Ideas and options to enjoy Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero is a large region. Located in Castilla Leon, more than 1,5 hours North of Madrid, the region is spread in 4 different provinces: Burgos, Valladolid, Soria, and Segovia. There are basically two options to enjoy Ribera del Duero. The first option implies staying in the region and arranging winery visits. The second option would be to enjoy a wine tour to avoid driving. Wine tours can be enjoyed in Ribera del Duero departing from Madrid daily.
This fun group Ribera del Duero tasting tour is great for those seeking to taste many wines. A light tapas lunch is served at one of the 4 wineries included in the tour. With passionate guidance from expert tour guides, visitors will have the opportunity to explore some of the region's wineries and sample up to 12 wines! Excellent value for money. Convenience is ensured with departure from a centrally located point in Madrid
Excellent value for money with this group tour to Ribera del Duero from Madrid. The tour offers a great way to enjoy and discover Ribera del Duero wine region. You will visit very interesting wineries, enjoy great wines and learn from a passionate expert guide. Departure from a central location in Madrid
This is a private luxury guided wine tour of Ribera del Duero accompanied by a friendly wine expert. You can forget about the hassle of driving and be picked up from your accomodation in a top quality minivan. Enjoy 3 visits to the best wineries, including wine tastings of at least 6 high-quality wines and a high-quality lunch.
Excellent wine tour in Ribera del Duero with pick up in the region at your hotel. You will enjoy an exclusive selection of wineries and taste fantastic wines while you are guided by a one expert that knows the region inside out
A luxury private wine tour to travel in style from Madrid to Barcelona. Planning a trip to Spain and interested in discovering wine tourism in Spain’s top wine regions? We have designed this tour for you to discover wine country on your way from the Madrid capital to the Mediterranean city of Barcelona. Forget booking a flight or train between these 2 top visited cities. Our private 3-day tour will be the highlight of your holiday in Spain. Private tours in Ribera del Duero and Rioja wine regions, high quality hotel accommodation, top gastronomy, comfortable transportation, and plenty of Spanish red wine!
A fantastic 10 day private tour from Madrid to Barcelona that includes the wine regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero and the amazing cities of Bilbao and San Sebastian. You will also enjoy hidden gems like Segovia and Burgos. Excellent vehicles, guides and hotels to ensure you travel in style in Spain
This is a luxury wine and cultural private tour from Madrid. You will discover the amazing city of Segovia and the Ribera del Duero wine region. Relax and enjoy the company of one of our friendly guides while you discover the best Roman aqueduct in the world, enjoy a meal next to wine barrels, and explore a centuries-old wine cellar. This is a unique tour to Segovia and Ribera del Duero that you will not find on any other site and it is only available as a private tour
This fun group Ribera del Duero tasting tour is great for those seeking to taste many wines. A light tapas lunch is served at one of the 4 wineries included in the tour. With passionate guidance from expert tour guides, visitors will have the opportunity to explore some of the region's wineries and sample up to 12 wines! Excellent value for money. Convenience is ensured with departure from a centrally located point in Madrid
This is a unique tour to Ribera del Duero and its vineyards. This tour is ideal for those who wish to spoil themselves and relax in the most luxurious of surroundings the region has to offer. 4x4 drive near the Duero river among fantastic vineyards, a wine and food pairing meal at a fantastic setting and 2 wine tasting sessions of some of the most exclusive wines in Ribera del Duero. The tour includes a short stop in the city of Segovia
Excellent value for money with this group tour to Ribera del Duero from Madrid. The tour offers a great way to enjoy and discover Ribera del Duero wine region. You will visit very interesting wineries, enjoy great wines and learn from a passionate expert guide. Departure from a central location in Madrid
This private tour offers an unforgettable 3-day tour in which to discover the best old Castilla has to offer. You will discover the beautiful wine country of Ribera del Duero, enjoy the treasures of 3 of Spain´s most amazing cities: Sergovia, Avila, and Salamanca. All 3 cities were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Get ready to enjoy one of the world´s best-preserved Roman aqueducts, the fantastic walls of Avila and one of the world´s most beautiful squares in Salamanca.
You can find the full selection of wine tours in Ribera del Duero in this link where you will also discover options to enjoy 2 o3 3 day tours that include Ribera del Duero as part of broader trips, and which are a great way to connect Madrid with Barcelona, Bilbao and other cities of Spain.
We start first with a selection of the best tours available, and will then cover the options you have to enjoy Ribera del Duero if you visit on your own.
This wine route starts in El Burgo de Osma. This is a perfect place to stay and enjoy its culture. From there on everything along the river Duero revolves around wine: Aranda del Duero is the DO Ribera del Duero´s capital, Penafiel´s medieval castle hosts a fascinating wine museum, and on your way to Valladolid, Castilla y Leon´s biggest city, you will find some of the most famous and prestigious Spanish wineries. Our wine tours in Ribera del Duero cover areas of Valladolid and Burgos near the Duero river.
A good place to start is Burgo de Osma. It is a wonderful, small, medieval town to stay in with lots of history and several cool things to see and do. It’s also known as a great place to eat in the region, with several top-notch “asadores”.
El Burgo de Osma is not part of Ribera del Duero, but is a perfect place to stay and start our route. From there on along the Duero riverside, everything revolves around wine.
The road N122 leads us to San Esteban de Gormaz, where we will find two Romanesque churches, castle ruins and a medieval bridge. As we leave the N122, we can go down to Atauta to discover a typical castilian landscape. It’s worth a short stop before arriving at the next important stop on the way.
Aranda welcomes the Duero river under its bridges. The Tourist Office organizes visits to underground wineries.
Aranda del Duero is Split down by the Duero River. Its two halves are connected by the Aranda Bridge. Aranda is filled with wine cellars, although this might not be immediately obvious. Cellars in Aranda, and in Ribera in general, are traditionally located underground and the only way you would know that you are near one is by finding the tale-tell chimneys ore “luceros” as they are known that allow the underground cellars to breathe.
In Aranda, you may stroll through its cobbled squares and eat in its renowned asadores (typical restaurants for roasted meat), famous for their roast lamb. You make be surprised by a pleasant walk through its parks along the river Duero. You can also admire the façade of the Church of Santa María or that of San Juan.
There is a complex web of underground tunnels and cellars that crisscross underneath Aranda that house excellent Ribera del Duero wine and about 10 minutes outside of Aranda is Bodegas Portia, one of the most modern wineries in the region.
Aranda del Duero also has some sight-seeing opportunities including the Church of Santa Maria, the Church of San Juan, its town squares, and the many parks that line the Duero river as it crosses through Aranda.
If you drive to Fuentecen on your way to Peñafiel from Aranda de Duero we recommend you look up to the nearby hill you can barely see a small village at the top. Once you make your way up the hill you arrive at the abandoned medieval town of Haza. Because of its strategic vantage point, Haza was once an important garrison in the region, and now lays abandoned. It is worth the trek, if nothing else for the views.
We suggest you continue along the Duero towards Peñafiel, but if you have a bit of spare time it is a good idea to take the road A1 to Gumiel de Izán and visit some of the nearby villages which are very interesting from a cultural and wine point of view, with a multitude of wineries and vineyards in Gumiel de Mercado or la Horra, where a large concentration of vineyards and wineries can be found. La Horra is a few miles away from Roa de Duero, which is the small town where the office of the Ribera del Duero DO is located. iWith so many vineyards, it is easy to understand why Roa was chosen to be the proverbial capital of the Ribera del Duero appellation. The most important monument in Roa is their small church Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
Once you reach Peñafiel, the first stop has to be at the Castle of Peñafiel, now converted into a wine museum. One iteration or another of the castle has stood in the same spot since the 10th century. It is perched high up on a very narrow hill, which gives the castle the appearance of a ship. Peñafiel is one of the most important villages as it relates to wine production in the region. It famously has several underground wine cellars that are hundreds of years old and its home Protos which is one of the top wineries in all of Ribera. The castle of Peñafiel is among the most beautiful castles in Castilla and Spain
La Plaza del Coso is another must in Peñafiel. The square is lined with beautiful antique homes and is still used as a bullfighting ring when in season.
The Torre del Reloj in Peñafiel is over 10 centuries old and the clock housed inside it is over 100 years old. In front of the tower, you will see a few of the ever-present Zarceras (cellar chimneys), letting you know you are standing above century-old caves and tunnels.
In Pesquera there are as many as 17 wineries belonging to the Denomination of Origin Ribera de Duero, some of which are very prestigious.
Pesquera del Duero is not exactly a tourist destination, the village does not offer much in terms of historical landmarks of picture-worthy views. It is, however, an important site as it relates to wine production. Underfoot are hundreds of meters of tunnels that are filled to the brim with aging wine. The ancient ventilation systems may be confused with protruding boulders but at second glance, we can see that they are actually rock chimneys that allow the release of toxic CO2 from the chambers below. This is an ideal system to maintain a constant cool temperature, oxygen flow, and humid conditions in the cellar.
A few kilometers outside of Peñafiel we find Valbuena del Duero which is home to the monastery of “Nuestra Señora de Valbuena”. The monastery is from the 12th century and it is currently been repurposed as a hotel and museum. It sits on the bank of the river and is a great place to enjoy the sunset.
In Quintanilla de Onesimo, the river Duero flows under a bridge dating back to 1583, and you will be able to go for a walk near vineyards of renowned wineries
You can find more information about the history of Ribera del Duero in this post.
Valladolid is the capital of Castilla León and its largest city and it’s a town filled with history and culture. Using Valladolid as a hub to go on wine tours is an excellent option. From Valladolid, you can easily visit several amazing wineries nearby.
Historically in Valladolid, the main winemaker was the catholic church. There are several religious monuments that have a close relationship to winemaking that is worth visiting. Winemakers in the “Herederos del vino” guild also have their cellars in Valladolid and make excellent wines as well.
There are tons of cool things to do in Valladolid but you can’t miss out on visiting the gardens that line the riverbanks of the Pisuerga that cuts through the center of the city. You also don’t want to forget to eat at a traditional meson and enjoy some amazing Ribera wine as it is meant to be enjoyed: accompanying a wonderful meal and in Good company.
The Capital of Castilla y León has an important historical and cultural heritage. There are remarkable religious monuments such as the monasteries which were responsible for the development of winemaking in past centuries. However individual producers gradually appeared and decided to join in a guild called “Herederos del Vino” (wine heirs).
A stroll in the gardens along the Pisuegra river in the city center is a pleasurable experience, followed by a gastronomical halt in its mesones, taverns, and figones, where you will discover Valladolid’s wines. The Office for wine tourism suggests 2 different routes to make the most of the city’s appeals and wine tradition.
Ribera del Duero is not an old wine appellation for Spanish standards. It is however one of the most important red wine-producing regions in Spain. A region where Tempranillo reaches very high-quality standards. This post provides a view of how everything started in Ribera and provides some hints to explain its success. … Read More
Winetourismspain´s blog with articles about Spain´s wine regions, wine tours in Spain´s wine country, local wines and gastronomy … Read More
A list of the best traditional dishes from the Ribera del Duero region you are going to want to try. The best of traditional Castilian cuisine to pair with the excellent wines produced in Ribera del Duero. … Read More
Ribera del Duero is one of the most prestigious wine regions in Spain. Here are some tips on how to reach this fantastic wine region by car, bus and train.
In this post we look at how to get to the fantastic wine region of Ribera del Duero, such as how to get to Ribera del Duero from Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, San Sebastian and more. … Read More