none of it captured what makes the regions around Barcelona special. So I built something different: small, private, personal days, designed and guided by a local specialist who actually knows the producers by name.

What I love is the human side: a winemaker walking you between vines they planted with their parents, a long Catalan lunch where everyone slowly relaxes, the moment someone tastes a real Corpinnat for the first time and realises sparkling wine can be that serious.

Credentials and focus

My professional focus is the sparkling wines of Catalonia — Cava and Corpinnat — backed by formal WSET Level 3 training and years inside the cellars themselves. I work day-to-day with the producers, the rules of the appellations, the differences in dosage, ageing and grape selection, and how to taste them properly. Alongside the sparkling side, I plan full custom days across Penedès for groups who want something specific.

Where I work

I'm based between Barcelona and Mataró, in the heart of the Maresme coast. From here I'm thirty to forty-five minutes from almost every winery I work with, which means door-to-door pickups are effortless and I can react quickly if a guest's plans change. My specialisation is the Penedès wine region, Cava country and the Corpinnat estates, with regular custom days into Priorat, Montsant, Alella and Empordà when guests want to go further.

How I work

Every tour is private. Every itinerary is written for the people coming. I personally know the wineries we visit, the restaurants we eat in, and the back roads we take to get there. Nothing is outsourced and no day is run from a script. My focus is firmly on family wineries, Catalan gastronomy and authentic wine experiences — the real ones, not the postcards.

If a day doesn't fit your group, I'll say so and suggest something better. If a winery isn't great, we don't go there. That's the whole approach.