Spain

Andalucia: Jerez, Montilla-Moriles, Ronda, Malaga Virgen

On this wine-food tour, you will get to know the wines of the Montilla-Moriles, Jerez, Manzanilla-San Lucar de Barrameda, Malaga and Sierras de Malaga wine regions. On the trip, we will visit the historic city of Cordoba, the cradle of Spanish culture and Seville, Spain’s oldest city, Cadiz, and the capital of Sherry, Jerez, as well as the mountain city of Ronda and Malaga on the Mediterranean.

The wine regions of Andalusia produce very different types of wine, from light white wines to different types of sherry. Andalusia is also characterized by the interweaving of a very old wine tradition (sherry, Málaga wines) with new production and technology. The production of traditional red, white and rosé wines is on the rise, as is the case throughout Spain.

The excellent tapas of Andalucia and the seafood delicacies of the Mediterranean are particularly well suited to be tasted with sherry or fresh white wine.

Rioja

On the way, we will admire the green landscapes of northern Spain in the middle of vineyards, get to know Rioja’s wine culture and enjoy delicious regional food with rich wines. We will stay in the lively wine town of Logroño in the heart of Rioja and in San Sebastian, which offers gourmet taste experiences and beautiful postcard landscapes. The journey ends in Bilbao, where there is time to explore the Guggenheim Museum.

Located in northern Spain, Rioja is known for its delicious wines, and the wine tradition and charming villages dominate the region’s verdant landscape.
The Rioja Winemakers learned from 19th-century merchants from Bordeaux who visited the region. French influences are still visible in the manufacturing methods. The majority of Rioja’s winemakers are fairly small family businesses.
Rioja’s wine classification is precise and thanks to that, Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are of very high quality. This is of course also reflected in the prices, but fortunately, there are also options in the more affordable Crianza wines and ordinary Rioja wines that nicely complement the meat dishes on the banquet table, for example.
In Rioja, the gastronomic culture is always social, where food is always part of the wine and is enjoyed with friends and family.

Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rueda

On this wine tour we will get to know the wine regions and wines of Ribera del Duero, Toro and Rueda. We stay in high-quality hotels and enjoy the region’s delicacies such as water lamb in good restaurants. The trip is a dream come true for lovers of good food and wine! The beautiful old town of Valladolid is lively for a night out and you can taste excellent wines with local tapas in delightful wine bars.

The climatic conditions of Castilla y León, in which Ribera del Duero is located in the region of four provinces, are extreme: in winter it can be almost twenty degrees below zero at night, while in summer it is warm up to forty degrees. The diurnal variation can be tens of degrees. Low rainfall and 3,000 hours of sun per year quickly dry the barren landscape to yellow. The area is the second driest in Spain. So it’s no wonder that already at the time of Columbus, the region of Castilla y León was described with the phrase “nine months of winter, three months of hell”.

DO Ribera del Duero In the province of Castilla y León, the Ribera del Duero wine region, located around the Duero River, is well known and respected worldwide. Wine has been made in Ribera del Duero for several thousand years. In the 1970s, the region’s winemaking began to change, when the winery Pesquera began producing 100% Tempranillo-based, full-bodied and richly fruity red wines. Ribera del Duero got its own DO appellation in 1982. Ribera del Duero still enjoys growing popularity. The wines of Ribera del Duero are mainly made from Tempranillo (the grape is known locally as Tinto Fino

The DO Toro Toro area was spared from the ravages of the grape aphid at the end of the 19th century thanks to the sandy soil layer that protects the vineyards. As a result, at the beginning of the 20th century, wines from the region were exported in large quantities, e.g. to France. Wines from other wine regions in Spain were replaced with Wines from the Toro region. There are still very old vineyards in the Toro area. The Toro wine region received its designation of origin in 1987. The wine regions are located at an altitude of 620-750 meters above sea level. The red grapes of the region are Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) and Garnacha (Grenache) and the white grapes allowed are Verdejo and Malvasía.

DO Rueda Wine has been produced in the Rueda region since the 11th century. The Rueda wine region received its designation of origin in 1980. This was preceded by the Marqués de Riscal winery’s large investments in the development of the region. The terrain is flat and is located at an altitude of 600-780 meters above sea level. The Duero River flows through the area in an east-west direction. In the immediate vicinity of the river, the soil is very calcareous (max 24%). The main cultivated grape is Verde already. In accordance with the designation of origin, Viura and Sauvignon Blanc are also cultivated, as well as Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Garnacha from the red grapes.