Spain has good land and agricultural products, and wine is one of the special symbols of our territory. The wine routes bring us closer to the origins, to discover how the climate and the different terrains produce unique products, and how it accompanies gastronomy. Discover with us the luxury experiences offered by these four wineries with past, present and future.
Abadia Retuerta D.O. Castilla y Leon: Luxury Experiences with Stars
Starting the tour of our selection of luxury experiences by four Spanish wineries, in the heart of Ribera del Duero’s Golden Mile awaits Abadía Retuerta LeDomine, a five-star luxury resort dating back to the 12th century. An ideal destination to enjoy the summer season, surrounded by peace, sophistication and sustainability. The Grand Hotelnew features such as enjoying live music, delving into the Forest Baths, dinners and breakfasts in the Cloister Garden, stargazing or getting up close and personal with the secrets of the cocktails luxury. All this wrapped in the elegant and delicious aroma of wine..
View of the cloister courtyard where you can enjoy the new gastronomic proposal.
On July 2, Abadía Retuerta inaugurated the summer nights of its Calicata Terroir terrace overlooking the vineyards. Visitors were treated to a delicious evening accompanied by an exclusive gastronomic menu from Michelin-starred chef Marc Segarra, along with live music by the Efecto Mariposa group.
“It has been an unforgettable experience to be able to play surrounded by vineyards under the Castilian sky and enjoy its gastronomy, good wines and music. What more could you ask for,” said Susana Alva, lead singer of the Malaga group.
Thus, the dinner service at Calicata Terroir Bar is officially open, offering a cozy environment inspired by the land. The design of the premises bets on noble and authentic materials such as clay or wood, giving coherence and highlighting the local products of Castilla y León.
Terrace of Calicata Terroir Bar
From Thursday to Saturday from 12.00h to 24.00h, you can enjoy the facilities, exploring the different wines of the winery. In addition, as a novelty, every Thursday night will feature live music to offer a perfect plan.
The Pool Bar and the spectacular Claustro Garden are also two areas of the hotel where gastronomy takes center stage. The organic products harvested in the garden of the estate itself offer vegetables or salads of category. An extensive menu accompanied by the best wines and refreshing cocktails and cocktails.
Abadía Retuerta has a vegetable garden where vegetables and futas are harvested organically.
The Abbey Orchard can be visited between May and October, touring the six areas created exclusively for guests. During the visit they pick vegetables and greens from the garden, and then enjoy the wines and delicious gastronomic preparations of the chef.
In addition, the complex offers an immersion enological touring every corner of Abadía Retuerta. Visiting the nature in a circuit that is done in a 4×4 vehicle, discovering the wine-making room and the barrel room. During the tour, a stop is made along the way, a stop to taste various appetizers with local products. And finally, we will enjoy a wine tasting.
The resort offers activities such as picnics where you can taste the products harvested on the land.
To live more enriching experiences, Abadía offers its visitors Living with Art, historical activity that, hand in hand with an expert, will tour old years of the place. The historical collection features French tapestries, Spanish bargueños or the sculpture Rumor de Límites V the artist Eduardo Chillida. The experience is available from February to December, privately and exclusively for each visitor.
From the Monks’ Garden, the Star Experience will allow visitors to enjoy the night skies in a special atmosphere. In front of the Romanesque apse, through the advanced GPS Celestron CPC 1100 telescope, visitors can discover the constellations that surround us. For lovers of creative workshops, the Abbey also has The secrets of the bartender. Visitors will have exclusive access to the fireplace lounge, where the bartender will teach handcrafted cocktail techniques. Enjoying different cocktails and a variety of tapas overlooking the extensive vineyards.
Visitors will be able to participate in several experiences offered by the resort. With Experiencia Estelar you can enjoy quiet nights under the stars, surrounded by nature.
Another unique experience is the Forest Baths, an immersion in nature, where you will connect with body, mind and soul. Becoming aware of your own sensations and emotions experienced. This experience is a practice of Japanese origin, in which connecting with nature improves the health of our body, relieves stress and gives happiness, a qualified instructor in yoga, will guide you during the activity..
Address: N-122 km 332.5, 47340, Sardón de Duero, Valladolid
Oller del Mas D.O. Pla de Bages: Wine in connection with nature
Wine, culture and nature, the Oller del Mas winery, with more than 1,000 years of history, transmits its legacy offering wines of quality and excellence, respecting the environment and commitment to the territory. The Manresa complex has a variety of activities and experiences, providing personalized attention to visitors. Surrounded by handcrafted, exclusive and limited-production crianza wines, in a peaceful and sustainable environment.
Since Oller del Masimmerse visitors to discover their estate by carriage, visit the winery and finish with a wine tasting. You will be able to travel to the origins of the 1.000 years of historyin the most traditional and authentic, reaching the most unusual corners. The sunset light, the landscape, the aromas of the forest and the connection with nature will fill you with energy and peace. After the exciting route, you will be shown the winemaking cellar and the barrel room where you will be immersed in the Oller del Mas project. Finally, a guided tasting of two of their wines will be the end of the exciting day.
Carriage experience. Oller del Mas offers a traditional tour through the nature surrounding the complex.
The experience of touring the estate with a 4-seater buggy + wine tasting, is another exciting way to discover the estate and all its crops; vines, olive trees, walnut trees…. the ice well or the vineyard barracks are treasures of historical heritage of the area. After crossing the landscapes, you will visit the winemaking cellar and the barrel room, to finish with a guided tasting of two of their wines.
Buggy experience. Another different and fun way to discover the farm.
The gastronomic menuscannot be overlooked at wineries like Oller de Mas, which is why they have a couple of tasting experiences accompanied by their wines. To learn about the historical part of the estate and the winery, visitors can take a tour of the facilities, in addition to tasting 3 of the winery’s organic wines. Accompanying all this with a tasting menu based on seasonal and proximity products with wine pairing. A unique and personal experience that will be immortalized thanks to a professional photographer who will take care of capturing with his camera the best moments..
Interior of the winery facilities. Visitors can tour the spaces while discovering the history and wines of the place.
The second gastronomic experience of the complex has been awarded by the Premis Vinari 2021 as the best luxury experience in Catalonia. Thanks to it, we can enjoy an exquisite menu, with wine pairing accompanied by the winemaker and the owner of the winery. In this meal, based on local products, we will be able to share opinions, experiences and sensations lived tasting the best wines of the winery;
During the lunch with a tasting menu and wine pairing, you will be able to exchange views with the winemaker Carles Muray (left) and Frank Margenat, owner of the estate (right), where you will learn about the soul of the winery.
To enjoy gastronomy and wines in the middle of nature in a relaxed way, Oller del Mas offers two days of disconnection in Les Cabanes. A relaxing getaway, where visitors will be able to discover the winery in a perfect way, with views of Montserrat and the vineyards.
Les Cabanes are surrounded by nature, overlooking the vast fields of vineyards.
Les Cabanes are fully integrated with nature, wrapped in the forest that surrounds them, always with the aim of respecting the environment. Oller de Mas intends to offer its visitors the best experiences, using in the best way local products, natural materials and betting on ecology.
Address: Carretera d’Igualada C-37z km 91 08242, Manresa
El Grifo D.O. Lanzarote: wines born from volcanic lands
El Grifo continues to welcome all visitors who want to know the past, present and future of the place and its wines, besides being the only winery that has a museum with more than 500 unique pieces on the history of wine. Lanzarote between 1730 and 1736 suffered a volcanic eruption covering their land in black. From that difficult and dry land the locals were able to harvest quality wine, recently awarded by the ‘Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2020’ with a Gold Medal for its Rosado de Lágrima, two silver medals for its Lías 2018 and for Canari in an international competition in which 8,500 wines from 46 producing countries participated.
Bodega El Grifo has enormous hectares of vineyards.
The El Grifo winery and its museum, founded in 1775, is one of the 10 oldest wineries in Spain. Visitors who want to discover its history can immerse themselves in a building designed in a traditional and local way, which is kept in perfect condition thanks to César Manrique. Inside the facilities we are offered to know:
- César Manrique was key in the construction.
- The covered winepress is dated 1775 and was erected by the Venerable Beneficiary of the parish church of Teguise D. Antonio de Torres Ribera.
- In the 245 years of operation women have been fundamental exercising the direction of El Grifo in the 19th century without tutelage.
- They have been always enterprising; in 1905 they replaced the beam press with a hydraulic press.
- In 1935 they were pioneers in bottling, and in the eighties they introduced stainless steel in winemaking, cooling equipment and membrane presses. Thus revolutionizing the methods and types of wines from the Canary Islands.
Interior of the El Grifo museum where the elements that have been used for wine in the past are exhibited.
El Grifo workers treat and pick the grapes energetically and carefully.
The guided tour will end with the tasting of some of the best wines of the house, for example, the Malvasía Seco, unique in Lanzarote, which has volcanic minerality so particular to the area. In addition, the facilities have the exhibition of the machinery used in the vineyard and winemaking, from the beginning to the mid-twentieth century. There is also a library with 5,000 volumes on wine, inaugurated by José Hierro in 1998.
The soils of the El Grifo winery are volcanic, but they produce unique grapes that are perfect to accompany fish, seafood or cheese.
Until the arrival of COVID-19, more than 80,000 people visited the museum and winery. Today, the experience complies with all security measures and you can also walk through the spectacular pre-phylloxera vineyard.
Address: Carretera LZ-30, Km 11, 35559 San Bartolomé, Las Palmas
Solar de Samaniego D.O. CA. Rioja : Art and letters surrounded by vineyards
History, literature and wine. The best wine tourism experience in the Wine Tourism Awards Wine Routes of Spain 2020 has been won by Solar de Samaniego Winery. Their Drinking Between the Lines experience has been the award winner, an original and curious visit as literature marks it as a reference to explore the winery and its wines.
Award for the best wine tourism experience 2020 won by Bodegas Solar de Samaniego, together with one of its wines; Rioja.
The winery group has two of the most recognized Designations of Origin: Bodegas Solar de Samaniego, in Laguardia (Rioja Alavesa), within the D.O.Ca. Rioja, and Bodegas Durón, in Roa (Burgos) and within the D.O. Ribera del Duero. Since 1980 it has had one of the most important wine clubs in Spain, the Cofradía Solar de Samaniego. A wine club with more than 100,000 members, and in 2020 celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Views of the concrete tanks that Guido Van Helten designed with different murals.
During the visit we can visit the barrel room library, where books and wines await; or visit the Cathedral of Wine area, where 7 concrete tanks 13 meters high, the Australian artist Guido Van Helten interpreted the fusion of wine and culture in huge murals.
Interior of the barrel room library. Here visitors can enjoy the wines and their stories in a relaxed way.
All this and more can be discovered inside a winery with an industrial appearance that in recent years has collaborated with the UNESCO Chair of Cultural Landscapes and Heritage. Wanting to offer the integration of its vineyards with the northern landscape.
Address: Carretera de Elciego, s/n 01300 Laguardia, Álava
Images courtesy of the wineries, Abadía Retuerta, Oller del Mas, El Grifo and Solar de Samaniego.
