spanish winery region(s)

Old Apr 27th, 2016, 05:09 PM
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spanish winery region(s)

I will be traveling to Spain in June. We'd like to spend some time in the wine country. Any suggestions for places to stay, areas to visit, any must-sees? Thank you!
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Old Apr 27th, 2016, 07:00 PM
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Almost every area of the country produces wine.

The second question is impossible to answer w/o knowing interests, funds, time.

Do some research and return with more specific questions.
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Old Apr 27th, 2016, 08:19 PM
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Rioja / Prioriat are the best wine regions in Spain. Rioja is well known internationally. Additionally there are a few really good vineyards south of Madrid
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Old Apr 27th, 2016, 08:22 PM
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Here is a guide to wines in Spain. Rioja are but one area.

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/0...ers-guide.html
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Old Apr 27th, 2016, 10:37 PM
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ttt
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Old Apr 27th, 2016, 10:37 PM
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There are 70 D.O. (Designations of Origin) wine regions in Spain. It really depends on where you´re staying, interests, time...
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Old Apr 28th, 2016, 12:30 AM
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"Rioja / Prioriat are the best wine regions in Spain"

Not sure that I agree with that across the board. Whilst Rioja undoubtedly makes some very good wines, so does Navarra (its next door neighbour), La Mancha, Penedes, Ribera del Duero and so on. Rioja has some very good marketing, but other areas have excellent wines too.

Wine is produced in Spain from the North to the South coasts and East to West.

dzst, where are you heading for?
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Old Apr 28th, 2016, 05:27 AM
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By classification they are the best. By popularity it's probably Rioja / Ribera del Duero. I haven't been to every single vineyard and wine region in Spain. Rioja is great from my experience
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Old Apr 28th, 2016, 05:56 AM
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By popularity people probably drink more Sangria than any other Spanish wine. So I would visit the area with the Sangria vines and the orange trees in the south.

Like many things on the Net, people write about what they know, rather than what has been asked.
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Old Apr 28th, 2016, 07:50 AM
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Thank you for the helpful responses. We don't have much of an itinerary yet, so I hoped to get some direction here (thinking this was part of my research. We are flying in and out of Madrid. Our first stop will be the northwest coast and then a couple of days in France. We then will have about 7 days left and were initially thinking of doing a few cities along the eastern coast, but thought we might stop for a few nights in the wine country (hopefully romantic) instead and cut out some of the southern coast. I just thought someone here might have some personal experiences to share and recommendation. Thank you again. I didn't realize our options were so vast! I'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time!
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Old Apr 28th, 2016, 09:00 AM
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get your head around all of these regions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_wine_regions
Far too many for us to give good answers on until you have some firm details. About wine route and time you have to spend for this trip.
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Old Apr 28th, 2016, 10:38 PM
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I live near Rioja and it´s my favorite wine region. Quite medieval and historical, you can´t miss Laguardia, Labastida, Elciego...and all the family wineries that are there. You need to make an appointment, though, it´s not like in Napa valley. They offer tours in English. Also, plenty of great old wineries at Barrio de la Estación, in Haro (Muga, Tondonia, Rioja Alta, Gómez Cruzado...). I go there quite often and it´s a wonderful experience.

Stay in Laguardia, you´ll love it.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 01:09 AM
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I always considered Vega Sicilia the best Spanish wine. It is in the Duero Valley, east of Valladolid.

It is just a small detour on your way from Rioja to Madrid on the E-5.

I am not sure if you can visit Vega Sicilia as a private person. There are several tour operators which include visits to Vega Sicilia, but you may contact the winery directly.

http://www.vega-sicilia.com/

In Rioja, a tour of Marques de Riscal is most rewarding, also because of Frank O. Gehry's spectacular architecture. They offer well-organized tours (reservation recommended).

http://www.marquesderiscal.com/

The hotel is very expensive, but you can just have a drink and some tapas in the hotel bar which would not break the bank.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 03:22 AM
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I don´t recommend Marqués de Riscal, if you don´t like massive tourism. The building is espectacular, but you can only see it from a distance. I prefer visits to smaller, family wineries.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 03:37 AM
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>> but you can only see it from a distance
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 04:05 AM
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Well, there´s a big parking outside, then you enter through the big shop, where you wait until your group is ready. Yes, at least 20 people, I think it´s a huge number for a winery visit. Then you walk among other groups, following a lady with a flag, to enter a small cinema room, where they show the history of the winery. Then on to the steel deposits, then on to the barrel cellars, and then a small visit to the vineyard. The tasting is very poor, a white and a red, with peanuts, almost no explanations and all in a hurry.

Sorry, I work as a guide and this is not my kind of winery, for the above reasons. Much, much better any of the dozens of small family wineries, where you enjoy a visit with the owners and makers of the wine, in very small groups. And local cheese and local olive oil and chorizo and other delicacies, for the same price.

But it´s just a question of preferences and tastes, of course.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 04:06 AM
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And if you´re not a hotel guest, you´re not allowed to enter the hotel.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 04:50 AM
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2 summers ago, we had a wonderful & memorable experience spending a couple nights in LaGuardia. We stayed at Castello El Collado which made it a truly magical time at a very reasonable price!

We were making our way driving from Barcelona up through to San Sebastian via Pamplona & LaGuardia. I recall the last bit of our drive on the way to LaGuardia felt like we were in the middle of nowhere & then it seemed like an industrial area & we were starting to wonder if we had made the right choice but like an oasis, LaGuardia appeared.

We truly enjoyed LaGuardia & particularly Castello El Collado. It always comes up in conversations when we speak of Spain. It was within walking distance of a perfect small town with awesome restaurants & tasting rooms. That particular hotel offers to arrange tastings and such.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 05:11 AM
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ore I read about the Bodegas in Rioja the less I like the idea of tourism there. It is the opposite way in the one I am in.
No fancy architecture, no flag leading groups. Smaller production volumes here.
I cannot think of any bodega here, that is open to the public, asking for reservations, just turn up. Some are not open to the public, genuinely. ;-)
Entry charges are starting to creep in because wine costs money to make and I understand this.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 07:06 AM
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Ribeira, it´s the same way in most of Rioja...it´s just that some of the biggest ones (as it happens too in Galicia) are quite touristy. For 10-12 euros or even less you have one hour and a half of wine history and tasting. And in small family ones.
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