Andalucia: Sevilla, Ronda & Cordoba
Description
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Main Grape Varieties
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Travel to Sevilla, Ronda and Córdoba, three of the most exciting destinations in Andalucía, the southernmost area of continental Spain. Full of charm, history, traditional food and lively plazas, streets and cafes, these cities immerse you in the past and present of this storied region and let you live up close the Andalusian lifestyle. Sevilla embraces you with grand places, hidden romantic plazas, bustling tapas bars and tabernas and the people who welcome you into their world. The breathtaking hilltop town of Ronda, with its famous bridge over the Tajo river gorge, has charm in spades, and beyond the town, in the mountains, you will taste the most fragrant olive oils and taste delicious Payoyo goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses before lunch at a boutique winery tucked into the hills. Córdoba, with its narrow streets in the old Moorish and Jewish quarters and the Mezquita, the stunning column-filler former mosque still in use today as Córdoba’s cathedral will transport you to days of medieval glory. There ‘s nothing medieval about the sherry-style Montilla-Moriles wine you will taste with our favorite wine expert.
The wines of Ronda and the surrounding area lie within the Sierras de Málaga appellation, with geographic denomination Serranías de Ronda. Red, white, and rosé wines are made using Spanish and international grape varieties. Wine was traditionally made in this area, but many new wineries have sprung up in the last thirty years taking advantage of the high altitude which unusually enables the production of high quality reds in the far south of Spain. This revival has produced widely acclaimed wines from the vineyards around Ronda. Montilla-Moriles outside of Córdoba produces sherry-style young and aged wines. All of the wines, both dry and sweet, are made using the Pedro Ximenez grape. The region has been producing this style of wines since the sherry boom which began in the 17th century, and although popularity has waned in Spain and internationally, the region is a gold mine for sherry enthusiasts as there are casks upon casks of little known wines to be discovered at prices that make wine enthusiasts smile.
Highlights
- Walking tour of Sevilla’s historic center
- Private sherry pairing dinner in a local’s home
- Iberian pig farm visit and ham tasting
- Sevilla tapas tour dinner with a local guide
- Visit artisans and wineries around Ronda
- Tour Ronda’s historic attractions, including the Arab baths and the bullring
- Visit Córdoba Jewish Quarter, the Mezquita, and the synagogue
Suggested Itinerary 7 Nights
Itineraries are hand crafted with extra care to create the right mix of food, wine, and culture for a memorable and unique experience. Here are some ideas and a sample itinerary. Contact us to get started.
Day 1 – Sevilla
- Arrival Sevilla.
- Explore Sevilla’s history with a local expert guide who will show you the secrets of the historic Barrio de Santa Cruz and visit the Alcázar palace.
- Walk the cubiertas (rooftop) of the enormous Sevilla Cathedral
- Overnight in Sevilla
Day 2 –Sevilla
- This amazing experience will show you the food and wine of Andalucía in a local’s beautiful home. Taste a selection of dishes prepared by your host and paired perfectly with sherry wines of the highest quality.
- Overnight in Sevilla
Day 3 – Sevilla & Aracena
- Head out of town to the nearby Aracena mountains, where they raise the Iberian pig and produce some of the best jamón ibérico–Iberian ham– in Spain
- See the native pigs roaming free through the dehesa woods, see how the jamon is made, and taste the magnificent result
- Sevilla has one of the liveliest tapas scenes in Spain. In the evening, hop from bar to bar with your insider guide, trying different specialties as you go.
- Overnight in Sevilla
Day 4 – Rhonda
- Private guide and driver for a day in the Sierra de Grazalema Mountains where artisan producers are thriving
- Try the artisan products from the Grazalema – Ronda region: visit a cheesemaker, a traditional olive oil mill, and a winery known for its high-altitude red wines.
- Have a traditional home-cooked lunch in a family winery outside of Ronda
- Drive into Ronda. Check into your hotel overlooking the gorge.
- Explore the tapas bars in Ronda for dinner
- Overnight in Ronda
Day 5 – Ronda
- Ronda is best known for its stunning cliffs and bridge spanning the Tajo River gorge, but you will also visit the Arab baths and the bullring, one of the oldest in Spain.
- Wine-pairing dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant in Ronda
- Overnight in Ronda
Day 6 – Ronda
- The mountains around Ronda are dotted with other white villages, each with its own special character. Spend the day exploring the mountain white villages
- Visit a nearby village known for its cave houses
- Visit an internationally acclaimed biodynamic winery outside of Ronda
- Lunch in Olvera, a hilltop town known for its castle and its traditional gazpachos including ajo blanco.
- Overnight in Ronda
Day 7 – Córdoba
- Your private guide will show you Córdoba, once the capital of an Islamic caliphate and the most populous city in the world
- Tour the former Jewish quarter; the Mezquita, a former Mosque with a Cathedral within it; and the synagogue
- Lunch in a taberna where you will discover salmorejo–the Córdoba gazpacho–and traditional northern Andalusian dishes
- In the evening Córdoba’s leading wine expert will lead you through a tasting of the local sherry-style Montilla-Moriles dry wines made from the Pedro Ximénez grape.
- Overnight in Córdoba
Day 8 – Departure
- Take the high-speed train to Sevilla or Madrid for departure
Options
- Visit the historic city of Granada, known for the Moorish Alhambra Palace and the Albaicín quarter that faces it.
- Join an award-winning ham cutter to learn about the techniques for cutting and tasting jamon ibérico.
- Spend the day in Montilla-Moriles wine region outside of Córdoba, with a visit to an olive oil mill (tasting of their oils included) and wine tasting at two critically acclaimed wineries.
- A different way to tour Andalucía is on the Al Andalus train operated by the Spanish rail company Renfe. This luxury train with beautiful suites, dining, and lounge areas, leaves from Sevilla and visits the highlights of Andalucía over a week of train touring.
- Visit a privately owned palace with a restored Moorish garden outside of Córdoba, with the palace’s owner, who will tell stories of the family members who lived there while you tour the palace, glass of wine in hand.
- Have dinner at Noor Restaurant (1 Michelin star) in Córdoba where chef Paco Morales has revived traditional Moorish recipes from the era of the Caliphate in Córdoba. With a wine list long on the best sherries from Jerez and wines from Montilla-Moriles, dinner promises to be unforgettable.
- Learn flamenco dance steps with your private teacher in Sevilla or Jerez.
- Don your feria clothes for a day at the annual Feria del Caballo in Jerez de la Frontera, held in May.