The wine tourism route presents its proposal in Madrid for enjoying and savoring the best flavors of Extremadura

Wine journalists and writers have discovered the experiences of the Ribera del Guadiana Wine and Cava Route, a wine tourism itinerary within the Ribera del Guadiana Designation of Origin (DO) and Cava DO, which presented its proposal in Madrid for enjoying and savoring the best flavors of the region.

The Route shared an informative session and subsequent tasting with members of the Spanish Association of Wine Journalists and Writers (AEPEV) and members of the Spanish Association of Tourism Journalists. This meeting took place last Thursday, May 28, at the headquarters of the Madrid Official College of Chemists and the Madrid Association of Chemists and Chemical Engineers.

The presentation was given by Isabel García, technician of the Ribera del Guadiana Wine and Cava Route, who was also in charge of guiding the subsequent commented tasting in which two wines and a cava from the Ribera del Guadiana and Cava DOs were tasted.

WINE IS CULTURE

With nearly two hundred members who broadcast or transmit their content on more than 154 media outlets, the AEPEV (Spanish Association of Wine Journalists) champions the idea that wine is culture, is committed to truthful, serious, and responsible journalism, and is a member of the Federation of Associations of Journalists of Spain (FAPE).

During the event, members of this professional group had the opportunity to explore the wine tourism experiences offered by the forty establishments that make up the Wine Route, including accommodations, restaurants, wineries, themed leisure companies, gourmet shops, tourist offices, and museums.

The Wine Route was certified in 2013 as a Product Club belonging to the Wine Routes of Spain, an organization promoted by the Association of Wine Cities (ACEVIN) and the Spanish Government’s State Secretariat for Tourism.

The Ribera del Guadiana Designation of Origin (DO) was established in 1999. It is a designation that brings together six sub-regions of Extremadura under a single name: Tierra de Barros, Matanegra, Ribera Alta, and Ribera Baja, in the province of Badajoz; and Montánchez and Cañamero in the province of Cáceres.

ROOTED VITICULTURE

These areas boast a deep-rooted winemaking tradition, a territory with more than thirty grape varieties, among which Tempranillo and Pardina stand out. Thus, in the subsequent tasting, the journalists sampled a white Pardina wine, “Zaleo,” from the Viñaoliva cooperative in Almendralejo, and a Tempranillo red wine, “Marqués de Villalba,” produced by the Montevirgen Cooperative Society in Villalba de los Barros.

Cava is one of the distinguishing features of this wine tourism route. Almendralejo is the only municipality in Extremadura belonging to the Cava Designation of Origin since 1983, a story that began with local business owners who recognized the potential of creating this unique product. Indeed, one of them, Marcelino Díaz, has opened the only museum in the country dedicated exclusively to this sparkling wine in the capital of Tierra de Barros.

At the tasting last Thursday, the writers enjoyed a brut nature reserve cava, “Privilegio de Romale,” from Bodegas Romale.

Following the presentation and tasting, a group of journalists and writers from this organization will travel to Extremadura to experience firsthand the Ribera del Guadiana Wine and Cava Route, a wine tourism itinerary enjoyed by more than 24,000 people in 2024, according to data from the Spanish Wine Routes Observatory.

These actions to promote and publicize the Route are part of the Tierra de Barros-Wine Tourism Sustainability Plan, for which they have funds from the European Union through the Badajoz Provincial Council.