Jonas Tofterup: “Tasting doesn’t take a special gift, just a method”

Jonas Tofterup’s passion for wine comes from his family and from childhood holidays spent in wine-growing areas. “I remember writing an essay at school about how I wanted to make wine one day. Since then, my aim has been to go as far as I can in this fascinating world,” he says. He has more than achieved it: “In 2019 I earned the prestigious title of Master of Wine, becoming the first and, to date, only Master of Wine in Andalucía.”

He also runs the Iberian Wine Academy in Malaga and, with his brother David, owns and makes the wines at Bodegas Trenza, the family winery in Alicante. This year he will close the tasting programme at SUR Wines & Gourmet with a talk entitled ‘Learn to taste and analyse wine like an expert’.

“I want to show that tasting like an expert doesn’t take a special gift, just learning a method. During the session we’ll taste six wines and learn to analyse them systematically, breaking down their different elements,” he explains.

“Iberian Wine Academy started in 2018, after I passed the second stage of the Master of Wine exam, which is the toughest one. I wanted to keep tasting, studying and keeping my knowledge at the highest level, and what better way to learn than by teaching?” Tofterup recalls.

Since 2022 the academy has had its own premises near María Zambrano station in Malaga, and it has been named Spain’s best wine academy at the International Wine Challenge. “We offer international WSET training, introductory courses and tastings for professionals and enthusiasts. From 2027 we’ll also have official WSET courses in spirits,” he says.

Tofterup welcomes the value of an event such as SUR Wines & Gourmet: “It’s a great initiative for bringing wine culture and food closer to the Malaga public.

“It lets people discover new wines, meet the winemakers and become curious to learn more,” he says.

For its latest edition, SUR Wines & Gourmet is hoping to beat its previous attendance record. Wine and gourmet food professionals wanting to take part in the sixth edition of the event can now register for free through the event website: surwinesgourmet.diariosur.es/acreditaciones.html