A different summer like this one of the “new normality” post COVID-19 imposes different situations on holidays as well. The difficulty of travelling to other countries and the strict health and safety regulations mean that many people this year have decided to enjoy the great diversity of the geography and agriculture of the Iberian Peninsula. One of the points to be taken into account is also the social distancing that directs most of the very popular destinations to alternatives less frequented by tourists where there is less risk of contagion.
At EDYPRO we suggest three destinations close to you depending on where you live.
-The art of making wine in Ribera del Duero. The ancient settlers of the region already claimed that this land was inimitable and therefore produced something inimitable. And so it has been and still is, as its history runs parallel to the union of the vineyard, the wine and the fruit of the vines that mark its landscape and the personality of its people.
The special characteristics of the climate in this area, with its intense cold, delays the sprouting of the vines. The sudden changes in temperature between day and night during the summer cause the fruit to reach a balance during ripening. The grapes are harvested in autumn and are of magnificent quality.
The Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin stipulates that the regulatory production per hectare is 7,000 kilograms and grapes from larger plots cannot be used in the production of protected wines.
The grape varieties you will be able to see in this area are Tempranillo, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Garnacha Tinta or Albillo Mayor.
And the most outstanding activities are visits to the wineries in the area, such as Finca Villacreces, with a unique scenic setting between vineyards and forest and the Duero River flowing behind it. It is one of the wineries of the “golden mile of Ribera del Duero”, as is a visit to the Protos winery in Peñafiel, where wine tastings are also organised and there is a variety garden. This winery, which is one of the most visited in the Ribera del Duero D.O., combines tradition and the avant-garde.
Its roof, which can be seen from the castle of Peñafiel and where there is also a wine museum, stands out. 10 kilometres from another of the area’s enclaves, Aranda de Duero, is the Prado Rey winery, where you can see all the technology applied to a winery to achieve quality wines that contrasts with the long history of this estate, which dates back to 1600 when the Duke of Lerma began farming and livestock activity.
–Cyclotourism and gastronomic tourism in the municipalities of l’horta de Valencia. During this summer it is also important to escape from the urban centres. So from EDYPRO we propose a cycling route through the towns of Alfara del Patriarca, Bonrepòs Miraball, Foios, Vinalesa, Albalat del Sorells, Almàssera and Meliana early in the morning to finish in some of the establishments of the Club de producto gastronómico (Gastronomic Product Club). This club is made up of Ca Pepico, El Racó, Ca Xoret, El Celler de Jadelu, Lluna de València and La Barraca de Toni Montoliu. These are restaurants that are ambassadors of the cuisine of the orchard with produce harvested in this area and quality zero-kilometre agricultural products.
Among the cycling routes are the Camins del Carraixet route, the Churra route (the route of the old railway), one of the busiest, and the Green Belt that runs through the metropolitan area of Valencia and which in the north connects with the sea.
-Feel the land of the olive grove in Baeza (Jaén). Jaén is the province of the Iberian Peninsula that produces the most olive oil in the world, with 60 million olive trees. And therefore the best area to learn about how olive oil is produced, and all the culture that exists around it, its harvesting, pressing and its gastronomy.
Our proposal starts with a visit to the Museum of Olive Culture at the Hacienda de La Laguna and other farmhouses. This museum was created in 1997 and takes its name from the natural site of “La Laguna Grande”. Here the visitor can see all the varieties of olive trees of the Mediterranean basin in its Garden of Varieties. In addition, the visitor can see how the ancient systems of olive oil production worked, from the treading and twisting of the olives to the arrival of the beam press or the tower press or Alhorí, a system of wheel and chain.
But the most famous feature of this 18th century building is its bodega, which is known as “the cathedral of olive oil” with Central European influences and is an example of the progress of the Andalusian olive groves in the 19th century.
-The Dehesa Ham Route in Extremadura. The Dehesa is one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet in which man and nature coexist in harmony. It is a model of sustainable development that is very much up to date. Its protagonist is the Iberian pig, a native breed adapted to the environment and which, over time, has developed the characteristics that make it special and different. In Extremadura and the province of Badajoz, you can enjoy this route made up of 30 municipalities that revolve around this culture, such as Jerez de los Caballeros, Monesterio, Fregenal de la Sierra and Higuera la Real.
Jerez de los Caballeros is a Templar city full of history and the birthplace of Nuñez de Balboa and Hernando de Soto. Its fortress and the Torre Sangrienta (Bloody Tower) stand out here and there are also places where you can taste the exquisite local gastronomy.
In this area you can discover the Dehesa as a singular and unique landscape with a million hectares of land full of holm oaks and cork oaks, food for the Iberian pig. You can also find out how it lives and breeds.
You can also visit a ham drying shed or the Iberian Pig Interpretation Centre in Higuera la Real or visit the Iberian Pig Museum in Monesterio.
-Agritourism among fruit trees in Zaragoza. Another option is to visit one of the most fruit-rich areas of the Iberian Peninsula. Here you can live an agro-experience among fruit trees. In the area there are numerous rural lodgings where you can pick your own fruit and make jam for the winter, such as the rural house “Entrefrutales”. Or you can get to know the rich medieval culture of the “Tuscan Aragonese” in the region of Matarraña and visit the villages of Beceite, Calaceite and Valderrobres.