Ribera del Duero

Destination: Ribeira del Duero, Spain
Date: Spring or Autumn, dates to be mutually arranged for customised parties
Duration: 6 days
Cost: £795 each based on two persons sharing - for around 24 persons

Single supplement including single cabin: £140

This region could be said to be the Spanish secret. Usually, La Rioja is the centre of attention when it comes to Spanish wines but his varied and wild district has grown into an incredible wine producing area. This is possibly because production is still low (but growing) and the Spanish themselves rush to buy before any can escape abroad, the quality is first class and that the region is utterly historic.

Very few British wine enthusiasts make it into this area and because we are such a rarity we have found an extremely warm welcome from the locals on our travels. It's definitely a new experience for most people and we can thoroughly recommend both the wine and the region to you.

This tour starts the moment you board the ship at Plymouth or Portsmouth. The “Pont Aven” is Brittany Ferries’ flagship and the £100m state of the art, 40,000 tonne vessel has all the amenities of a cruise liner. The crossing to Spain is very much part of the experience. A 2-berth cabin is allocated.

Example six-day tour - this tour can easily be customised to accommodate new times of ferries or other favoured Bodegas.

We sail at 1600 on a Sunday from Plymouth and once on board Stephen will present a tutored tasting of the wines we will meet in Spain followed by dinner.

We reach Santander on the second day and drive southwards and into Castile. By now you will be feeling thirsty so we make a stop in Fuensaldana to taste at the small and super friendly Bodegas Emeterio Fernandez.

We now continue our drive to check into the 4* Hotel Melia in central Valladolid for three nights. We have dinner a the hotel on the first night. The Old Quarter of Valladolid is just a few steps outside the front door of the hotel.

Next day we visit Rueda and the fabled Marques de Riscal who in 1972 led the way with modern Verdejo now fashionable all over Europe. We then head for nearby Serrada where we will visit the exremely friendly Bodegas Alberto Gutierrez and sample their excellent range of wines. After the tasting we stroll across the road for a magnificent lunch full of gastronomic surprises!

We return to the hotel in the late afternoon and you'll have some time to sightsee in Valladolid.

On Wednesday we travel eastwards following the River Duero toward the prinicpal town of the region, Aranda de Duero and a visit and tasting at the excellent Real Sitio de Ventosilla.

After this visit we now drive to a tasting lunch at the immaculate Condado de Haza to taste the legendary wine Pesquera at the home of Alejandro Fernandez. In the late afternoon we start back to the hotel but make a stop at Penafiel. Dominated by its Castle where there is a wine museum. This historic town has one of the smallest and oldest bull rings in Spain, which we will visit.

We will leave early on Thursday and set off for the short journey to Valoria la Buena in Cigales and our final tasting at the excellent Concejo Bodegas  We then continue to Santander for the 1530 sailing reaching Plymouth/Portsmouth on the sixth day. After going through customs the coach will continue to your original pick up points.

The cost includes ferry crossing with 2-berth cabin each way. All travel by executive coach; three nights’ accommodation in (minimum) 3 star hotel with buffet breakfast and dinner on first night; two lunches; excursions and visits as described; tasting and dinner on board on first day; services of Stephen Barrett as Tour Manager.

Note Brittany Feries now operate crossings to Santander from both Plymouth and Portsmouth, both Ports of destination can be accommodated and customised itineraries created accordingly. We can easily return clients to original Pick-up Points

We are also happy to offer our Heritage and Wine Tours where we split the tour to include some of the excellent Heritage sites in and around Ribera del Duero and Valladolid.