Spain is one of Europe’s most prolific wine producing countries with an array of regional varieties that can easily hold their own against the wines of Italy and neighbouring France. The Málaga region, with its sun and long history of viticulture, is renowned for its sweet fortified wines made from Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez grapes that have been enjoyed over the centuries since the Phoenicians first arrived. However, these sweet dessert wines, which are primarily produced in the Axarquia, the Zona Norte and Montes de Málaga, are not the only nectar produced in the region.
Marbella is ideally located for an excursion into the world of Andalusian wines and there are many bodegas with knowledge-filled experts that can introduce you to Denominaciones de Origen from all of Spain, as well as specialist ‘museums’ where you can explore wine making methods, the history of grape varieties and enjoy that all-important tasting session at the same time.
Mijas is a picturesque pueblo overlooking the coast that is reachable from Marbella in under 30 minutes. The Museo del Vino is housed in a charming building that dates from 1839. Distributed over two floors, the ground level houses a typical Spanish bodega with an Andalusian-style plant-filled patio where visitors can explore the wines of the region and the museum’s collection of antique labels. The upper floor is a high-ceilinged space where the museum hosts large group tastings and can accommodate 50 people sitting or 80 standing. These tastings – the term in Spanish is ‘cata’ – are accompanied with appropriate food pairings for each wine; ideal entertainment for enthusiastic oenophiles. On the lower floor, visitors can enjoy wine and tapas seated at traditional barrels in the outdoor patio and buy local food products and wine accessories, such as decanters, as well as bottles of wine, of course! Prospective visitors can take a virtual tour of the Museo del Vino and discover what is on offer before they even leave Marbella.
A little farther afield in Sayalonga, a village in the hills behind Málaga, but still within sight of the Mediterranean Sea, lies the Bodegas Bentomiz winery run by a Dutch couple with a passion for Spain’s wines and cuisine. Its 80-100 year old vines thrive in the slate terrain of the region that also boasts the perfect combination of rainfall and sunshine to produce a range of fresh, delicate wines of the white, red, rosé and sweet varieties under the Ariyanas label. Visitors are welcome year round for tours of the vineyard as well as wine tastings, and if you are looking for somewhere a little different to have lunch then the Bodega’s master chef Juan Quinanilla prepares a superb gastronomic feast with wine pairings.
Other wineries that are within a reasonable distance of Marbella include Almijara Wineries in Competa specialising in Moscatel, and Bodegas Quitapenas in Málaga city, which has been producing wines in the Axarquia region since the 1800s. Ronda is also the home of a number of boutique wineries responsible for exciting wines that you’ll find stocked in many of Marbella’s five-star restaurants, and La Sangre de Ronda is one of its most famous.
Take a wine excursion from Marbella and you will soon discover that there is a complex world of wine in this region that will take you on a journey far beyond the supermarket shelves and into a deeper enjoyment of this noble tradition.
TIP We buy all our wines, cavas and champagne in Marbella’s Casa Santi. They stock a huge selection and the friendly staff is always happy to advise. Plus, they deliver to your home, too!