We went to explore the Riebera del Duero wine region of Spain. It is one of the top wine making regions in Spain. The area is located on the extensive, elevated northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. It follows the Duero river and has ideal conditions for wine making. 

We were excited to visit some of the bodegas and experience some wine tours. We began with a visit to the bodega called Remigio de Salas Jalón located in the highest part of the urban centre of Dueñas. It is located in the side of a mountain and the majority of the bodega is located inside manmade caves and is underground. We did a little exploring in the area before heading to the bodega.

This area has a long history of ancient wineries and the Salas family has maintained  an authentic age-old wine tradition. The Salas have been making wine since 1738 on this land. This is the fifth generation of the Salas family that has followed in the tradition of wine making on this land.

We were fortunate to have had a private tour of the winery and explored some of the caves that hold the wine.  The grapes are transported to the bodega by tractor and then brought into the bodega by a conveyor type system.  

We began our tour in the main entrance area and before long we were walking down a corridor that went into the dug caves created in the mountain side. It felt as if we were walking back in time to a different era. 

The entire bodega was very impressive but the most unique thing was the Original Roman era wine press that was still inside the bodega. 

Once we had toured the bodega of course we had to sample some of their wines. It was a great experience and very memorable. 

“El vino es un pasaporte al mundo.” – Thom Elkjer