My wife and I were so fortunate to visit bodega Sarmentero today. We were greeted by the owners…read morewho were kind enough to have an interpreter throughout our stay. This is a family, boutique bodega. The wines are Tempranillo and very good. I would recommend visiting this bodega. I've been to many large wineries but the intimacy and personal interactiveness you get here is sure worth it. Sarmentero has a great tasting room and their pricing is very good

Wonderful family owned Bodega. What a treat versus the monster wineries. Highly recommend.read more

We did the 6 senses tour. It was well worth it. In-depth your of the facility with food and wine…read morepairing at various stops within the facility. Amazing! Though it is a large production winery, they have not forgotten the importance of quality and personal touch. Alejandro was a great guide! They accommodated my vegan diet for all pairings and everything was excellent.

We went out of season, so there was not a tourist in sight neither in the surrounding villages nor…read moreat the winery. It was well worth it, as we received a very detailed tour from Alicia in English (my wife's Spanish lacks understanding of technicalities like winemaking processes) and had the tasting room all to ourselves with brief visits from one of the owners, Don Javier and the friendly waitress. Be sure to "splurge" on the 25-euro "wine, tapas and tour" option. By far the best food offering of all the wineries we toured. The Malleolus is their reserve version - make sure you try it. We purchased their high-end Valderramiro line which we are excited to open at back home in the States. Their Emilio Moro line is a nice wine that, for the domestic price, is a good everyday drinking option. Book your tours on their website in advance, especially if you need English guides.

We had an excellent visit to Bodegas Emilio Moro. I found the tour very illustrative as they…read morewalked us in detail as to the route the grape follows from the fields until becoming wine. Very didactive, and enjoyable experience. Then we were hosted to an excellent menu where we tried four different types of wines. All of them excellent, and even better after the corresponding explanations. Overall a great experience that I would highly recommend to any wine enthusiast. Good luck!

During our too short stay in the Ribera del Duero wine County, we stayed at the Hotel Convento Las…read moreClaras. We knew we were in good hands when at check in we were invited to pour ourselves some wine from the nearby table. Just what the Doctor ordered after a long drive from Madrid and Segovia! The wine was Vega Real. As it's hard to drink too much wine on an empty stomach, Gayle and I decided to have Lunch at the Hotel. Our meal was excellent and Gayle is still raving about the salad (and everything else we enjoyed). Our Vega Real Reserva went very well with our choices. The check came and as a bonus, we received a small bottle of Vega Real to take with us. I can't remember if we drank it up in the room or the next day in Santillana del Mar, but we certainly enjoyed it. OK, I'm smart enough to guess that there's some economic arrangement between the Hotel and the Winery. However, this is Ribera del Duero Wine Country and we weren't complaining! And Thank You very much for the Hospitality.

We visited during the very slow season, so did not see lush vineyards. But even with dry vines, the…read morelocation of Legaris is stunning, with mountains and castles in the distance. The contemporary architecture makes it a standout in a region with mostly traditional-looking "bodegas." It was explained that the building was designed so that windows and terraces looked out onto particular features of the landscape - the architect was successful in this endeavor. There were only 2 of us during the entire visit, which was fine by us. Either way, the facility is on the smaller side which allows for the tour to be just right in length. Our guide, Belén, was knowledgeable - also warmly talkative in the typical Madrilenean style (though this is Castile, we learned she hails from the capital). You must book in advance especially during peak season, and make sure you are explicit about language preference. I wish the U.S. had a much larger duty-free allowance for booze. Legaris's "roble," or young red, was among the best everyday bottles I've tasted at a winery, and at around 6 euros, I'd have taken enough home to last us a year's worth of family dinners. The standout was the Calmo label, which is a superb wine. Belén nailed it when she said it was great for those looking for alcohol to sip that wasn't an actual spirit. I'd have taken more home, but we don't have great wine storage. Their verdejo (white wine) was quite nice as well. Legaris a young winery, and it seems they are looking to experiment in the next couple of years with special editions. I'm looking forward to it. SPECIAL NOTE: Spain's wine regions are experiencing the worst weather conditions in decades as of this review, as are other parts of Europe. Wine production will likely fall, so enjoy whatever you can get your hands on in the next couple of years. Also, keep Mother Earth in mind in all your activities as they have attributed this weather catastrophe to climate change.

This review is for the wine retail, NOT the cellar tour. We did go to the cellar tour and upon…read moreleaving asked about retail sales. They took me to a cellar behind a hidden door with a thumbprint reader to get in which was very cool. There were certainly some amazing wines in there and we wanted to have a few special bottles shipped home. We went with their recommendations but since we were on a tour of Ribera we had little time to research the recommended wines. My wife just said get it and let's go. Something I will never do in the again. It turned out we were either overcharged or their prices are just outrageous. They charged me $390 for a 2012 Vina Sastre Pesus. Turns out I could get this for under $300 elsewhere in Spain and even in the U.S. Worse they charged me $280 for a 2011 Aalto Ps which avg mkt price is not even half. Luckily I was able to swap that one out for something with a fairer price. The other wines were also about 35% over avg market prices but thank goodness they weren't nearly as expensive bottles. Just as bad as their pricing was their communication. Upon purchase they said they would send an email confirmation of the purchase with shipping details. A week went by without any confirmation so I send an email to their general mailbox to request an update as well as a call courtesy of our hotel's conceirge and still no response for 2 more days. I was just about to attempt to cancel the order when they responded and since it was such a hassle already I just kept the order in place. With spending so much on high end wine, you would think their customer service would be on point and if they had reasonable prices, I'm sure they would have long term customers. Not sure how they remain in business but I will certainly not purchase from here again. For anyone looking for wine in Spain, definitely check out Vila Viniteca for not only a great selection, but great customer service and great prices.

From the owner: Official distributors of Vega Sicilia Winery and other small producers from the Ribera del Duero…read morearea. We specialize in personalized service in tours, visits, and wine flights. We offer wine courses in English and Spanish as well as tours of our 15th century subterranean cellar. Distribuidores oficiales de Vega Sicilia y pequeños productores de Ribera del Duero. Servicio personalizado con visitas y catas de vinos en Ingles y en Español en las Bodegas Medievales del Siglo XV