Maintaining the Rekondo legacy, through the generations

By Rachel Fellows

Published 19-February-2026

Interview / Spain

San Sebastián’s Rekondo Restaurant dominated the second Star Wine List of the Year Spain competition by taking not one but two Gold Stars – a fitting tribute to an establishment so rooted in, and devoted to, wine.

Located within an old (some call it “rustic”) family farmhouse on the slopes of Mount Igueldo, Rekondo’s leafy terrace overlooks the city of San Sebastián while its kitchen produces some of the smartest Basque cuisine you’ll find today, driven by seasonality, tradition and, of course, passion. The wine cellar is no second fiddle either.

Opened in 1964 by Txomin (known as ‘Tommy’) Rekondo, the restaurant’s wine collection has garnered praise from every angle – winning prestigious awards and titles, of course, but also earning a deep respect from wine lovers who recognise a kindred spirit in Tommy’s work.

“My father started our wine list 60 years ago,” his daughter Lourdes tells us, “when nobody was thinking about the wine. So it’s been a very long road.”

When you fall in love you do crazy things.

Now General Manager, Lourdes has worked at the restaurant for the past 35 years, both witnessing the wine list’s evolution and coming to understand the onus, which now falls on her and her team, to maintain its prestige. “Nowadays, we know that the Rekondo wine list has to be the top,” she goes on.

This week, Lourdes accepted two Gold Stars for Rekondo at Star Wine List of the Year Spain 2026, for the Best Long List and Best Sparkling Wine List. She was joined at the awards ceremony in Madrid by two of her three children, all of whom she hopes will follow her into the restaurant. “I hope we’re there for 60 years more!” she laughed.

During both acceptance speeches on-stage, and afterwards, Lourdes was keen to acknowledge her father’s legacy.

“I always think about my father,” she told the audience of fellow winners and finalists from the competition. “It’s a long way. As I have said before, he has been working in silence. Nobody thinks about wine. 50 years ago, the restaurants would be thinking about the kitchen, the cuisine. And he loved wine – he fell in love – and I always say that when you fall in love you do crazy things. Maybe the Rekondo wine cellars are something crazy. But we try, with my best and with my team, to follow and always to be one of the best wine cellars in the world. So thank you really, very much.”

A thing of beauty

Judge Pilar Cavero (Best Sommelier of Spain 2013 and a judge for the Decanter World Wine Awards), said that the Rekondo wine list was “beautiful both in substance and in form,” winning the Best Long List category in a unanimous decision by the jury. “Reading it feels as if time stands still, combining a unique selection of vintages and renowned Spanish producers with a modern vision and all the new voices. A truly one-of-a-kind place in the world.”

Rekondo’s wine list also earned a Gold Star for the Best Sparkling Wine List, which is perhaps no surprise given that, as Lourdes says, “My father is in love with Champagne. Myself also. And my family, who are with me tonight: I try always to make them join with me and my father in enjoying Champagne.”

Indeed, Lourdes, Jorge and Blanca were off for sparkling wine and sushi to celebrate their win, during their short stay in Madrid. “We are going to drink a nice Champagne – or maybe two bottles,” Lourdes told us. “We’ll see.”

But first on the list was to call Tommy and let him know the good news.

“I hope we will continue with the restaurant and the wine cellar, and still keep growing,” said Jorge.

“And to keep also our grandfather’s memory,” interjected sister Blanca. “And my mum’s.”

Rekondo is a family affair, united in wine – and bubbles.

Meet all the winners of Star Wine List of the Year Spain 2026.