Meet the sommelier: Maria José Huertas

After studying agricultural engineering and oenology, I was more interested in the technical side of things. Now, after 25 years as a sommelier, there’s nothing I like more than tasting. My first memorable experience came just as I was developing my love for wine, when I came across Torres’ Grans Muralles, from Conca de Barberà in Tarragona, Catalonia.

Elegant, nuanced wines, lighter in body and tannins. Something like a good Pinot Noir, which can be light without being simple.

A manzanilla or a fino – they’re always spectacular. Or an Albariño.

When the cork burst out of a bottle of Cava I was opening. All I can remember after is seeing one of my colleagues cleaning the guest’s face with a towel. It was appalling; I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

I have no tolerance for lack of respect and bad manners. One does at times come across the odd ill-mannered guest, whose whole demeanour is designed to make [the restaurant staff] feel uncomfortable. Oh, and I hate a lack of punctuality.

I would open a really fine bottle of Pinot Noir and enjoy it with the most special person in my life – my daughter. But if you really want me to pick a food and wine pairing, then I’d go for a rich bowl of pasta with an aged Albariño, with no wood but plenty of time in bottle.

Without a doubt the ‘olive’ [spherified olive oil], an emblematic amuse-bouche at Paco Roncero, and glass of manzanilla that we always serve at the start of a meal.

A small platter of unsmoked ham and cheese, with a glass of orange wine or a really refreshing white, to end the day.

Very old white or rosé from Rioja. Most of my guests are foreign and are unfamiliar with Rioja’s tradition of long-aged whites and rosados, which spend extended time in wood and even longer in bottle. They are blown away when we pour a 40-year-old white with such balance and complexity.

I’m really enjoying the Garnachas from Gredos and the reds from Ribeira Sacra. Both show that it’s still possible to produce delicate, fresh wines of modest alcohol in Spain – even though it’s a Mediterranean country, and affected by climate change.

Sherry, now and always. The quality is invariably superb and their low price-tags belie their unique character and the technical skill with which they are made.

I’m from Zamora and it’s always a pleasure to visit wineries in the surrounding DOs of Arribes and Toro; Bodegas San Román in Toro is a particular favourite. And I love any excuse to stay at Abadía Retuerta in the Ribera del Duero region.