The culture of wine and wine production continues to flourish in Alicante, yet it would be nothing without its past and its foreseeable future. It is a tradition bequeathed by the ancestral legacy of wine growing, production and consumption through generations. In fact, the Benimaquia archaeological site in Alicante boasts the oldest vestiges of wine production ever found in the Iberian peninsula. They date from the 6th century BC.
Alicante wine was appreciated by illustrious figures such as Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth 1st, no less. However, the 19th century was its Golden Age. Today, the Alicante wine sector has managed to maintain this tradition and perfect and improve its wines to achieve their present, and well deserved, superior category. This is particularly the case of the wineries in the Marina Alta area. As a result, it has become one of the main tourist attractions in the province.
Consequently, there are plenty of activities, excursions and wineries in Marina Alta for you to visit and learn more about the Alicante wine sector. Wine tourism in this province is very popular in the inland villages and towns. However, the coastal areas also have some very attractive wine producing areas, many of which are found in the Ruta del Vino de Alicante. In fact there are five important wineries in the Marina Alta region, and if you decide to take one of these wine routes, you can’t really go wrong.
Let’s begin with the north. In Jesús Pobre, a village on the outskirts of Denia, you’ll find Les Freses. This Marina Alta winery owes its name to the surrounding land near Montgó where strawberries were grown in the past. There are currently nine varieties of wine from this area. Lands like this with so much history are worth a visit, don’t you think? Les Freses offers a guided visit to its vineyards and its winery which, of course, ends with a wine tasting session. But that’s not all! This Marina Alta winery also offers a visit, accompanied by an archaeologist to l’Alt de Benimaquia, an ancient site. The visit also includes a session tasting the les Freses wines. Both visits cost 15 euros per person.
A little further south you can make a stop at Xaló, home of the Bodegas Xaló winery. The ideal way to discover the muscat – known as moscatel in Spanish – and giró grape varieties is to take a guided tour – minimum 4 persons. For 12 euros you can enjoy a wine tasting paired with cured meats and it could well be something that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
In Xaló itself you can visit another important winemaking centre Bodegas Riko. This winery offers the experience of an oenologist’s daily life at first hand. The tour begins in one of the vineyards, where the whole process starts. The visit then goes on to the winery itself where you tour the facilities and learn all about the wine producing sector and the professionals who grow and make the wines. To round off the visit, you will be treated to a tasting of Bodegas Riko’s finest wines and sweet mistela wines. This visit also includes a tour of the century-old winery building.
A little further down the map, you will come to Pla de Llíber, with artisan produced wine at the Pepe Mendoza winery. With 12 hectares of Giró and Moscatel Romano wines, it is one of the most famous wineries in Marina Alta. A pre-booked visit costing 25 euros treats you to a group tour where you will learn all about the history of the vineyards, and the secret of their wines. A secret that you will be able to discover later with a premium tasting of 6 wines paired with cheeses and traditional cured meats.
Finally, we could not end without mentioning Bodega Teulada. Producers of sweet moscatel, moscatel vermouth, semi-sparkling moscatel, moscatel cava and dry white moscatel wine, the winery has 103 partners. And the fact is, as they say, the taste is unique: these are wines infused with the essence of five sea breezes.
Has that whetted your appetite as well? Our blog tour has come to an end, but in the province of Alicante in general and on the Costa Blanca in particular, the wine route continues. Discover more!
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Great article. It is a shame that almost all tours at the different wineries all start at the same time, especially if you are just going to Denia for the day.