Spain's 14 Best Vineyards and Wine Towns You Won't Want to Miss

Looking for the very best wine tastings that Spain has to offer? Be sure to book ahead onto a top-rated wine tasting tour to make the most out of your trip. Whilst you’re there, why not explore more of Spain on a highly-rated tour of the country?

One of the main towns within Spain’s famous La Rioja wine region, Haro is both home to and located within a short distance of many of the area’s top wineries. Some of the best bodegas to visit within Haro itself include the historic Bodegas Muga, Bodegas López de Heredia and the Bodegas Bilbainas. Haro is also the home of the famous Batalla del Vino wine fight which takes place on June 29th each year. La Rioja is known for its deep reds with fruity flavours, which are predominantly made from the native Tempranillo grape.

The small town of Jerez de la Frontera is located in Andalusia, approximately a 1 hour 15 minute drive south of Seville. Part of the Sherry Triangle, along with Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María, it lies at the heart of Spain’s sherry producing area. The town is full of small sherry bodegas, where you can buy a glass straight from the barrel. Read our feature on ‘The Best Sherry Bars in Spain’s Sherry Triangle‘ to find out where to go.

The capital of the Ribeira Sacra wine region, Monforte de Lemos is located in the Galician province of Lugo. The vineyards here are situated along the banks of the Cabe, Sil and Miño rivers, a picturesque area dotted with medieval villages, dramatic gorges and charming churches. This wine region may not be as well known as some of the others in Spain, but in fact, winemaking here can be traced as far back as Roman times. Both red and white wines are produced here, although the red Mencía grapes are the most predominant. They are fresh and crisp and have more of an herby than a fruity flavour. Some of the best places to visit here include the Riberia Sacra Wine Centre, Bodegas Alvarez Piñeiro and the Bodegas Losada Fernandez.

The Galician town of Pontevedra is the best place to base yourself to access the wine regions of the Rías Baixas. An area where four estuarine inlets meet the Atlantic Ocean, it’s a fertile place which has become known for its excellent dry white wines. Floral and fruity with notes of peach and apricot, the wines go well with the region’s quality seafood. One of the best wineries to visit near Pontevedra is Bodega Morgadio.

The Penedès wine region is the largest wine-producing area in Catalonia. Located around 55km (34 miles) west of Barcelona, the small town of Vilafranca del Penedès is the most important wine town in the area. The Penedès region produces a wide variety of wines, from dry whites and reds to sweet dessert wines, sparkling wines and rosés. They are primarily made from the Xarel·lo, Macabeu and Parellada grape varieties. Make a side trip to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, where you’ll find Caves Codorniu, the birthplace of Spanish Cava.

The small town of Aranda de Duero lies within the heart of Castilla y León’s principal wine region: the Ribera del Duero. The vineyards here are found along the banks of the Duero River and on the high rocky plateaus of la maseta. Originally wines were made here from vines imported from Bordeaux, France, but now the area has become one of Spain’s premier red-wine producing regions. Two of the best wineries to visit in Aranda de Duero are Bodegas Historica Don Carlos and Bodega y Viñedos Martín Berdugo.

Dinastia Vivanco is not only one of La Rioja’s best wineries but it’s also a restaurant and excellent wine museum. Begin your visit here with a tour of the bodega, then browse the museum to learn all about the history of wine and how it’s made. End the tour with a visit to the ‘Wine Corner’, where you can taste a total of 14 different wines from the Vivanco collection. Why not stop by the restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal to round off your visit.

If you want somewhere that makes cava (Spain’s answer to Champagne) as well as wine, then head to Cavas Freixenet in Catalunya. The old cellar here was built in 1922, and today the group owns 18 bodegas in seven countries across the world. Visitors can tour the winery on a group tour, booked in advance, to discover both the traditional process of cava-making as well as the more modern way using cutting-edge technology.

Another of the famous La Rioja wineries is Bodegas Ysios. It too is known not only for its quality wines but for its unique design. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and was created to mirror the undulation of the Cantabrian mountain range that frames it. Calatrava also designed the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia.

Finca Villacreces is situated in the Ribera del Duero wine region, along the Golden Mile in the region of Castilla y León. It lies tucked in between rivers, ancient vineyards and pine forests and its vineyards cover 110 hectares. Wine has been made on the land here for many years, but the current winery dates back to 2004 and then was relaunched in 2007. The Villacreces tour costs 12 euros (around US$14) per person and includes cheese and chorizo as well as wine tastings.

One of La Rioja’s oldest wineries, founded in 1858, Bodegas Marques de Riscal is a must-visit. Not only does it have years of history and experience in producing excellent wines, but it also features a futuristic hotel designed by Frank Gehry, who is also responsible for the celebrated Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and a Michelin-starred restaurant. The winery produces more than three million bottles of red wine per year and can be visited on a guided tour.

The bodega Rey Fernando de Castilla is located in the south of Spain, in the historic centre of Jerez de la Frontera. Situated in the Sherry Triangle, it’s famous for its sherries and white wines, which are aged in new French and American oak barrels. It produces a range of pale, dry and elegant award-winning wines and sherries and also excellent vinegars. The bodega can be visited on a guided tour, which lasts one hour and explains the process of sherry-making as well as offering tastings.

Bodegas López de Heredia is another of the famous wineries in La Rioja, and the town of Haro to be precise. It’s an old vast wine complex, which is just as impressive above ground as it is below. The oldest parts of the winery are over 140 years old. Visit the winery on a guided tour to explore the vast maze of underground caverns filled with barrels. The bodega is well known for its Viña Tondonia, Bosconia Reserva and Gran Reserva wines.

Codorníu has been linked to a family of winegrowers dating all the way back to the 16th century. It is one of the oldest family companies in Spain and one of the oldest in the world. In 1872, Josep Raventós Fatjó made cava for the first time in Spain and the Codorníu brand became forever linked to this most famous of Catalan drinks. Then in 1895 Manuel Raventós hired the Modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch to expand and redesign their winery, turning it into one of the most spectacular-looking wineries in the country. A visit includes a welcome to the Cathedral of Cava, an audiovisual tour, an art nouveau tour and an exhibit on the history and heritage of the Codorníu family.