Its privileged location in the center of Castilla y León offers a wide variety of places for travelers interested in culture and gastronomy. From its famous and highly recognized white wines and wineries, to its villages with historical monuments and emblazoned houses, as well as natural landscapes where you can enjoy unforgettable moments.
Located in Castilla y León, the Rueda appellation of origin wine region is made up of 74 municipalities spread between the south of the province of Valladolid, Segovia and the north of Ávila. Famous for the quality of its internationally recognized white wines, the grape varieties are irregularly distributed throughout the different municipalities, although it is true that a large concentration of them are found in the municipalities of La Seca, Rueda and Serrada.
A good starting point for a wine weekend is the municipality of Rueda, where more than 60% of the wineries open to the public in the entire appellation are located. We will start touring the different wineries located in the municipality and then, if we still have enough energy, we will visit the towns of La Seca, Medina del Campo, Tordesillas or Serrada.
Among the wineries open to the public where it is worth stopping, we find Finca Montepedroso, a winery inaugurated last year, synthesis of the union between wine, landscape and winery. Partially buried to have the least impact on the topography, Finca Montepedroso is naturally integrated into the landscape and is visible from the A6 highway. Its architecture, its refined lines and the innovative winemaking techniques used in the winery make it the icon of the Rueda winery. Built in concrete and glass, with a central volume of tile brick, it produces a single Verdejo wine, Finca Montepedroso.
A visit to the subway galleries of the Antaño (Mocén) wine cellars, dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, is also recommended. Made of stone and brick, symbol of the Mudejar heritage, they form a labyrinth of 25 meters deep and 3 kilometers long that will make us live a journey through time.
After an exhausting morning of visits, what better than a break for lunch at Casa Lola (Rueda), where you can’t miss their excellent potato omelette, their gazpacho and their selection of cheeses and Iberian sausages all cut by knife. In addition to the bar, it has a gourmet store with the best wines of the area and has just opened a small hotel with rooms where you can stay.
Although if you are more of a hearty meal after a busy day, my recommendation is the Posada el Foro, where they have spent years betting on traditional Castilian food based on excellent roast lamb and suckling pig roasted in a wood oven, with its own bakery and pastry. It also has a rural lodging.
But the Rueda region is not only wineries and wines, less than 10 km from the municipality are the monumental cities of Medina del Campo and Tordesillas, which are a must for those wine tourists visiting the area. Among the most important monuments to visit are the following La Mota Castle in Medina del Campo, one of the largest castles in Castilla y León or in Tordesillas, the Monastery of Santa ClaraThe site is one of the Royal Sites, a 14th century building with a Mudejar style church and Gothic arches.
For groups of 4 to 10 people, Rueda has several rural lodgings in the form of houses and villas with wonderful interior patios, here are two: Villa Calera and La casona de la tía Victoria. If you are traveling as a couple or with smaller groups, you can opt for one of the restaurants/hotels mentioned above or choose to stay in neighboring Medina del Campo, which has a more complete hotel offer.
To visit Rueda is to know the cradle of the Verdejo grape. Much of the region’s economy revolves around it, along with other products that the traveler should not miss.