OT: Who was the poster who vacationed in Spanish wine country last fall?
- Thread starter RUSK97
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wasn't me, but I'll tell you that Andalucia (south) was phenomenal. History, sherry, jamon and Iberico everything. Seville is a great chill place to stay and its easy to get around the region.
I second the Andalucía recommendation. Seville is great, and I loved Cordoba too. And if you're into sherry, you have to visit Jerez. We also went to Ronda, which is one of the prettiest towns I've ever seen, but realistically only accessible by car. Luckily, we found it pretty easy to drive in Spain so it wasn't an issue.
It wasn't me either but I have vacationed in Spanish wine country. But, you'll have to be a bit more specific. Saying "Spanish wine country" is not at all different than saying "French" or "Italian" wine country.
I was in the Rioja (pretty much the wine capital of Spain - Tempranillo, Garnacha, etc.) a region in the north broken into three distinct zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa.
It's been a couple of years but feel free to let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer (it's been a couple of years).
I was in the Rioja (pretty much the wine capital of Spain - Tempranillo, Garnacha, etc.) a region in the north broken into three distinct zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa.
It's been a couple of years but feel free to let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer (it's been a couple of years).
If I were going to do it, this is where I'd want to go. I decided 2018 was the year I was going to learn more about wine, which has been fun and edifying, and I've been pretty drawn to Rioja Alta wines (specifically, the La Rioja Alta, S.A., label - I just bought a bottle of their 2012 Gran Reserva 904, which I can't wait to try).
Agreed this region is great. Don’t skip out on Granada. Great city, great wine, and free tapas with each drink.
The region also produces the majority of the worlds olive oil. We visited la finca torre for olive oil tasting and it was fantastic. Def an amazing and unique experience.
Malaga is a good city to stay for a few days as well. Frigiliana/nerja day trips or even can head down to Gibraltar. Ronda is beautiful (ole town). Def recommend renting a cAr for the region.
It wasn't me, as I have no reason to "vacation" for wine. North Central Washington is now considered to be a world class wine region. Walla Walla, Lake Chelan, and even the Wenatchee valley are producing all kinds of grapes. Willamett valley, in Oregon, has been long known for it's Pinot Noir.
Also agree with the Andalucia recommendation. Granada is must see. We loved Seville and also spent time on the coast in Nerja and Tarifa, where we took the ferry to Tangier’s Morocco for the day. Great trip.
To the OP, when are you planning to go to Spain? Last year, I rented an apartment in Frigiliana, 9 km. up (literally) from Nerja on the coast to the east of Malaga. When I arrived on Feb. 1 it was 0 Celsius and the houses there have no heat. So I recommend waiting till April to go, when it finally warmed up.
I second the suggestions about visiting Ronda, Gibraltar (you can park on the Spanish side of the border and walk into the colony, which is much easier), and Granada. If you do go to Granada, you MUST go on-line asap to purchase tix for the Alhambra. Most are bought up by agencies but if you try to buy them early enough you might be able to get them directly from the Alhambra ticket office itself for 14 euros. Otherwise it will be 40+ euros for a guided "tour," which essentially means that they hand you a small audio tape player. That proved difficult to use while holding an umbrella and walking in the freezing rain, which happened the first two times I took company there last year.
Good wine is produced everywhere so you'll have no trouble finding that. Many wineries, which often call themselves "bodegas", offer tours of their facility followed by wine-tasting, and, at some, gourmet meals. Highly recommended.
If in Nerja for a day or more, definitely have lunch at the Restaurante El Rey Alfonso XIII on the Balcon de Europa. It's actually built into the Balcon, so it's easily missed. You enter by going down a flight of stairs. Worth the visit to enjoy a great affordable meal while taking in the spectacular view of the coast looking both east and west of town.
Have a great trip.
I second the suggestions about visiting Ronda, Gibraltar (you can park on the Spanish side of the border and walk into the colony, which is much easier), and Granada. If you do go to Granada, you MUST go on-line asap to purchase tix for the Alhambra. Most are bought up by agencies but if you try to buy them early enough you might be able to get them directly from the Alhambra ticket office itself for 14 euros. Otherwise it will be 40+ euros for a guided "tour," which essentially means that they hand you a small audio tape player. That proved difficult to use while holding an umbrella and walking in the freezing rain, which happened the first two times I took company there last year.
Good wine is produced everywhere so you'll have no trouble finding that. Many wineries, which often call themselves "bodegas", offer tours of their facility followed by wine-tasting, and, at some, gourmet meals. Highly recommended.
If in Nerja for a day or more, definitely have lunch at the Restaurante El Rey Alfonso XIII on the Balcon de Europa. It's actually built into the Balcon, so it's easily missed. You enter by going down a flight of stairs. Worth the visit to enjoy a great affordable meal while taking in the spectacular view of the coast looking both east and west of town.
Have a great trip.
I have a topic related question.
The wife and I are thinking of heading to Europe in the beginning of June. I'm torn between Italy (looking at the Florence region and taking some day trips) or Spain (no specific region as of yet). I've never been to either country and would love visit both. Typically my wife and I stay pretty active. We like to see cultural/historic sites and we are very much into food and wine. We don't spend a lot of down time when on a foreign vacation. So any opinions on Italy vs. Spain?
The wife and I are thinking of heading to Europe in the beginning of June. I'm torn between Italy (looking at the Florence region and taking some day trips) or Spain (no specific region as of yet). I've never been to either country and would love visit both. Typically my wife and I stay pretty active. We like to see cultural/historic sites and we are very much into food and wine. We don't spend a lot of down time when on a foreign vacation. So any opinions on Italy vs. Spain?
I have not been to Spain but I have been to Italy. If I won the lottery tomorrow I would buy a house there in a heartbeat and live there. Even @RUScrew85 loved it and, well, he hates everything. We ate, drank and did lots of walking and touring around.
Alas, I'm not going anytime soon (sigh). I have a young child so just living vicariously through others' travels. I've only been to Spain once, back in 2012. Was mainly in Catalonia with home base out of Barcelona and took side trips to the Costa Brava and Girona (both are must dos if you go to Barc). I also took the train to Zaragoza and Bilbao for short excursions. My only stop in Rioja wine country (while on the way to Bilbao) was Marques de Riscal. Loved it, but it only whetted the appetite for further travels there! My primary reason for that excursion (Bilbao/Marques de Riscal) was not wine, but rather because I'm a big Frank Gehry fan (yeah, yeah, I know, folks around here are anti-modern). But the wine was spectacular and turned me on to garnarcha/temperanillo.
Well, you'd just be wasting your time. There are no houses available. None.
plenty available. Plenty
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/oversea...?sortType=2&maxPrice=1000000¤cyCode=USD
4 nights in Rome
3 nights in a castle in the Tuscan countryside where we did private tours of the Tuscan countryside for 2 days and did a cooking class one day
3 nights in Florence
One day in the Hotel in Florence because I had enough of Italy and sightseeing after 10 days.
that was you. I went to the Boboli Gardens and the top of the Duomo and the Baptistery while you watched ESPN in Italian.
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