The prehistoric tomb of Huerta Montero or the only winery located inside a bullring are among the experiences of this wine tourism itinerary belonging to the Wine Routes of Spain

Under the protection of the Denomination of Origin (DO) Ribera del Guadiana and DO Cava, the Ribera del Guadiana Wine and Cava Route was born in Extremadura in 2013, a certified wine tourism itinerary within the Wine Routes of Spain Product Club, whose soul and essence is the history of wine in Extremadura

Remains from the Tartessian, Roman, and medieval past reflect the passage of centuries of a millenary history that also runs through Almendralejo, the capital of Tierra de Barros and the site chosen by settlers who, more than 4,600 years ago during the Copper Age, built in this municipality of Badajoz a collective tomb, a prehistoric burial now known as the prehistoric tomb of Huerta Montero.

Discovered by chance in the 1990s, the excavation carried out at that time by volunteers from the Archaeological Association V Marqués de Monsalud, under the direction of archaeologists Francisco Blasco and Manuel Alesón, brought to light a treasure of enormous historical value, from the same era as Egypt’s Djoser Pyramid, Iraq’s Ziggurat of Ur, or the United Kingdom’s Stonehenge, revealing that its builders possessed knowledge of astronomy and geometry.

Entrance hall, initial corridor, three circular structures (one of them the main chamber), double entrance door to the tomb, plastered walls, vertical stones acting as orthostats, lintel roof… these are distinguishing elements of this architectural jewel, whose study continues today. In this unique burial site, bone remains were found, as well as the objects with which people were buried: ceramic plates, arrowheads, phalanx idols, boar tusks, a seashell, a jar made from bone that contained essential oils, combs, and even a prism crystal.

An essential prism crystal, since the tomb’s location is aligned with the winter sun. When the winter solstice begins and the days grow longer, the sun enters through the corridor and illuminates the circular chamber—an experience that, thousands of years later, visitors to Huerta Montero enjoy every December.

And so, the past coexists with the present in this millenary burial site shaped like a maternal womb, evoking a connection with the earth. Not in vain, the bodies found during the excavations were in a fetal position. The passing of the seasons is felt at Huerta Montero, where the past also comes alive during the summer solstice to the sound of jazz concerts, candlelight, and the taste of cava and ham.

ECHOES OF THE PAST THAT ENDURE

Echoes of the past that also resonate in the Almendralejo Bullring, where a neo-Mudéjar style presides over this arena built in 1843, which houses a treasure inside: an impressive winery of concrete cones built during a time of demographic and economic growth in Almendralejo, thanks to the ingenuity of winemakers and winegrowers who realized that in summer the bullring offered a space with ideal conditions of humidity and coolness for preserving wine.

The 29 cones of the bullring held around 750,000 liters of wine. The Almendralejo arena, which today combines bullfighting events with other social gatherings, is the only one in the world that houses a winery inside.

A unique space where Extremadura’s Sommelier Champion, Carlos Vivas, offers the public a different experience: the art of disgorging with a wine feather and with a saber for Extremaduran cava. An ambassador of the region’s gastronomic routes, Vivas proposes democratizing this type of experience, which is common in Michelin restaurants but not affordable for all budgets.

In this emblematic place, he disgorges wines from the Ribera del Guadiana Wine and Cava Route with a feather and handcrafted tongs, made in Casar de Cáceres, and with a saber—like Napoleon—cava from Almendralejo, the only municipality in Extremadura belonging to the DO Cava.

“I learned through trial and error,” says Vivas, who pairs the history of Extremadura with that of Portugal and France through the art of disgorging with a feather and saber. Vivas recounts that legend has it that Napoleon celebrated victories with champagne, but that this sparkling wine was also drunk in defeat. “In victory it is deserved, in defeat it is needed.”