Wine tourism is on the up and up in rural areas. The well-known Rueda Wine Route (Valladolid) generates more than 80 million euros and receives more than 40,000 visitors each year.
November 10 was the European Day of Wine Tourism, an initiative promoted by the European Network of Wine Cities (RECEVIN) to raise awareness of the richness of wine culture in territories linked to wine, and the partners of the Rueda Wine Route marked the day with proposals to show the wine territory’s potential for wine tourism.
Those who visited the Rueda area had the chance to discover the culture, landscape and tradition of this wine tourism destination by becoming its best ambassadors and enjoying wine tastings specially selected for the occasion, pairing wine and music in unique architectural settings, family activities, culinary experiences linked to local products or dramatised menus, among many other options.
A range of special activities were planned, including one from Bodegas Cuatro Rayas, a winery built in 1935, which offered a wine tasting of turbid wines. This was undoubtedly an experience geared towards lovers of the world of wine in which they could enjoy a somewhat unusual activity at the cooperative winery in La Seca.
Bodegas Montepedroso introduced its ‘Special tasting of Singular Fincas’, a journey through the senses to discover five wines from five different terroirs, located in various wine-growing areas of Spain, including the Rueda DO.
Bodegas Menade invited visitors to discover ‘The Evolution of Verdeja over the years’ from its oldest underground cellars from 1820 located in La Seca, with a tasting of wines made with Verdejo grapes from different vintages aged in vats and barrels.
Meanwhile, in Tordesillas, the National Parador and Bodegas Muelas joined forces to organise an event with music and wine taking the leading roles. Jorge García performed an organ recital in the Santa María Church, along with a visit to Bodega Muelas in the historic centre of the town, which has a long tradition in the culture of wine.
Castilla Thermal Spa of Olmedo offered up a showpiece performance with a theatrical menu, pairing a world-class dining experience with scenes from ‘Don Juan Tenorio’ in the Salón Infanta Doña Sancha, which was performed by the Valladolid theatre company Arcón de Olid.
Aster Magonia joined in the celebration of the European Day of Wine Tourism by bringing to light the most hidden and unknown Medina del Campo with a guided tour of the town’s historic cellars to reveal and discover centuries of winemaking tradition.
While A6 Route Travel provided a guided visit of the town’s most distinctive buildings, where the history of Villa de las Ferias was written.
Los Quesos de Juan and A6 Route got involved to promote the Route’s artisan cheeses, offering a perfect pairing of flavours with a guided tasting of artisan cheeses and wines from the Rueda Wine Route.
Rueda is a candidate to become the European Wine City in 2020. For the first time, the Rueda Designation of Origin Regulatory Council and the Rueda Town Council celebrated the European Day of Wine Tourism with an open day at the oldest DO winery in Castilla y León, which is located in an 18th century mansion.
One of the most original proposals was the wine-themed 500 piece jigsaw competition for couples organised by La Seca Town Council, which was fully booked out.
The Rueda Wine Route also paid tribute to the most identifying flavours of the territory with the Wine and Pastry Fair organised by La Giralda de Castilla and Mesón Pedro in Matapozuelas.
Children’s activities were organised by La Era de las Aves Zoological Park in Fresno El Viejo, which invited visitors to a family wine harvest, so the little ones could see how wine is made with a simulated staging.
Some partners of the Rueda Wine Route offered discounts and special promotions. The San Vicente Cultural Centre extended a 50% discount to those interested in wine tourism who want to discover the rich heritage of Holy Week in Medina del Campo, and Bodegas Diez Siglos de Verdejo offered a 20% discount on all its products to whoever visited its winery.
The wine tourism sector
According to the “Observatorio Turístico de Rutas del Vino de España”, which ACEVIN produces annually, the economic impact of wine tourism in wineries and museums amounted to more than 80,967,646 euros in 2018, an increase of 20% compared with 2017. This makes it one of the top economic motors in rural areas, favouring the creation of new companies and preventing depopulation.
In this context, Rueda has positioned itself as the second most visited Wine Route in Castilla y León with 38,000 visitors in 2018 and an expected increase of more than 5% in 2019. It should also be noted that wine tourism establishes itself in this area as an alternative activity to sun and beach tourism, as there has been an increase in the number of visits in August and September, although spring and autumn are the busiest times of the year.
