Premium Sardinillas in Olive Oil RR-125 20/25 — Espinaler 1896
Limited edition — rotating selection, may sell out fast.
House : Espinaler — Vilassar de Mar (Barcelona), Catalonia · since 1896
Origin
Espinaler was born in 1896 in Vilassar de Mar (Barcelona), on the Catalan coast, and its history is inseparable from that of premium Spanish conserves. Its Premium range is reserved for the best catches, selected one by one and prepared by hand according to traditional methods passed down for five generations. An absolute reference of Barcelona's vermuterías – the tin you open when you want to do things properly.
Features
- Producer: Espinaler 1896 S.L. – Vilassar de Mar, Catalonia
- Calibre: 20-25 sardines per tin (young, thin skin, melting flesh)
- Origin of the fish: selected Atlantic catch
- Covering liquid: extra virgin olive oil
- Format: RR-125 tin – net weight ~95 g, drained weight ~70 g
- Premium range – hand-selected
- Storage: away from light, dry and cool
Tasting notes
A tender, buttery flesh that melts almost without resistance. The extra virgin olive oil in which they steep brings them roundness without masking the marine finesse of the fish. Slightly saline on the finish, with that iodised note characteristic of small-calibre Atlantic sardines. No bitterness, no fibre – delicacy in its purest form.
How to use it
- As an aperitif on pa amb tomàquet (bread rubbed with fresh tomato), a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt flakes
- Served whole in the tin, with a fork, with a cold beer or a well-chilled fino – the method of Barcelona tapas bars
- In a warm salad: steamed potatoes, sweet onion, piquillos, hard-boiled egg and flat-leaf parsley
- On brioche toast with a spoonful of fresh cheese and a touch of lemon zest
- In a Spanish tortilla to enhance the potato-onion filling
Why we chose it
The 20/25 calibre is the sweet spot of premium sardinillas: young enough to stay tender, dense enough to have developed flavour. Since 1896, Espinaler has maintained an absolute standard for the freshness of the catch and the quality of the oil, and it shows at the first bite. In Switzerland, where authentic Spanish conserves remain rare, it is the version we recommend without hesitation to anyone who wants to discover what a sardine can be when treated like a great wine.
Espinaler
The culture of the Catalan apéritif, since 1896.
In 1896, Miquel Riera y Prat settled in Vilassar de Mar (Barcelona) and opened the Espinaler tavern, a rustic, family place where wine and vermouth were served to the villagers. The name comes from a nearby farmhouse by the Pont de l'Espinal, in Argentona.
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