"Wine tours, tastings and historic sites ...more than wine"
Valencian Cellar Tours
** Requena Wineries Premium Full Day ** option 2 or 3 wineries
Enjoy a fantastic day of wine tasting & discover the artisan wines of the "Old World".
Heading west out of Valencia city we arrive at Requena town. Lying 70km from the mediterranean it´s wine territory "par exellence" whose innovative vineyards produce medal-winning wines in Spain & internationally. The thriving market for Spanish wines has led to a tremendous lift in quality of sleepy appellations like Utiel-Requena. Wine has been made here since the Phoenicians & we may visit the 10thC Caves excavated by the Moors that still contain large clay amphorae relics of the past.
The area nowadays boasts stunning reds, mineral & exotic fruit laden dry whites, refreshing dry rosados & high end creamy Cava based on chardonney. So much has changed in quality even in the last few years it´s remarkable !
**Choose between 2 or 3 vineyard visits with additional wines tasted**
The Premium 3 bodega tour tastes an exhaustive list of top organic red, white, rosado & long aged vintage Cava dry wines; promoting local varieties like Bobal, Garnacha & French nobles such as Syrah, Cab franc/sauv. & Viognier.
Guiding by a professional WSET/Sommelier who now makes his own Bobal wines. With a revealing behind the scenes tour you learn about wine from a winemaking perspective & also gain insight into the lesser understood Cava.
Enjoy "generous" guided tastings of 16+ wines including my own Bobal 2022 vintage wines from a 1hct "centenary" bush vine lieu-dit!
We visit 3 unique wineries; an eclectic mix of garagiste micro-bodega with minimal intervention and restored old bodegas with charming surroundings housing Bordeaux know how, producing some of the finest wines & "Cava de Requena" ; the area also encompassing estates pertaining to category DO Pago for select Cru vineyards.
You often meet owners, taste more wines than the itinerary and I offer you a singular experience!
Itinerary overview - " We commence our morning visit at a small garagiste bodega with artisan wines focusing on autoctono varieties. Organic dry agriculture with hand harvest using only autoctono yeasts we first visit my historic 100yr old 1hct bobal vineyard and appreciate these relics of viticulture. Being well rooted in the land they achieve an equilibrium that deserves respect for their few concentrated berries. At the small rustic cellar in Requena we shall taste Martán Bobal wines plus whole berry dry Garnacha & Bobal reds, a unique dry Rosé or rare Tardana white! Wines served with local embutido.
Depending on time of year (winter for comfort) we may choose to alternatively visit Vegalfaro, an Organic family Pago Estate explaining their viticulture/techniques with use of French, USA, Hungarian oak & clay amphorae. Their limestone based cru Pago de Los Balagueses, produces exceptional Syrah, Garnacha & Chardonney & our premium tastings feature these wines with maridaje cured cheese, charcouteria, estate olive oil. Guided tasting in glazed salon overlooking vineyards & often joined by the owner/winemaker to chat to you.
Our next winery (or 1st on 2 bodega tour) winery, Pago Chozas Carrascal Estate is a revamped farmhouse winery. The tour is a wine 101 of interesting facts often not explained from viticulture to wine & Cava making with guided tastings of 5+ top Pago wines & a special Cava G.Rsva. I tailor the wines to suit your tastes. A relaxed visit with time in vineyard, see the various types of fermentation vessel, barrel aging & fudre oaks explained with impressive barrel hall.
Step down to the cool Cava cellar, Spain´s only traditional method sparkling Denominacion de Origin ..so what makes tiny bubbles & what´s the deal with Cava vs Champagne or Prosecco? We tell you the secrets. You visit the owners restored home & antique cellars circa 1870, modern art works plus other quirky items ..followed by guided tasting of the top wines with maridaje charcouteria, cheeses & estate olive oil ...a great selection for you with notable lift in quality in recent vintages! Plus older vintages from owners collection! The visit is approx. 2.5hrs
Almost lunchtime, so we visit historic Requena town with a walkabout to view it´s churches, old plaza ..pausing for a quality 3 course lunch & old vine wine, café & liquer. A Moors cave visit is often possible subject to timings.
Our afternoon or 3rd winery visits a historic regenerated chateau property with heritage funded in 1901, former Dominio de Arenal, now housing a modern avantgarde winery but also focusing on autoctono Bobal, use of Pinot Noir in Cava Rosé and also some curious natural wines or Bodega Mustiguillo; Pago pioneer in Bobal with exceptional wines, property & rigourous research to understand vineyard soil to vine compatibility/training. All tastings of the top organic wines of the wineries with maridaje embitido & chocolate and guided visits of their impressive cellars, arriving back at Valencia 1830-1900hrs approx. or earlier on request.
Note - As our tours are by private appointment we may switch bodegas to another of status such as Hispano-Suiza or Nodus etc.. to offer you the best tour on the day. Tours are flexible as bodegas are not always available for our private tour format.
Rich in history & culture Requena has a tradition in winemaking dating from the Phoenicians, perfected by the Romans & later the Moors/Christians.
The gastronomy is based on strong, robust fare & famous for its artisan cured sausages which of course you will taste.. but also a new, avantagarde club of young chefs with more creative dishes is taking over; similiarly, recently graduated winemakers are releasing exciting, finer, fresher wines !
Wineries here use traditional methods of production with the lastest technology & a modern "toque" to create intriguing wines especially from the smaller micro-bodegas we visit .
Many wines are still fairly unknown outside Spain but Requena is gaining stature; reimaging its fine tuned Bobal & Merseguera, consistant accolades from Robert Parker´s guru Luis Gutiérrez plus the recent grant for "Cava de Requena" confirming its quality status!
Price guide : - Euro 245 p/p based on 2 pers. attending visit 2 vineyard estates 10+ wines tasting
- Euro 285 p/p based on 2 pers. attending visit 3 vineyard estates 16+ wines tasting
- Prices variable with number persons attending - If we run a tour with over 2 pers. you benefit from lower rate.
Discount for larger groups.
Inc.3 cse quality lunch & DO Utiel-Requena old vine wine, Requena visit, guided vineyard/visits & premium tastings.
Itinerary: - Pickup hotel in Valencia 0930hrs or earlier 0845hrs *for 3 winery Full Day.
- Morning winery guided visits, premium tastings 5+ wines, maridaje, olive oil + *option 2nd winery premium tastings 4-5 wines inc. maridajé.
- Short historic walk La Vila, 14thC Churches,Castle,Court Spanish Inquisition etc.
- Quality lunch in Requena/Utiel 3 course, Utiel-Requena wine, min.water, café/liquer.
- Afternoon vineyard/winery visit, premium tastings 5 wines/Cava, queso/embutido.
- Return arrival in Valencia city approx. 18.30-1930hrs. or sooner on request. 
Duration: - Full day 8-10hrs variable on 2 vs 3 wineries visited.
+34 617 969 975 Email: info@valenciancellars.com 
Telegram: Valencian Cellar Tours
Photos below & some humour .....let´s not be too serious!
