Long before natural wine became a fixture on Madrid wine lists, Fabio Bartolomei and Bendito Vinos y Vinilos were helping define the scene. This story traces how a small bar in Lavapiés and a maverick winemaker in Sierra de Gredos helped reshape what the city drinks.

Four chefs with roots in Peru, Argentina, the Philippines and Korea are helping define a new Madrid restaurant scene, far from the usual center-city map.

The ascendance of Spanish gastronomy has largely had a Basque signature, which, together with the Catalan scene, is seen as the vanguard in Spanish haute cuisine. But while Nouvelle Basque has gotten all the spotlight lately, the food culture of this northern region has always been outstanding, thanks to its abundant rains and a territory that encompasses the Cantabrian Sea and Ebro River. Basque taverns are largely known for their pintxos, a kind of tapas that are more sophisticated in taste as well as in design. At certain times of day these small plates fly nonstop out of the kitchen, usually chosen at the chef’s discretion.