Wine Holidays in Spain

Wine tasting weekends in Spain: Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Catalonia

The 9 wine holidays on this page are in Rioja, Ribera del Duero, the Sierra de Salamanca and Catalonia, where the Penedès and Alella are near Barcelona and a 4-day guided tour also visits the Alt Empordà and the Priorat. They last from one night to five days.

Where can you stay among the vineyards in Spain?

• Cavas Bolet, at Castellet i la Gornal in the Penedès, about an hour from Barcelona: a small rural hotel in the family's 1911 Modernist house, with a visit of the old and the current winery and a tasting of 3 organic wines, for 1 or 4 nights.
• Castilla Termal Monasterio de Valbuena, in Ribera del Duero: 2 nights in a spa hotel inside a 12th-century Cistercian monastery, with access to the thermal pool, a tasting of the house wine, Converso, with local cheeses, and a visit to a Ribera del Duero winery with wine and tapas.
• Wine & Soul Suites, in Haro (La Rioja): 2 nights in a wine-themed suite in the old town and a visit and tasting at Bodegas Gómez Cruzado, founded in 1886 in the Barrio de la Estación.
• Villa Alella, in the Alella wine area north-east of Barcelona: 2 nights in a villa with a private pool, a welcome barbecue dinner or grazing board, and guided tastings at 2 local wineries, with transport from central Barcelona.

What is the Barrio de la Estación in Haro?

A district of Haro that grew up around the railway station in the late 19th century, where several of Rioja's oldest wineries stand close together. Gómez Cruzado, founded in 1886, is one of them.

What is the Penedès known for?

Cava, Spain's traditional method sparkling wine: most of it is made in the Penedès, which also produces still whites and reds. Cavas Bolet grows its own grapes and makes organic wines.

When is the best time to go?

Spring and autumn. Summers are hot in Ribera del Duero and Rioja. The harvest runs from late August near Barcelona to October in the north. Villa Alella includes transport for the winery visits, and in Haro the winery is a walk from the old town; for Cavas Bolet and Valbuena you need a car, while the 4-day Catalonia tour travels by private vehicle or minibus with a guide.