Get checked in to your centrally located boutique hotel and let the adventure begin!  In the evening, meet your host for the trip in the lobby and you will be escorted to a fantastic local bistro and wine bar where you’ll jump right into the culture with local eats and outstanding wine. 

Hotel: Dear Hotel,

Dinner: Angelita Madrid

From the hotel, we’ll drive 1 hour north to the city of Segovia in Castilla y Leon. On arrival, we’ll meet a fantastic local host who will show us its centuries of settlement and rich architectural legacy, including medieval walls, a Gothic cathedral and the iconic ancient Roman aqueduct. After that, we continue north to the town of Nieva in the Rueda wine region where Microbio Wines is located a.k.a. República Independiente del Verdejo, under President Ismael Gozalo. We’ll enjoy an afternoon visiting his vineyards and of course, wine tasting led by el presidente himself!  Then get ready for a fantastic culinary treat as we enjoy a traditional cochinillo (suckling pig) lunch right at the winery.

Hotel: Castilla Termal Monasterio de Valbuena
Lunch: Microbio Wines

After a great breakfast, we’ll meet up and head for a brief visit to the Peñafiel Castle. We’ll learn about its history and local significance, and enjoy the stunning views from the top. Following this cultural visit, we’ll drive east to visit another hero in the world of Spanish natural wines, Julián Ben Hamou López from Bodegas Coruña del Conde. The passion and history that he brings to his wines are unmatched and here we will learn all about his project, visit the cellar, taste his wines, and when your bellies start to rumble, we’ll enjoy a traditional Lechal (roast suckling lamb) lunch right at the bodega. Bellies full, we will start out drive back to the hotel.

Hotel: Castillo Termal Monasterio de Valbuena
Lunch: Bodegas Coruña del Conde

Today we'll be taking care of our bodies and enjoying a high level meal for lunch. First, we will be taking the morning off to enjoy the hotel's spa circuit. Around noon we'll head to Valladolid for lunch at one of Castilla's wine meccas, El Bar. Not only is it one of the best wine lists around, but the food is also out of this world. Well worth the stop on our way west to Toro in the Zamora province of Castilla. Once there, check in to hotel and go for a stroll around town.

Hotel: Valbusenda
Lunch: El Bar Valladolid

D.O. Toro is known for having some of the most intense and heavy reds in the whole country. Within that intensity, lays one rebel, or Bigardo! Enter Kiko Calvo, and his unique ways of making wines. We will hang out with Kiko and find out what makes his wines and winemaking style so unique. First we’ll head to the vineyards to see why this region is special and then taste wines in his cellar located right on the banks of the Duero River where we will be enjoying an outdoor lunch together.

Hotel: Valbusenda
Lunch: Bodegas Bigardo

We've known Nicolas Marcos Vicente since his days at Dominio del Urogallo in Asturias. Originally from Toro, he returned home not only to make wine, but also open his own restaurant called Babú. Always promising when Nicolas is behind the food and wines. First we will visit his vineyards and taste his wines. Then, we will get a chance to taste his food when we go to Babú for lunch. Put the two together and you've got yourself a pretty explosive meal. Can't wait!

Hotel: Valbusenda
Lunch: Restaurante Babú

For our final day of this gastronomic adventure, we’ll check out of your hotel and drive south to the province of Ávila for a visit, tasting, and lunch with the OG of Garnacha de Gredos, Daniel Ramos! Daniel is making some of the purest and most representative wines of the region with old vine Garnacha and Albillo grapes. Learning about his project and wines will be a great cap to our adventure before returning to Madrid in the early evening for one last hoorah. Can’t leave Spain without a good night out in Madrid! We’ll meet up as a group and enjoy a final night of wining and dining.

Hotel: Dear Hotel,
Lunch: Daniel Ramos

Check out in the morning and hope to have you on another one of our Viniesta Trips!