Convivial personal wine experiences in the Spanish heartland, featuring wonderful wineries, picturesque pueblos and viticulture of old Castile
(3)
I was delighted to be invited to join fellow professionals from across the wine sector on Monday in a 12 hour marathon of blind tastings of minority varietals from anonymised wineries across Castile and León and the Portuguese Douro valley, making discoveries and awarding individual scores for excellence ✨🍷x2000 🏅
A privilege to spend a Winelovers, vinos, tapas y + club evening of discussion and tasting with multi-talented winemaker and author Andrés Septien, whose fresh, fruity multi varietal white, orange and reds are finally attracting limelight to one of my favourite and little-known appellations, DO Arlanza, nestled high between the more famous regions of Ribera del Duero and La Rioja. I’ve already committed to assisting Andrés in this year’s harvest so there’ll be more to report on Bodega Septien in due course… 🌱🍇🍷 Also a pleasure to share a table with my fellow Toro winemaker Iván of ¡Bebe y deje vivir chicos!
At the foot of the Castle in the village of San Martín del Castañar, stands the tiny bullring—the second oldest in Spain—in a clearing carved from local rough granite.
Although much older, and originally used to corral livestock, written references to the “public square…. where the bulls run” date to the mid-17th century.
As a centre of bull festivals still in use to this day, it is only pre-dated by the larger structure of El Castañar, 30km southeast in the town of Béjar, also in the province of Salamanca.
May the road rise with you… from the Emerald Isle to the greenery of the Natural Park of Las Batuecas and Sierra de Francia, our Irish guests Brian and Irene discover a winery hidden in the forest of oak, pine, cherry, chestnut and strawberry trees. Go n-éirí an bóthar leat…
☘️🌳🌲🌱🍇🍷💚
When in Portugal… a blend of indigenous castas Siria and Fonte Cal, from Terras da Beira, close to the border with Salamanca province in Spain
🇵🇹
A fun, informative Duero Wine Festival at Salamanca Palace of Congress, discovering new trends and catching up with fellow wine fanatics, makers and friends in the tasting sessions and discussions, over terrific wine naturally 🍷✨
New season starts 24.03.04 …
The return of La Ruta de Don Federico
to the most beautiful vineyards in Spain
🚙🌱🍇🍷✨
Thanks to Bodegas Pascual Fernández for last night’s perfect presentation of their range of seven single grape expressions of minority varietals from Fermoselle, Village of Wine, in the Arribes appellation. The project of recovery of ancient wine terraces and subterranean bodegas tunnelled under the village is a beautiful story, and is reflected on the wine labels under the brand Siete Peldaños
On the trail of El Quijote
Puerto de Lápice, Castilla La Mancha
A privilege to spend an extended wine tasting with Jesús de Madrazo Mateo Real de Asua and hear him share some of the secrets of his rulebreaking approach to crafting exquisite wines in la Rioja and the Ribera de Duero, at Winelovers Salamanca Wine Club 🍇🍷✨🤫
Winelovers, vinos, tapas y +
The Plaza Mayor on a soaking Salamanca Saturday night is a little quieter than usual, but no less spectacular
31 October is the anniversary of the great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, during which many buildings in Salamanca were destroyed despite being 400km to the northeast of the Portuguese capital. Salmantino citizens sought refuge by packing out the huge nave and aisles of the New Cathedral, whose 200-year construction had only completed 22 years before, and huddled in terror as the sounds of the cracking bell tower echoed above them. No rubble fell on the crowd in the interior but once the cataclysm had subsided, long fissures high up the exterior of the tower were evident. Fearing a total collapse of the structure, the Mariquelo—the bell-ringer member of the family whose job it was to clean and maintain the cathedral complex—was required to scale the 110m to the top to examine the damage at close quarters and assess the risk of later collapse. The building maintained its integrity long enough for the addition of an entombing extra outer wall which to this day encapsulates the bottom two thirds of the tower with only the top section extant with its original adornments of elaborately carved stone.
The event is celebrated every 31 October when the current Mariquelo, Ángel Rufino de Haro, repeats the feat, clinging to the top of the structure whilst throngs of citizens gaze slack-jawed upwards in admiration as he releases a dove of peace and announces thanks for salvation two centuries ago then delivers messages of dedication and charity to latter-day causes, even taking the time to entertain onlookers with a tune from his flute and a beat from his traditional drum from the highest point of the building. If all this daredevil pomp weren’t enough spectacle, the colloquially named ‘Salamanca Spiderman’ also parades through the old town and across the Roman Bridge on his trusty mount, attired in traditional dress.
I include a photo of myself with El Mariquelo at a biker rideout some years ago, and hair-raising images of his predecessors atop the spire of the cathedral, which are copyright of the tower’s visitor centre page: https://ieronimus.es/la-tradicion-los-mariquelos/
Salamanca downpour
(Calle Compañía and La Clerecía from Café El Alcaraván ☕️☔️)
Friend of La Ruta de Don Federico, enologist Pilar Fernández Trocóniz, climbs like a little monkey (her words not mine) to let us barrel taste the evolving Pinot Noir, Tinta de País, Syrah and Sauvingon Blanc she crafts from the seven hectares of vineyard that surrounds her winery and home at the palatial 15th century Castillo de Buen Amor (Castle of Good Love) close to Salamanca. It’s always rewarding and fun to visit and taste wine with Pilar. And her classic style wines are delicious.
🏰🍇🍷🐒
Posada Real Castillo del Buen Amor
Exploring hidden underground wine caves carved out by hand over centuries in the little-known Arlanza wine appellation, located between the more famous Ribera del Duero and Rioja regions, in the company of intrepid fellow Scots wine travellers Eileen and Max. Thanks to Alberto Ortega Izquierdo, winemaker at Vinos Ortegaz, for leading us through the subterranean labyrinth, and for bringing along a traditional glass porrón to facilitate tasting of the fresh clarete wines maturing beneath our feet.
Vinos Ortegaz
Not a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie but rather the job of a Ribera del Duero winemaker to clean out the steel fermentation tanks of the pomace (grape skins and solids) left behind once the wine has been transferred to barrel for malolactic conversion and maturing. These leftovers will be used as fertiliser or sent to a distillery for the production of grape spirit (orujo). Any fumes of carbon inside the tanks can be lethal and so the mask is advisable.
ValSotillo Bodegas Ismael Arroyo
There’s never a dull moment passing through the vibrant villages of Castile and León 🍇🍷🎶💃🏻
Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos
When Armon and Mikaela left their home in St Louis, Missouri, USA with their cases and passports packed, they had absolutely no idea where they were heading to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary. Met at the airport by their travel agent cousin, they were dispatched on a magical mystery tour to Madrid and Salamanca, and only received the itineraries of each of their ten days of secret pre-booked activities in a series of further sealed envelopes each night before. So they had no idea what lay ahead as they were whisked off on La Ruta de Don Federico on Tuesday for a day of discovery and wild weather, wine-tasting, vineyards and village visits. The intrigue was as much fun for us as it was for you guys!
Here’s to your return—the date of which shall remain another question mark for now!?
🎒🧳✈️⁉️🌪️☔️🍇🍷😅
Vinos La Zorra Cambrico
I’m bound for the Sierra de Salamanca with American guests this 17 October, five years to the day when our first wine travellers joined us on the inaugural Ruta de Don Federico in 2018. On that first outing I was delighted to host members of the Gandolfi Wine Club from my home city of Glasgow in Scotland, pictured here enjoying a wine tasting inside a centuries-old beam and stone wine press called a ‘lagar’ in Burgos province, as we set off on a five day sojourn through the appellations of Arlanza, Rueda and Ribera del Duero. Since then we’ve received visitors from fourteen countries around the globe, and I look forward to personally hosting many more on a unique voyage of varietals, vines and villages in the heart of historic Spain.
Muchas gracias to all our friends and collaborators who have partnered us along the rutas, and special mention to those who facilitated in friendship the first of many:
El Prado de Las Merinas in Caleruega, Vinos Ortegaz and Hotel Doña Sancha in Covarrubias, Bodegas Ismael Arroyo-Valsotillo in Sotillo de la Ribera and Campo Elíseo in La Seca. ¡Hasta la próxima! 🌱🍇🍷✨🇪🇸
Vinos Ortegaz Hotel Doña Sancha Bodegas Campo Eliseo ValSotillo Bodegas Ismael Arroyo Cafe Gandolfi
Tasting scarce indigenous white Rufete directly from 120-yr-old vines in an old terrace of wine terroir dating back 2000 years is a unique wine experience for our guests in the Sierra de Salamanca 🌱🍇🍷
Naming a freshly filled barrel of this year’s Tinta de Toro in remembrance of my godfather and uncle Norrie, who gave me great encouragement in starting my wine projects and whose birthday I am toasting today 🍷❤️
Not Abbey Road but rather Roman Bridge.
Sunday was a fun day in the Sierra de Salamanca traversing ancient villages and vineyards in the company of Bostonians Kim, Kerry, Patrick and Shaun. A ruta replete with imagined album covers!
🇺🇸🇪🇸🍇🍷📸💿😄
A proud parent.
Father and wine both doing well 🍷✨
Just a forklift and pallets of bottles to most, but for me it’s a major milestone in the week that saw me mark ten years since my arrival in Salamanca, and the culmination of a dream as tomorrow’s bottling of my 2022 vintage Tinta de Toro raises my winemaking to the next level.
Appropriately, in Spain a forklift is known as a ‘toro’—the two prongs being the horns of the ‘bull’
Salamanca
Sé el primero en enterarse y déjanos enviarle un correo electrónico cuando La Ruta de Don Federico publique noticias y promociones. Su dirección de correo electrónico no se utilizará para ningún otro fin, y puede darse de baja en cualquier momento.
Enviar un mensaje a La Ruta de Don Federico:
I was delighted to be invited to join fellow professionals from across the wine sector on Monday in a 12 hour marathon of blind tastings of minority varietals from Castile and León and the Portuguese Douro valley, making discoveries and awarding individual scores for excellence ✨🍷x2000 🏅 #tourdelas2000pr #variedadesminoritarias
@colectivodecantado @luis_wine_expert @wineloversalamanca @vinoslazorra @vinasserranas @bodegas_el_robledo @duerowinefest @bodegasdealberto @mgwinesgroup @elhatoyelgarabato @bodegaquintalasvelas
Semana Santa in Salamanca is second to none* *except perhaps Zamora, but that’s only an hour north, so visit both!
A golden opportunity for Bill, Cecilia and Zoe from Delaware USA to taste rare Rufete Blanco directly from the barrel at Vinos La Zorra. Agustín Maíllo is one of the most innovative winemakers in the Sierra de Salamanca appellation and has crafted a wonderful orange wine by macerating this scarce white varietal on its skins and then ageing in oak. A truly unique wine experience on the first La Ruta de Don Federico of 2024.🇺🇸 🇪🇸 🍇 🍷 ✨
Salamanca downpour (Calle Compañía and La Clerecía from Café El Alcaraván ☕️☔️) #Salamanca #rainyday #cafeelálcaravan
There’s never a dull moment passing through the vibrant villages of Castile and León 🍇🍷🎶💃🏻 Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos #villagelife #spaintravel #pueblosmagicos #pueblos #winetravel #Burgos #santodomingodesilos
Tasting scarce indigenous white Rufete directly from 120-yr-old vines in an old terrace of wine terroir dating back 2000 years is a unique wine experience for our guests in the Sierra de Salamanca 🌱🍇🍷 #winetravel #winelover #spaintravel #rufeteblanco #oldvines #vineyard
Tasting scarce indigenous white Rufete directly from 120-yr-old vines in an old terrace of wine terroir dating back 2000 years is a unique wine experience for our guests in the Sierra de Salamanca 🌱🍇🍷 #winetravel #winelover #spaintravel #rufeteblanco #oldvines #vineyard
A superb tasting tour of 11 of the fine wines of the Grandes Pagos de España with my fellow associates of the Sommeliers of Salamanca, facilitated by Álvaro Pérez of Abadía Retuerta 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷✨ Grandes Pagos de España Asociación de Sumilleres de Salamanca #winetasting #finewine #winelover
A rare opportunity to sample evolving wines straight from the barrel with Serrano winemaker Agustín Maillo to assess their journey to be being wonderful expressions of Rufete, Aragonés and Calabrés of Vinos La Zorra, with our guests Inger, Iver and wineblogger Nora from Norway 🇳🇴🇪🇸🍇🍷✨
A rare opportunity to sample evolving wines straight from the barrel with Serrano winemaker Agustín Maillo to assess their journey to be being wonderful expressions of Rufete, Aragonés and Calabrés of Vinos La Zorra, with our guests from Norway Inger, Iver and wineblogger @Noradrikkervin 🇳🇴🇪🇸🍇🍷✨ #dopsierradesamanca #rufete #aragones #calabres #winemaker #winelover #winetravel
It’s not always sunshine and wine in sumptuous Salamanca; some days are rain and coffee… and yet still a little sun ☔️☕️🌤️ La Clerecía church, the Pontifical University and Café Alcaraván (with guest appearances from my dear friend Jesús and waiter Ángel) #Salamanca #spaintravel #coffee
Bodega en el bosque… a winery in the woods 🍇🌳 In the heart of the Natural Park of Las Batuecas—a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and protected Spanish Natural Site—Cambrico crafts ecological ‘mountain and forest wines’ from autochthonous varietals in very old hillside vineyards surrounded by oak, strawberry and chestnut trees, as pointed out by acclaimed viticulturist Bosi Jiménez to my wine guests Stephanie and Jonathan from Oregon, USA 🌿🇺🇸 #winelover #winediscovery #naturalwine #winetravel #spainwine
Spending a springtime Sunday among centennial Sierra de Salamanca vines is simply splendid 🌱🍇 Cambrico #spainwine #winetravel #winelover #oldvines #sierradesalamanca #winediscovery
12m beneath the streets of the old town of Toro in Castile and León, Antonio and Carlos—3rd and 4th generation custodians of the family Bodegas Velasco—showed us their 17th century wine press and subterranean cellar, where the ingenious system of channels and hatches, and 3,500 litre foudres coopered in situ, were deployed for the fermentation of wine for 400 years right up until 1999. Bodegas Velasco #toro #torowine #winelover #winetravel #spainwine #winecellar #winecave
Ángeles Ortega explains the ecological processes she and husband Alberto Moro pursue in their vineyards of Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc, Godello and Tempranillo. Their dedication to organic viticulture and winemaking has recently seen their winery El Lagar de Moha bestowed the first ever Demeter International Biodynamic certification in the appellation of DO Rueda, a unique accolade. Their wines are fresh, delicious and ecological. #DORueda #Verdejo #sauvignonblanc #tempranillo #godello #biodynamicwine #winelover #winetourism #spainwine #winetravel
I’m recording live today from the Plaza Mayor in Madrid to take in the Tamborrada de Semana Santa, a celebration which mixes pagan and religious traditions and which marks the ending of a week of penance processions, both solemn and celebratory, all around the country. Now declared a World Heritage cultural event by UNESCO, for Christians the cacophonous beating of the drums recalls the tearing of the temple walls at the death of Jesus Christ on the cross by making the columns and timbers of the city’s 17th century main square tremble—along with the chests and ears of onlookers as I can attest! #SemanaSanta #madrid #tamborrada #SpainTraditions
One of the most important weeks of the Castilian cultural calendar has arrived—the holy week of 'Semana Santa', when solemn processions of penitents daily (and nightly) make their way through towns and villages carrying aloft their treasured passion week sculptures. Salamanca is one of the finest places to experience the parades of the adherents, which have their origins in medieval times, against the backdrop of the beautiful old town and, as here, crossing the river on the first century Roman Bridge. #SemanaSanta #SemanaSanta2023 #Salamanca #traditionalspain #easter #romanbridge
Personal and authentic small-group wine experiences in the little-known Spanish interior with Don Federico, your bilingual host on a convivial and exclusive journey of exploration of family bodegas, exceptional wines, hearty food, pueblos, countryside, culture, history and legend
