Don Federico will personally meet and greet you off your flight at Madrid Barajas Airport Terminal 1 and organise refreshment as required prior to setting off on the journey. Once the entire group is assembled we will make our way to our dedicated tour vehicle just outside the terminal, load the luggage and take our seats for our gentle 2.5 hour trip up through the mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama and on to Salamanca.

On arrival we will check-in at our lovely hotel, your home for the next two nights, located right in the heart of the old town by the city’s two beautiful cathedrals, constructed between 1513 and 1733.

After a chance to freshen up in your room we have the option of a short orientation walk around some of the highlights of Spain’s ‘City of Gold’, awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1988, stopping off along the way to have a few tapas in way of lunch.

Afterwards, you will be at liberty to take a stroll and soak up the old town atmosphere or return to the hotel to relax for a few hours before we meet up again for a short walk through the floodlit old streets to an enoteca (wine and tapas restaurant) for dinner accompanied by a degustación of delicious and little-known regional wines.

After breakfast our driver will collect us from the hotel for an excursion to the Sierra de Francia, located to the south of Salamanca along ridges and valleys forested with alder, oak, pine and ash trees in a natural biosphere reserve frequented by the wild boar that makes this region so famous for the quality of its ham and pork dishes.

Our principal destination is a small village winery hidden away in the forest which produces wonderful ecological wines from 100-year-old rufete vines, a local indigenous varietal grown on steep-sloped terraces where the cultivation and harvest is all done with the utmost care by hand.

We’ll take a stroll through the vineyard to see these unique and hardy vines as they recover from this year’s harvest, learn about the lifecycle of the plant on the granitic soil and later tour the wine-making facilities, and conclude with a tasting of the results of such painstaking care and attention.

From the bodega we continue to a nearby medieval village to take in the views of the sierra under the gaze of the 14th century castle keep then continue to a jewel of the national park, a medieval village constructed in alpine style where a hearty  traditional Castilian lunch of barbecued meats and other dishes awaits us.

Afterwards we’ll walk off (some) of the calories with a promenade of the narrow and atmospheric winding cobblestone streets which these days feature a fascinating outdoor art installation which tells the story of the village through portraits of the faces of past generations. 

Later our driver will return us to Salamanca and you will have the evening free to relax and explore the vibrant tapas bars around the exquisite 18th century baroque Plaza Mayor – without question the finest in Spain.

After breakfast we will depart from the hotel for El Recorrido de Zarapicos, an 18-hole, par 72 golf course of 6860 yards, set among 40 hectares of the native holm oaks of the provincial countryside a short drive west of the city.

Once there you can avail of the facilities, including the pro shop and changing rooms, pitching and putting greens, driving range and cafeteria. Golf clubs and two fourball tee-offs have been reserved for your party.

The woodland course is very pleasant, technical yet forgiving with gentle rises, occasional water hazard and bunkers laid to test your accuracy.

After your round you’ll be at liberty to use the facilities to shower and change and take refreshments or lunch in the Club House at your discretion.

Once ready to depart we will collect you for a short transfer to our fabulous location for an exclusive evening – an extensive but relaxed wine-tasting session with the owner of an historic 15th century castle set amidst the vines of its own estate, including a tour to see many of the original features of the splendid building.

Afterwards you will be served an a la carte dinner in the subterranean former stables of the castle courtyard.

Today we have a 2-hour drive across the wine appellation of the Ribera del Duero, internationally famous for the outstanding quality of its wines based on the native Tinto Fino or tempranillo grape.

Some of the acknowledged best wines of the word are produced here, including the benchmark Vega Sicilia and the highly coveted Pingus. Our destination is one of the best bodegas in the region, where we will be hosted for a full tour of the vineyard and wine-making facilities, and maturation storage chambers, accompanied along the way by tastings of two of their extraordinary and highly-sought after wines in an experience that is designed to stimulate and surprise the SEIS SENTIDOS – six senses – that give your wine experience its name.

Following our tour we will move to the elegant fine dining restaurant where gastronomy and viticulture unite in an innovative fusion of creative dishes paired in surprising ways with three more of the bodega’s fine wines.

After lunch we’ll stretch our legs with a stroll through the nearby emblematic wine village with its imposing 10th century hilltop fortress and medieval jousting square which plays host these days to the annual bullfighting and a unique Easter festival, arriving at our accommodation in a converted convent constructed in the 1600s. The evening is free to relax, enjoy a spa session or visit one or two of the old town tapas bars.

After breakfast we continue our journey to a neighbouring wine territory along a road lined with vineyards and arrive for an extended tour and tasting at an exceptional family bodega which is garnering an international reputation for the quality of its crianzas, reservas and gran reservas.

We will begin by paying a visit to one of the high-altitude plots to see the prized 60–90 year-old vines before a walk through the maze of underground wine tunnels carved out by the family’s forebears over 400 years – an authentic subterranean wine cathedral.

Following a look at the bodega and vats where purely natural, ecological methods are deployed, we will taste the outstanding wines that result whilst examining a genuine sheep’s skin pelleja, used for generations for carrying wine to the ageing tunnels, and other antique paraphernalia pertaining to the family’s wine history.

Our appetites whetted, we continue to one of Don Federico’s hidden gem villages in an authentic and little-known wine appellation to enjoy a hearty lunch of traditional wood-fired fare in the converted stable of a medieval village dwelling.

A walk through this beautiful hamlet after lunch is rewarding before checking in to our tranquil rural hotel for some repose.

Our final night of the trip will feature a casual tasting session with a local ecological wine-grower and the freedom to relax or further explore the village with its simple taverns.

Your SEIS SENTIDOS wine experience draws to a relaxed close today with breakfast and a transfer to either Madrid Barajas Airport or your hotel in Madrid city centre (approx 2hr 20min).

The plan for departure and any stops to be made will be tailored by Don Federico on the day taking into account your onward travel arrangements.