The Best Wine Towns to Visit in Spain

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One of the main towns within Spain’s famous La Rioja wine region, Haro is both home to and located within a short distance of many of the area’s top wineries. Some of the best bodegas to visit within Haro itself include the historic Bodegas Muga, Bodegas López de Heredia and the Bodegas Bilbainas. Haro is also the home of the famous Batalla del Vino wine fight which takes place on June 29th each year. La Rioja is known for its deep reds with fruity flavours, which are predominantly made from the native Tempranillo grape.

The small town of Jerez de la Frontera is located in Andalusia, approximately a 1 hour 15 minute drive south of Seville. Part of the Sherry Triangle, along with Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María, it lies at the heart of Spain’s sherry producing area. The town is full of small sherry bodegas, where you can buy a glass straight from the barrel. Read our feature on ‘The Best Sherry Bars in Spain’s Sherry Triangle‘ to find out where to go.

The capital of the Ribeira Sacra wine region, Monforte de Lemos is located in the Galician province of Lugo. The vineyards here are situated along the banks of the Cabe, Sil and Miño rivers, a picturesque area dotted with medieval villages, dramatic gorges and charming churches. This wine region may not be as well known as some of the others in Spain, but in fact, winemaking here can be traced as far back as Roman times. Both red and white wines are produced here, although the red Mencía grapes are the most predominant. They are fresh and crisp and have more of an herby than a fruity flavour. Some of the best places to visit here include the Riberia Sacra Wine Centre, Bodegas Alvarez Piñeiro and the Bodegas Losada Fernandez.

The Galician town of Pontevedra is the best place to base yourself to access the wine regions of the Rías Baixas. An area where four estuarine inlets meet the Atlantic Ocean, it’s a fertile place which has become known for its excellent dry white wines. Floral and fruity with notes of peach and apricot, the wines go well with the region’s quality seafood. One of the best wineries to visit near Pontevedra is Bodega Morgadio.

The Penedès wine region is the largest wine-producing area in Catalonia. Located around 55km (34 miles) west of Barcelona, the small town of Vilafranca del Penedès is the most important wine town in the area. The Penedès region produces a wide variety of wines, from dry whites and reds to sweet dessert wines, sparkling wines and rosés. They are primarily made from the Xarel·lo, Macabeu and Parellada grape varieties. Make a side trip to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, where you’ll find Caves Codorniu, the birthplace of Spanish Cava.

The small town of Aranda de Duero lies within the heart of Castilla y León’s principal wine region: the Ribera del Duero. The vineyards here are found along the banks of the Duero River and on the high rocky plateaus of la maseta. Originally wines were made here from vines imported from Bordeaux, France, but now the area has become one of Spain’s premier red-wine producing regions. Two of the best wineries to visit in Aranda de Duero are Bodegas Historica Don Carlos and Bodega y Viñedos Martín Berdugo.