My daughter will be studying in Madrid this fall and I want to plan a trip to visit her and tack on some time touring wineries.
We visited Madrid and several other areas in Spain as a family a few years ago, so I don’t really feel the need to do the classic tourist stuff in the large cities. I do plan on staying in Madrid for a few days to spend time with my daughter, take her friends out to dinner etc, but then I would like to leave from Madrid and spend a few days with my daughter exploring one (or more, if feasible) of the wine regions.
It’s hard to tell from the maps I have been looking at what would be a realistic destination from Madrid? I would be willing to pay for a car and driver if that’s the best option (we have done that in Italy), so it doesn’t have to be someplace accessible by train. Would love some suggestions of places to visit/stay where we can visit some wineries (recommendations, please), eat some great meals and explore the culture a bit. While my daughter enjoys tasting and visiting wineries, it would be ideal if there are other things to do as well.
Just hoping to be pointed in the right direction and then I can take it from there.
Sherri, Rioja would be the first place I would go, but it is 3-1/2 hours by car to Haro where you can walk to each winery, Roda, López de Heredia, Muga, La Rioja Alta and CVNE.
Ribero del Duero is closer to Madrid 1-1/2 hours.
Then there is Sierra de Gredos west of Madrid about an hour away.
Bodega Marañones is making solid wines. http://www.europeancellars.com/producer/bodegas-maranones/ http://www.bodegamaranones.com/en/#slide=1
Thank you, Mark. Very helpful. Do you know Rioja accessible quicker by train? I remember taking a high speed train to Seville from Madrid a few years ago, and that was easy and great. Otheriwise, Ribero del Duero makes sense logistically. Any specific recommendations in terms of places to stay/visit?
We stayed at Hotel Tudanco in Arando del Duero.
Penafiel has an amazing castle and wine museum (same building). It dominates the vista.
Check this site for Renfe trains from Madrid.
We visited Abadia Retuerta which is a winery within and 12 century abbey in Sardon de Duero
They have a hotel there now as well. Not technically with the Ribera DO, http://www.ledomaine.es/en/
Also went to Felix Callejo.
Go into Arnada Del Duero for dinner and watch the paseo where just about the whole town out taking their evening walk
This is from my notes fom a previous trip that were written by wine writer Gerry Dawes on producers in Ribero
Dehesa de los Canónigos, Pago de Carraovejas, Matarromera, Emilio Moro, Condado de Haza (Alejandro Fernández’s second venture, single vineyard estate winery ), Félix Callejo, Arzuaga Navarro, Bodegas Monasterio (whose young Danish winemaker, Peter Sisseck, would become an international star with Dominio de Pingus, his “garage” wine), Carmelo Rodero, Vega Sicilia’s Alión, Viña Mayor, Grandes Bodegas (Marqués de Velilla, Villalobón), Finca Villacreces, Viña Sastre, Cillar de Silos, López Cristóbal and Montebaco, Valsotillo, Pesquera. Pago de los Capellanes, Cachopa, Aalto, Dominio de Atauta, Real Sitio de Ventosilla (Pagos del Rey), Pagos del Infante and Viña Arnaiz
I don’t believe there’s high-speed rail from Madrid to Haro. It takes about 4.5hrs or so from Madrid. That said, the train station is relatively close to LdH, Roda, La Rioja Alta, Muga, CVNE, etc, so you could get away without a car if you only want to pop in and out. I don’t recall too many restaurants in that area, however. There’s not much other than side roads, the wineries, and then the highway.
Thank you, Jay. While I would really enjoy tasting at the wineries in Rioja, it doesn’t sound like there’s enough other stuff going on to make it worth the shlep from Madrid (at least for my daughter). Will focus on Ribera del Duero.
One more question about visiting wineries . . . I was planning to go in early october - if that coincides with harvest, will I still be able to visit/taste or will they be too busy?
Rioja is not just the town of Haro. It is fairly large, think Napa/Sonoma, where you will have to be driving to get around from town to town. The villages are very beautiful, too, against various backdrops of mountains and, of course, vineyards. Even Haro itself is a decent visit. But towns like Laguardia, Ezcaray, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Brinas, and a handful of others. Logrono is one of the largest town and it is a very nice historical and lively town to visit. Each are approximately about 20 - 25 minutes drive of each other.