Visiting Rueda is not a suggestion, it is a weekend 'must'
1. LAUGH IN THE PLASTILINE CELLAR...
And, incidentally, learn the history of the wine that you are going to drink later. Because not all the wineries in the area hide barrels, barrels or wine tanks inside. Some, like the ** Bodega de Plastilina de Fresno el Viejo ** ( Valladolid ) , store other things, such as a small theme museum . It has true works of art made with plasticine, about 70 figurines, endearing and modeled very humorously, that recreate the different stages through which the grape passes and the history of wine in 12 explanatory scenes: from the vineyards in the time of the monks, to professional tasting scenes. The museum is one of the three stages of the Cañada Real wine tourism complex, aimed at tourism and the dissemination of wine culture. (Visit to the complex €3 - children €2. Plaza de España, 1, Fresno el Viejo).
Old Fresno Plasticine Warehouse
two. KNOW THE HISTORY OF MEDINA DEL CAMPO
The **Villa de las Ferias Museum** has been in charge of recovering part of the commercial history that made Medina great. It may sound like something far away, but, so that we understand each other, in the 16th century Medina del Campo was the financial and commercial center of the kingdom, that is, the city of the time . And people from all over the world moved to its main square - whose architecture would later be replicated by others in Spain - to buy and sell everything from domestic pieces to extremely curious luxury objects. Some of them have been rescued and are shown here now: printed books, lace, footwear, silverware, paintings, sculptures... And where there is trade, there is money , so its square was also the scene of great commercial transactions; the accounting books, the scales, the sets of weights, the eight-pound weights, the coins... that have been recovered to exhibit them, give a good account of the diversity of 'merchandise' that was made at that time. And so, gradually rescuing all the pieces that it houses within its walls, it is like this museum, which It started as a temporary exhibition (in 1992, repeated later in 1998), has ended up becoming a true historical jewel of the region . (General admission €2. Calle San Martín, 26. Medina del Campo).
Castle of La Mota in Medina del Campo
3. SAVOR A GLASS OF WINE FROM AN ALMOST EXTINGUISHED GRAPE
Is named mistreats -named after how badly it was harvested, by the way- and they make it in the winery Javier Sanz Viticulturist . The elders of the area already gave up this grape for lost, but -things of science, genetics and the tenacity of this tireless viticulturist- today they can once again take a glass of wine made from a virtually extinct Verdejo grape . It has taken him years of research, but it has been worth it - his winery is the only one that produces this grape in the world - and since 2014 his malcorta rubs shoulders with the best in wines in the highest level restaurants.
And it is not the only grape recovered, because soon this rare bird of viticulture will have company; Javier Sanz prepares the launch of another wine with another rescued grape -in this case ink- and now cultivated in one of its micro vineyards . Will be called 'colorado' and everything indicates that the production will be so limited that it won't even come out on the market; whoever wants to try the wines that are being made with it will have to reserve a table at Can Roca at the very least. (Visit to the winery with tasting, between €10 and €15. Calle San Judas, 2. La Seca).
Four. KNOW THE MOST LIKED WHEELS IN ENGLAND
Because the British don't live on pints of beer alone. If you go to London for a visit and fancy a glass of wine, chances are that if you ask for a white wine you will be served **a Verdejo produced in Diez Siglos**, one of the largest wineries, and also the youngest (it was born in 2011, she is just a newborn) of the region. It's in Serrada , a small town from Valladolid immersed in the wine-growing landscape of Rueda. (Winery visit and tasting €6. Carretera de Valladolid - Serrada, Km24.) .
5. DIVE INTO THE UNDERGROUND WINERIES OF THE AREA
In the dry , a Valladolid town considered the cradle of Verdejo, is the ** Campo Eliseo ** winery. Here you can see how wines were made before and how they are made now. And all this, without leaving the farm: on the one hand there is his underground cellar , dating from the 18th century and located more than 10 meters below the ground of the manor house. It has three galleries in which the current owners, the French Francois Lurton, Dany and Michel Rolland , make the barrels coexist -in their case, French oak and new- with other more strange deposits for those of us who are not used to wandering around modern cellars , such as a foudre or some futuristic ovoid-shaped concrete tanks -that is, egg-shaped-.
Apparently the ovoid shape allows a subtle natural movement of the wine inside, obtaining a different upbringing and, above all, more complex. Wow, pure technological experimentation that has its continuity in the new winery that the owners have built in the outdoor patio of the plot and that it is equipped with the latest technology_. (Visit to the winery with tastings and cheeses, €30. Calle Nueva, 12. La Seca) ._
Winter has come to Campo Elíseo
6. TASTE VERDEJOS AS IF YOU WERE IN THE VINEYARD
After tasting the wines in a underground cellar , the other great experience in Rueda is tasting wines surrounded by the vineyard itself where the grapes are born. The windows of Montepedroso Estate they allow you, one very modern winery built in concrete, steel, glass and brick , in keeping with the landscape and elevated on a hill at 750 meters of altitude in the municipality of Rueda, from which there are beautiful views of the area. (Visit and vertical wine tasting €10. Camino de la Morejona. Ruda).
7. TRY THE BEST SMOKED CHEESE IN THE WORLD
They make it in the ** traditional and family-run Campoveja cheese factory, in La Seca (Valladolid) ** and its author is Jesús Sanz, a third generation -together with his brothers- who continues the legacy started by his grandfather Félix in 1952 . He has managed to elevate the sheep's cheese that has always been made in his house to the top of the most decorated cheeses worldwide: with raw sheep's milk, natural rennet and without plastics during the maturation process. Come on, what has been a full-fledged signature cheese. The 'plus' is provided by the strong commitment it is making to the process of refining the cheese -apparently a tradition almost in disuse and that can only be seen in signature cheeses, like theirs-. In the case of smoked awarded in 2012 as the best smoked cheese in the world -be careful with that-, it is its contact with beech smoke that gives it its highly appreciated aroma and flavor. If right now you are licking your lips and La Seca catches you far away, you can find it in (exclusive) venues and restaurants such as Santceloni, in Madrid. (Visit to the cheese factory and tasting €7. Carretera Matapozuelos, 62. Serrada).
Smoked cheese
8. TASTE THE MOST ORIGINAL SWEET AND SAVORY PASTRY OF THE REGION
The pastry chef Maria Angeles, owner of the craft workshop The Giralda of Castile , she is the author of several new proposals that have already become representative hits in her town, Matapozuelos, but also in Valladolid and even in Castilla y León if you push me. In section salty, the rabbit pie , a totally handmade and own snack -although it does not lack imitators-, made with a very tasty marinade and with a spongy dough. And on the side of sweet, the mantecado al verdejo . which is no more -no less- than the version of a traditional shortbread known as a 'sugar bun' that has always been made with white wine.
María Ángeles has managed to give that bun a very successful twist: she has replaced the non-denominational white wine with the Verdejo from the area How could no one have thought of it before? And she has hit the nail on the head, so much so that in 2013 it won the award for the best dry pasta. And add and continue, because the word has spread so much that they regularly make shipments outside the region; and they are about to arrive in Madrid: soon we will be able to eat them among the sweets in the restaurant Crazy Joan , in La Latina (but shhh, that's still a secret) . (Organizes traditional and seasonal confectionery workshops. Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 21. Matapozuelos).
The craft workshop of Matapozuelos
9. THE JACKPOT
It's time to finish off the visit with a Michelin star dining experience at ** La Botica de Matapozuelos .** It is the same restaurant with two kitchens: on the one hand, that of Teodoro de la Cruz, an artisan chef who revives popular recipes in a grill format; the roast of suckling lamb churro is the protagonist , but not less than cappuccino (awarded as the best pincho in Valladolid) or the lamb loin with artisan black pudding (awarded at the Bocuse Dor in Madrid).
The counterpoint of Teodoro's cuisine is provided by his son Miguel Ángel de la Cruz, who offers a more signature tasting menu, under the name 'A walk around the environment' . The pine forests, orchards and nearby rivers supply him with everything he needs depending on the season, to make a menu full of trompe l'oeil that has earned him his first Michelin star. Six starters, eight dishes and two desserts are not to be taken lightly , so you better go wanting to enjoy and with a stomach ready to eat everything they put on your plate. Do not even doubt it. (Tasting menu €56. Plaza Mayor, 2. Matapozuelos. Valladolid) .
The Michelin star of Rueda
10. THE DESERVED REST
Now yes, it's time to rest and recharge before returning to the routine. Where? In the Olmedo Spa , a center built on a source of mineral-medicinal waters with excellent properties for the skin, blood circulation and for relaxation of body and mind. In addition, the environment in which it stands is unique, as the spa is built on the ruins of a 12th century convent ; in fact, the rest room occupies what were once the kitchens, a room in which the layout with the central fireplace and the original ceilings have been respected. Essential make the water circuit and go through the hall of contrasts , set in a Castilian Mudejar-style patio that you won't want to leave, or take your eyes off the ceiling. (Circuit contrasts €33. Pago de Sancti Spiritus, s/n. Olmedo. Valaldolid).
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