Wine country: A vintage trip through hidden Spain's history and culture

With a population of just under 10,000, Toro lies 220km north-west of Madrid, in the province of Zamora in
Castilla y León, Spain’s sprawling, north-western autonomous community.

Bordered by Portugal to the west, and surrounded by mountains to the north, east, and south, Castilla y Leon is Spain’s largest region, although it is sparsely populated, and it possesses more Unesco World Heritage sites that any other region in the world.

I visit Castilla y Leon for a three-day break in October, travelling the Spanish wine routes of Toro and Arribes del Duero, and am charmed by the region’s rich history, its relaxed pace, and the way the autumnal sun bathes its vineyards, valleys and dusty towns in a glowing, golden light.

Wine is the lifeblood of Castilla y León, and the robustness of Toro’s wines made them ideally suited to Christopher Columbus’s long sea voyage. Many of Toro’s vines survived the phylloxera plague which tore through Europe’s vineyards in the 19th century, meaning Toro has some of Europe’s oldest vineyards.

Unsurprisingly, the region has its own wine museum, and a visit to Pagos del Rey Museo del Vino proves fascinating, as our guided tour ( €8 including a wine tasting with tapas) shows us that 90% of all wine produced in Toro is red, made from the Tempranillo grape. Toro also has the Chillón Cheese Museum, where we learn the four-generation history of the Chillón family of cheesemakers, before sampling their delicious wares.

At the Bodegas Fariña, close by, three generations of winemakers have built one of the most important family wineries in Spain. ( Tours from €8, with wine and local Zamorano cheese.)

At the Bodega Historica, we climb down several floors below street level to visit a traditional wine cellar. It’s here we discover an intriguing subterranean warren of hidden tunnels that runs beneath much of the town above.

Toro’s Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, built in to the 12th century, hangs with some remarkable artworks; one such head-turner is a Flemish painting of La Virgen de la Mosca (‘Virgin of the Fly’) and a sculpture of a rarely depicted pregnant Virgin Mary, dating to the 13th century. But perhaps the most spectacular sight of all is the view from this mediaeval church across the green Duero River valley.

For such an agrarian society it’s no surprise that the food in the region is delicious; the prices are pretty appetising too. We dine on a superb five-course lunch at Toro’s Divina Proporción winery or the princely sum of €20.

Castilo Monte la Reina, a beautiful 19th century neo-Gothic castle on its own sprawling vineyard is an atmospheric and elegant place to overnight. ( Doubles €90, with breakfast ) Despite the grandiose setting, dinner in the adjoining restaurant is another princely feast at pauper’s prices. It’s imposible not to remark on the affordability of holidaying here.

From Toro, we head south to Arribes del Duero, where we stay in the hilltop mediaeval town of Fermoselle.

A 2,000-year old home to some 1,500 souls, it’s known locally as the town with 1,000 wine cellars. Many of those cellars are over 1,200 years old, and

the higgledy-piggledy streets are dotted with perfectly preserved examples of Roman architecture.

Over the centuries, Fermoselle became a haven for Jewish people fleeing persecution, and our guide explains how Jews would dye rice inside pig’s bellies to make fake chorizo as “proof” of their conversion.

Even now some ancient stone doorframes bear engraved crucifixes to demonstrate the inhabitants were Christians, although locals say that inside the door there might have hung a Star of David. (Gerald Goldberg, elected Cork’s Lord Mayor in 1977, remembered his father Louis, a Lithuanian Jew and an ardent Irish Republican during Ireland’s War of Independence, hanging a portrait of the prince and princess of Wales, Edward and Alexandra, in their Jewtown home. In doing so, Goldberg Sr successfully fooled raiding Black and Tans with a trick from the old country, where Jews would dupe marauding Cossacks with icons of the Tsar.)

Arribes del Duero is deep wine country, and outside of Fermoselle, at Jose and Liliana’s small family winery, El Hato y el Garabato, you can knead grapes with your bare hands, and listen as the fermenting yeast hisses and whispers.

We stay that night at the four-star Posada Doña Urraca, ( B&B from €60) and enjoy yet another excellent dinner. On our second night in Fermoselle, we dine at La Enoteca del Marques, enjoying a modern spread of of burgers, beer and cocktails.

Visitors watching the clock may notice that in Fermoselle telephone signals can flicker back-and-forth across the border: phones occasionally reset to Portuguese time, which is an hour out, and the reason we miss a marmalade-making session.

The landscape of Arribes del Duero is often breath-taking, and a visit to Mirador de las Barrancas in Fariza is recommended for its stunning views over the river Duero and its surrounding canyon, which forms the natural border between Spain and Portugal. A one-hour cruise of the river from the Portuguese side of the border costs €18, and also offers magnificent scenery, while overhead eagles wheel and soar.

On our final night in Castilla y León, we stay in the beautiful 18th century five-star Hacienda Zorita Natural Reserve with organic farm in Salamanca, ( B&B €150 [url=https:// hacinendazorita.com ]hacinendazorita.com[/url]). Dating back to 1336, it operated as a monastery for many years and hosted erudite guests, not least Christopher Columbus, in 1487.

On my final morning, I waken to what sounds like rain, and smile thinking that Spain is preparing me for home. It’s not rain however, just the sound of the breeze in the leaves outside as another golden day dawns in wine country.

Eating in Toro 

The food in the region is marvellous and the prices excellent value. A superb five-course lunch at Toro’s Divina Proporción winery will set you back €20 midweek, or €25 at the weekend, divinaproporcionbodegas.es 

Like a local

There is so much to do and see in Castilla y León, and the value for money is very refreshing. When planning a trip to the region, the Arribes Wine Route webiste offers a very handy guide. rutadelvinoarribes.com 

Escape notes

Ryanair, Aer Lingus and Iberia Express offer daily direct flights from Dublin to Madrid. Driving time from Madrid to Toro is an 75 minutes, and Madrid to Fermoselle is three-and-a-half hours. High-speed trains from Madrid to Zora take an hour-and-a-quarter, with bus or taxi from Zora to Toro taking 35 minutes, and 55 minutes from Zora to Fermoselle.

Donal was a guest of Tourist Office of Spain