The best wineries to visit in Spain

After having planned many trips within Spanish wine routes, we can really appreciate that wine tourism keeps increasing every year.

One of the main wine routes in Spain is undoubtedly the Ribera del Duero Wine Route, whose more than 100 kilometers long extend through the provinces of Soria, Valladolid, Burgos and Segovia. There are many wineries that fall within this wine route articulated by the Douro river, and among them I encourage you to read this article of the most visited and recognized.

The first, the complex of Bodegas Pradorey, which was built in the 16th century by order of Francisco Gómez Sandovaly Rojas, first Duke of Lerma and minister to King Felipe III. Originally it was built as a palace to accommodate the monarch on his recurring visits to the area to practice hunting, one of his great hobbies.

In 1989 the estate was bought by the agricultural engineer Javier Cremades, but it was not until seven years later that it took off with the sale of the first vintage brand of red and rose wine. Currently the Pradorey Wineries have the most modern facilities for the production of wines in all its phases, including a modern temperature and fermentation control system called “Enocontrol”.

All these efforts have borne fruit in obtaining a product with the Ribera del Duero designation of origin based on the Tempranillo or Tinta Fina grape ready to be tasted by wine-loving visitors.

In a small promontory in the town of Castrillo de Duero from which you can appreciate an excellent panoramic view of the banks of the Douro river and the vineyards that surround the estate, are Bodegas Cepa 21, a clear example of how the wine industry has evolved in Spain. The great attraction is the series of experiences that they make available to tourists and visitors. Classic, sensory and custom experiences. For example, the classic ones are perfect for getting to know the winery and the winemaking process with tasting, tapas tasting or food in its magnificent Cepa 21 Restaurant.

Belonging to the Moro family, one of the most present in the national winemaking scene, here we have sought to unite the experience of many years dedicated to this business, with a winery in a minimalist, modern and functional style in which mellow wines are produced at taste and daring aromatically.

Next, Florentino Arzuaga, a great wine lover, founded Bodegas Arzuaga-Navarro after buying Finca La Planta, located in the Valladolid town of Quintanilla de Onésimo, a place where the flora and fauna of the area coexist. A flora made up of pines, holm oaks and junipers and a fauna made up of wild boars and deer, in it he saw the great power of the farm which, due to its size, has its own horizon. An environment surrounded by the Duero river, which gives rise to a space adorned by endless rows of Castilian vineyards that link Soria and Valladolid.

The visit allows you not only to try some of the best wines from this famous winery, but also to get to know the estate itself, its animal reserve and access to the interior of the facilities.

Also in the Valladolid town of Curiel de Duero are the Comenge Wineries, a place where excellence is sought through the combination of tradition and innovation. They respectfully shape the lands on which their vineyards are located, creating good spaces for the vines and beautiful for man. We work under the belief in innovation and excellence, taking into account sustainability and the environment. The wines of the Bodegas Comenge are the result of the care of an organic vineyard.

Here you can follow the process of making the wines from the harvesting of the grapes, a process carried out by hand with great care to keep the vines intact and keeping the product for a minimum time in the sun, until bottling. The visits can get to know the vineyards and the winery in organized visits that include tastings of the elaborated wines, visits that can be made on horseback for greater comfort.

In March 1927, the courage and attachment to the land of a group of winegrowers in the region managed to unite their efforts to create the first winery in La Ribera. Perhaps the best known in the area, the Bodegas Protos are located in the town of Peñafiel, a place of special relevance for wine lovers because the Wine Museum is located in the Peñafiel Castle.

Housed in spectacular mountain landscapes, visiting this spectacular location includes seeing the two wineries, one in the interior of the mountain and a new one designed by the architect Richard Rogers, as well as a tasting of a Verdejo white wine and a red crianza. Quality above all else is the premise that underpins all of Protos’ work. For this reason, the entire process is thoroughly analyzed until the wine is obtained.

To finish, El Lagar de Isilla wineries are located in the old town of Aranda del Duero. The origins of this winery date back to the 15th century and are located in a series of underground galleries 12 meters deep where the first wines were made before moving the complex to an 1890 colonial-style estate that houses the winery, a gourmet shop and hotel. This will of the Zapatero Pinto family to innovate earned them the Wine Tourism Merit Award given by Wine Routes of Spain.

The winery is integrated into the old buildings of the estate, respecting the materials of the time such as wood and stone. It consists of five naves and a social building with offices, a tasting room and a porch decorated with various farm implements typical of the Ribera del Duero.

By Carmen Caballero, founder of Exotik Traveler