Wine tourism in Spain

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The cultivation of the vine has become an art in Spain. It is not surprising, therefore, that it is one of the world's largest wine producers, with more than 900.000 hectares of vineyards and a wide variety of grapes.

Whites, rosés, reds, fines, cavas, sparkling ... they all go perfectly with a certain dish and one of the things that will make you enjoy Spain the most is its gastronomy and, of course, its wines.

Doing wine tourism in Spain is an experience that will take you to know traditional or avant-garde wineries, receive classes from expert sommeliers, sleep among vineyards… Next, we give you several ideas to enjoy this world in the company of your friends or your family.

Wine culture

Wine is a fundamental part of the culture of Spain, as a Mediterranean country that it is. Throughout its geography there are multiple specialized museums that will show you the ritual of wine preparation and its elaboration: from the Museum of the Wine Cultures of Catalonia (VINSEUM), to the Casa del Vino “La Baranda” in Tacoronte or the Thematic Center “Villa Lucía” in Álava to name a few.

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Wine routes in Spain

If you also want to know the wine culture of each region, you can find guided routes through its historic centers and its extensive vineyards and wineries. In Spain there are multiple wine routes that travel destinations of great cultural and gastronomic wealth and all of them have activities, landscapes and popular festivals that will make your trip a unique experience.

The trip can begin in Galicia, in the northwest of the country. The Rías Baixas Route is the cradle of Albariño wine: a fresh broth ideal to combine with fish and seafood. Take the opportunity to discover its coast, with spectacular beaches perfect for practicing water sports.

Also in the north of Spain, a little further east is the Rioja Alavesa Route. Here some of the most internationally prestigious Spanish wines are made. In addition, in this place you can see avant-garde buildings and wineries considered the cathedrals of wine, which are the work of prestigious architects such as Santiago Calatrava or Frank O. Gehry, among others.

Just 100 kilometers away another wine route emerges, that of Navarra. Towns like Olite or Tafalla are famous for their rosé wines. This route recalls the importance of this land during the Camino de Santiago, declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

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The journey continues through Aragon, along the Somontano Wine Route specifically where delicious wines are made. In the province of Huesca, in addition to vineyards, we can marvel at the monumental complexes of Barbastro or Alquézar as well as the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park, a unique landscape in Europe.

The next stop on the wine route is Catalonia, which invites you to explore the Penedès Wine and Cava Routes. To say Catalonia is to say cava, a drink with an unmistakable flavor. It is highly recommended to take a guided tour of castles and wineries to discover the spectacular cultural heritage of the region, with numerous examples of Romanesque and Modernist art.

Further south we find the Jumilla Wine Route in Murcia, characterized by its award-winning wines in recent years. It is also worth visiting the old town and its natural surroundings, with the Sierra del Carche Regional Park.

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The Montilla-Moriles Wine Route enters the province of Córdoba. On this tour you will have the opportunity to have tapas, a gastronomic restaurant deeply rooted in the region. You cannot leave without visiting its monumental complex and its cathedral-mosque, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The La Mancha Wine Route is the end point of this interesting itinerary. Did you know that due to the number of hectares of vineyards cultivated, Castilla-La Mancha is the largest wine-growing area in the world? The longest ecotourism corridor in Europe is located in this region: the Don Quixote Route. Make a stop along the way to taste the gastronomy of La Mancha and go into the Tablas de Daimiel National Park or the Lagunas de Ruidera to discover La Mancha nature in all its splendor.

This is how the Wine Routes are, an original way to discover the gastronomic wealth of Spain. Aromas, flavors, history and art merge in this experience. Are you going to miss it?


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