I thought that it was time to write up on the wine tour that I run to Arcos de la Frontera, especially as I have been there quite a few times recently; on Thursday (16th June) I took two Australian women there. The winery that I go to is to the east of Arcos and is in a wonderful setting. The main grape that they grow is Syrah, along with smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a local grape, Tintilla de Rota (related to the Graciano grape from La Rioja). In the first photo below you can see one of the vineyard workers doing some weeding.

In the second photo you can see some Syrah grapes which are already a good size.

The next photo is a view over the tops of the vines to a nearby reservoir.


The winery ferments its top wines in truncated cone vats made from French oak. These are more costly and involve a lot more labour, as during the alcoholic fermentation the skins that rise to the surface are punched down manually using a special stainless still device.

All of the winery’s red wines are barrel aged. The period of ageing is from 5 months to around 17-18 months for the top wine. All the oak used is from France. Below is a photo of the barrel room.

The last photo in the winery shows my clients during the wine tasting at the end of the visit.

The beautiful white town of Arcos de la Frontera is situated on a ridge with cliffs on either side, giving it a very dramatic setting. Below are two photos taken from either side of the ridge.

We had lunch at a great local spot in Arcos before wandering around the narrow streets and enjoying the fantastic views from the Plaza del Cabildo and other look out points.