LA RUTA DE DON FEDERICO invites you to discover the real Spain on a wine-themed holiday experience with a personal host, exploring charming and characterful romanesque villages, roaming areas of breathtaking natural beauty and experiencing at close quarters the traditional ways of wine-making in small bodegas, where old vines are manually tended and the crianza maturation takes place in underground caves and tunnels dug out by hand over centuries. 

This is wine-making at its most authentic and with La Ruta de Don Federico you learn first-hand the history, methods and secrets of the producers whose families have worked this ancient land of grapes for generations.

Guiding you on your route will be Don Federico, an amiable and knowledgeable companion who has lived in the region since his arrival from Scotland in 2013 and who has not only come to love the country and its wine but become a true local with amigos in the multitude of towns and wineries with which he has become intimately familiar all over Spain. 

Your small group of no more than seven will be chauffeured in comfort across ancient and beautiful wine country as your convivial host escorts you personally to little-known, remote and undiscovered sites of historical interest and viticultural excellence dotted throughout the evocative, legendary lands of Castile and León, where fine, interesting wines accompanied by rich regional cuisine await your discovery.

Lying at elevations between 700–1000m, the pretty villages and picturesque vineyards and valleys of the central meseta make for an exhilarating itinerary of visits and overnight stays in the beautiful undulating countryside between the Ebro and Duero rivers. These great irrigation channels together with the extensive range of soil types of the rocky terrain give rise to the extraordinarily diverse characteristics of the grapes grown here, many of them native to the Iberian peninsula such as the undisputed star of the region: the thick-skinned, black tempranillo or, as it is known to those who craft the Ribera del Duero wines you will taste, tinto fino. Reds, whites and rosados are all produced in the varied terroir of your tour and you will have the opportunity to discover and sample some of the best right where it is made.

For far too long overlooked, the often exceptional wines that result from a combination of the natural advantages bestowed on these old wine terraces with centuries of traditional viticulture have begun to attract the attention of wine lovers eager to try the produce of vintage vines off the beaten path. The most prestigious (and expensive) wines of Spain (Pingus and Vega Sicilia) are produced in the region, with perhaps five more joining in the top ten. This is country to discover now, and with Don Federico you have the opportunity to experience this old world of new wine as it lies on the cusp of wider recognition from sommeliers, epicures and those with a taste for the authentic the world over.

Whichever route you choose will be conducted with the hallmark professionalism and highly-personable brio of your host, and include tour-specific elements along with the full package of features of La Ruta de Don Federico…