Ribera del Duero, a visit worth (part 3)
In Part 2 we ended the visit at Bodegas Cepa 21, went left and had to drive 9 minutes to our hotel in Pēnafiel.
What a beautiful road it is. When you drive to Penafiel you can see a tower on the right. Is that the castle of Penafiel? No it isn't.
It is Residencia Real del Castillo de Curiel. We knew we wanted to sleep in or near Penafiel and this unique hotel (****) was also an option to sleep.
We knew that when we would see the big castle in the shape of an ship we knew that we would be in Penafiel.
We drove on the way to Peñafiel and suddenly we saw the Castle. We finally reached, after the long but nice drive, the city where our hotel is. The city is not very big and our hotel was very easy to find.
What a fantastic hotel! When you want to discover Ribera del Duero stay at this hotel. Not only the location is great but the architecture and the design is fantastic. Parking is possible in the underground garage.
Located in Peñafiel, at the foot of its iconic castle, stands Hotel AF Pesquera, a boutique hotel with 36 rooms designed to make every stay an unforgettable experience. Built in an old flour mill that dates back to 1922, Hotel AF Pesquera embodies Familia Fernández Rivera ’ s endless hospitality through its personal service and extraordinary quality standards.
Familia Fernández Rivera is owner of 4 bodegas. Two of them are in Ribera del Duero:
Bodega Tinto Pesquera has the same name as the hotel. The hotel is an 4 star hotel.
Our room was the Deluxe Room and like the website tells about the room: The glass – walled bathroom and queen – sized canopy bed and the thoughtfully designed elegance of these rooms make them unique. Called El Perfume (our room), El Amante, Seda, Lolita and Expiación as a tribute to great literary works that have made history, these rooms have been carefully designed to provide an evocative experience.
Do you like the room? We absolutely did. The hotel has a Spa, small Gym, a nice wine bar (withwine from the Bodegas of the Familia Fernandez Rivera and a beautiful restaurant in the basement. The breakfast room on the ground floor is nice and the breakfast what was included is great!
After installation in the room we discovered the hotel. After that we went to drive around Penafiel. But not before having a good glass of red wine.
5 minutes of the hotel is Bodega Pago de Carraovejas. What a place!
It was sunday and unfortunately closed but the architecture, the entrance, the views and the location of the bodega is breathtaking. You see a lot of pictures of it underneath. According the website https://www.pagodecarraovejas.com/en/home/ the bodega is located three kilometers from the town of Peñafiel, perched on the south facing hill slopes enclosing the Botijas River valley, a tributary of the Duero River. This spot enjoys a microclimate created by the soothing influence of the Duero River, the dominating Western winds and the south facing orientation of the soft rolling hills, that protect the heart of the valley from the harsh influence of the Northern winds and the damaging effects of spring and fall frosts.
The strategic location of the land, the rivers that crisscross it, the mass of the imposing rock outcrop that shelters it from the cold north winds, the protective shield offered by the massive walls of the Peñafiel Castle against hail storms, and the intervention of humans that install wind machines and irrigation systems to mitigate the effects of black frost and prevent internal freezing of cell walls… all of these factors make the vineyards a stronghold where extraordinary grapes can grow. The vineyard is planted at an average height of 850 meters above sea level on a hillside perpendicular to the Duero River, which crosses the land in an East-West direction. The terrain is configured as a bowl of low rolling hills, flat in the middle of the valley and increasingly rugged and precipitous as we gainelevation.The grapes are from three varieties: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The bodega has also a restaurant and not a normal restaurant but a restaurant with a Michelin star: https://guide.michelin.com/nl/nl/castilla-y-leon/penafiel/restaurant/ambivium
The restaurant was closed otherwise we would have a drink and a bite here. On the other hand, when you see the menu and the prices you know it doesn't fit in our busy program :)
https://www.restauranteambivium.com/en/inicio-english/
When we return to Ribera del Duero we will visit it.
After a small walk in the vineyards, feeling the rest and the relaxing area we took some pictures and went driving again. Fantastic to see that the Peñafiel castle is everywhere you look. How would the view from the castle be? Let's find out!
It is now 18:00 and the day isn't over yet. We first started to drive the road to Pesquera del Duero. https://www.rutadelvinoriberadelduero.es/en/poblacion-ribera-del-duero/pesquera-duero
Why that village? That is because the Bodega Tinto Pesquera is located there. And when you sleep in their hotel it is a must visit, even if they are closed, because the wines of the Bodega are very populair. Let me tell you something about this Bodega:
"In a tribute to Pesquera de Duero, the hometown of Alejandro Fernández and Esperanza Rivera, founders of Familia Fernández Rivera, and with origins at a stone winepress from the 16th century, Tinto Pesquera started to produce its first wines in 1975 in order to showcase the value of the terroir of the Ribera del Duero through pioneering production processes of tempranillo grapes. Thanks to its tireless work, Tinto Pesquera was one of the wineries behind the rise and renown of Ribera del Duero and one of the driving forces behind its Designation of Origin." https://familiafernandezrivera.com/en/bodegas/tinto-pesquera/
On the website you see all of their wines. It starts with a Tinto Pesquera Crianza from 100% Tempranillo grapes to an Tinto Pesquera Janus Grand Reserva. They also have a white wine with the Albillo Mayor grape. The grape from Ribera del Duero for white wine. The Bodega was closed but the building was great to see.
The history of this winery has been penned by three generations. Emilio Moro was born into the wine production culture, crushing grapes underfoot and decanting wine in his native village, Pesquera de Duero. Years down the line, Emilio, whose father introduced him to wine production techniques, planted vines in the rest of his lands and grafted them with centennial Tinta del País cuttings. In 1987, Emilio Moro’s children designed the corporate structure of the modern-day winery. Bodegas Emilio Moro currently spreads out over 200 hectares, planted and grafted with the excellent clone recovered from the oldest vines. They produce around 1,200,000 bottles a year.
You can visit the Bodega but they also have a restaurant and a wine bar. Of course it was already closed. We drove further down the road and saw a lot of vines.
We had to drive to our next stop.
Our next stop is: Penafiel Castle!
In our next story (blog 4) we will tell you about the castle and more what you can see or do in Peñafiel.
We hope you like our trip, tips and stories. Would be nice when you follow us. A lot more is coming.
Comments
Post a Comment