DOC wineries you can tour in Spain
Spain’s climate, rivers and plateaus make it the country with the most vineyards under cultivation in the world. And, although wine is made in all of its autonomous regions, there are some where the quality and tradition of their wines have made them famous worldwide. Here are some of the most outstanding wineries you can tour in Spain’s top wine-making areas.
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1 Bodegas Matarromera
Half-buried warehouses and oak-barrel ageing have made this winery located in the heart of the Ribera del Duero a national and international success. It has 80 hectares of vineyards – mostly growing Tempranillo – and a production capacity of 325,000 litres.
Where: Valbuena de Duero, Valladolid
D.O.: Ribera del Duero
What: There are guided tours of the vineyards and winery, where you learn how wine is made before tasting some of their best varieties.
Bodegas Matarromera, aged in oak barrels -
2 Bodegas Emilio Moro
The relationship between the Moro family and wine began more than half a century ago, and there have been three generations dedicated to their lands and to obtaining varieties with personality. The goblet-trained vineyard of Valderramiro was planted in 1924, making it the winery’s oldest. Its clay-rich soil gives their wines potency and aromatic intensity.
Where: Pesquera de Duero, Valladolid
D.O.: Ribera del Duero
What: Among other things, you can take a 4x4 tour of their vineyards and enjoy views of their lands from the Sanchomartín viewpoint.
Bodegas Emilio Moro, its oldest vineyard was planted in 1924 -
3 Bodegas Ramón Bilbao
Ramón Bilbao sold his first wine on the streets of Haro in 1896, although he did not found the winery until 1924. After 50 years, the family company Diego Zamora carries on Bilbao’s dream. Today, more than 8,000 French and American oak barrels age this wine, now a benchmark in the D.O. Rioja.
Where: Haro, La Rioja
D.O.: Rioja
What: Discover the origin of Ramón Bilbao wines with a guide specialising in wine-growing and nature, before enjoying a picnic in one of their vineyards accompanied with a house wine.
Bodegas Ramón Bilbao, 180 hectares of vineyards in Rioja and 60 in Rueda -
4 Finca Villacreces
Founded by the Franciscan friar Pedro de Villacreces, it has 64 hectares of vineyards located along a meander of the River Duero, and produces the varieties Tinto Fino, Cabaret Sauvignon and Merlot. Its experts follow integrated wine-growing criteria, controlling the natural condition of the vine to obtain wines with unique characteristics.
Where: Quintanilla de Onésimo, Valladolid
D.O.: Ribera del Duero
What: Explore its centuries-old pine forest and 15 plots of vineyards on an electric bicycle and indulge yourself in one of the special picnic baskets they offer, with the finest local wine and cuisine.
Finca Villacreces: 110 hectares of land of which 64 are vineyards -
5 Freixenet
Its first bottle of sparkling wine hit the market in 1914 and the Cavas Freixenet were built by two architects in 1923 with the typical Modernist style of the times. Its vineyards are concentrated in the heart of Penedés and produce three varieties: Macabeo, Xarel and Parellada. Today, the fifth generation of the family runs the company, who still uphold the standard of making the best possible sparkling wines.
Where: Sant Sadurní d’Anoi, Barcelona
D.O: Cava
What: Attend a cooking demonstration where you can learn techniques of Mediterranean cuisine in Freixenet’s kitchens. Afterwards, you can enjoy the dishes prepared and accompany them with the company’s cavas.
Freixenet, currently its cellars occupy 160,000m2 and store more than 120 million bottles
