As mentioned in the January/February 2023 issue of
Country and Town House Magazine!
HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR HOSTED & SCHEDULED TOUR MADRID TO SAN SEBASTIAN: WINE, ART & GASTRONOMY 21-28 MAY 2023
YOUR INSIDE TRACK THROUGH SPAIN’S WINE COUNTRY
MAY 21-28, 2023
02.02.23
We begin in the glow of the capital, with its promise of Spanish master paintings, old Castillian recipes, sparkling tapas bars and lesser-known wines of the central plateau. That deep red thread of viniculture leads us on to private bodega visits across Ribera del Duero – flourishing home of the tannin-rich tempranillo grape – and on toward the Mediterranean climate of La Rioja. There we’ll stop at three iconic wineries and taste the rich results of their contrasting methodologies.
Our tour concludes in the Basque Country, where landscape and seascape converge into an extraordinarily fertile gastronomic culture. A deep dive into that heritage brings us to the fishing village of Getaria – a utopia for seafood – and the secret culinary world of a private txoko dining club in San Sebastian. And our adventure ends in that beautiful coastal city with dinner at Martin Berasategui’s triple-Michelin-starred restaurant.
CLICK HERE for all information on this tour!
See the GALLERY from this tour.
*Gourmet tapas tour in Madrid with wine pairings.
*Guided visit to the Prado and Reina Sofia museums with our award-winning art historian. Featured masterpieces include Picasso’s monumentally powerful painting Guernica.
*Private tour and dinner at the world’s oldest restaurant Sobrino de Botín, where the same clay oven has been roasting suckling pigs since 1725.
*A flamenco show at one of Madrid’s best tablaos, where music, song and dance combine in fiery displays of passion, joy and melancholy.
*A day in the walled medieval town and fishing port of Getaria on the beautiful Basque coast, with visit to a gourmet anchovy workshop, a walk in txakoli vineyard, and lunch at Michelin-starred restaurant Elkano.
*A private tour of Eduardo Chillida’s sculpture garden, guided by the artist’s own grandson Mikel.
*A tour of market stalls & pinxto bars in San Sebastian, led by Basque food expert Gabriella Rinaldi
*Lunch behind closed doors with members of a private txoko social club for Basque chefs and gourmets: the Cofradía Vasca de Gastronomía
*Farewell dinner at 3* Michelin restaurant Martin Berasategui.
the coast of san sebastian, basque country
Winery visits in Ribera del Duero:
* Dominio de Cair, known for delicate grapes drawn from old vines on small plots.
* Bodegas Aster, with its signature vintage Finca El Otero and beautiful barrel room.
* Bodegas Ismael Arroyo (Valsotillo), where house wines are aged in 16th-century tunnels.
* Conde de los Andes, set inside Medieval mountain caves with Moorish design flourishes, and a vaulted wine cellar often referred to as the “Sistine Chapel of La Rioja”.
* Bodega Javier San Pedro, a modern winery with views across the Sierra de Cantabria, and a tasting lunch prepared by owners of Michelin-starred restaurant Ikaro.
* Marqués de Murrieta, a defining 1850s landmark producing a Gran Reserva that has been ranked as the best wine in the world.
Meet your host, joanna wivell
Originally from Yorkshire, UK, Joanna Wivell has always felt a natural attraction to Spain. She lived in Madrid for 19 years, where she first worked in television for the lifestyle channel, Canal Estilo, and then the National Geographic Channel. For the last 16 years, she has been showing visitors Spain with a personal, insider’s view through her company’s Insider’s Travel. Joanna has enjoyed walking on her travels through South America and in Europe. She has a love for flamenco dancing, languages and connecting visitors to Spain.