Madrid to San Sebastian: Wine, Art & Gastronomy

your inside track through Spain's Wine Country

-May 21-28, 2023 -

As seen in the January/February issue of :

san sebastian spain views

Views of La COncha & Zuriola

San Sebastian, Basque COuntry

This seven night tour introduces you to Spain by way of the country’s finest artworks, wines and cuisines as you cross the Iberian peninsula from Madrid to San Sebastian. 

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.

 

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

♥ 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 Botin, 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 local lunch. 

♥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. 

 
garnatxa grape, priorat catalonia

WINERY VISITS

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 wines are aged in 16th-century tunnels.

 

Winery visits in La Rioja:

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.

GALLERY
Madrid to San Sebastian

WHAT'S INCLUDED

2 nights Hotel NH Palacio Tepa, Madrid 5*
1 night Castillo Termal Valbuena, Ribera del Duero 5*
2 nights Hotel Viura, Rioja Alavesa 4*
2 nights Hotel Londres, San Sebastian 4*
Private transport by luxury coach
Tour host & expert private guides
Breakfast daily starting in the morning 22nd May & ending on the morning of 28th May.
Lunch & dinner daily. Starting with dinner on  21st May & ending with dinner on 27th May. One night dinner not included, (travellers’ disposition)
Visits & entrances as per itinerary
All applicable taxes
 Not included : Airfare & flights; any meals not mentioned above; travel insurance, gratuities for guides
Price:  £4,595 /  €5,192.35 / $5,555.81 per person
Single Supplement: £855 / €966 / $1,030
Deposit:  £500 / €500 / $550 per person

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