FINE #WineTourismExpo #Marketplace will host exhibitors from different areas of Spain during the first two days of March. The Valladolid Trade Fair will witness the latest proposals regarding wine tourism from many corners of Spain. Among them will be a place with a lot of charm for wine lovers, Cerrato Palentino.

One of the seven natural regions of the province of Palencia holds hundreds of secrets for those who consider it unknown. Apart from the benefits in terms of wine tourism, the area is ideal for hiking or getting in touch with nature.

The winery district of Baltanás was one of the reasons why the municipality was awarded the Special Mention as Best Wine Tourism Municipality in the V Wine Tourism Awards of the Wine Routes of Spain // Source: ADRI Cerrato Palentino

This is the Cerrato Palentino wine

In Cerrato Palentino, there is an enormous range of wines with denomination of origin, produced in the Cerrato region. Among the most exclusive and high quality wines are those of Pagos de Negredo, from Palenzuela; Señorío de Valdesneros and Esteban Araujo, from Torquemada; Basileo Vino de Reyes, from Herrera de Valdecañas; Bodegas González Vegas, from Quintana del Puente; Bodegas Barrialba, from Venta de Baños; Carreprado de Alba de Cerrato or the DO Cigales winery from Palencia Las Luceras de Remigio Salas Jalón, in Dueñas.

Wineries and heritage: an art form

This area of the province of Palenica has the largest number of traditional underground cellars in Europe. These cellars are ancestral holes dug into the earth with picks and shovels hundreds of years ago. Some cellar districts, such as Torquemada, with three areas with more than half a thousand cellars, or Baltanás, dating from five centuries ago, with almost four hundred in a small hill with six levels of excavation drilled to the unimaginable, have been recognised as an Asset of Cultural Interest as an Ethnographic Site.

In addition to wine and its culture, Cerrato Palentino has an unparalleled artistic and monumental heritage. Among the main tourist attractions is the Basilica of San Juan de Baños, in Baños de Cerrato, the oldest standing church in Spain. We can also find beautiful and monumental villages such as Astudillo, Dueñas or Palenzuela, considered a Historic-Artistic Site for their heritage and beauty. The Canal de Castilla, one of the most important hydraulic engineering works of the 18th century, is also one of the main tourist attractions.

‘La Zarcera’ received the award for Best Wine Tourism Establishment of 2022, at the VI ACEVIBN Awards of Wine Tourism Wine Routes of Spain // Source: ADRI Cerrato Palentino.

Gastronomy as one of its points of reference

The gastronomy of Cerrato Palentino offers an experience full of nuances and sensations, together with its wines and its tourist potential, its local and quality products, with a great variety of carefully prepared and carefully prepared dishes.
and quality products, with a wide variety of dishes carefully prepared and prepared with great care. Some of the gastronomic specialities of the Cerrateña are the “abadas” or “tosta” soups, Churro lamb, roasted in a wood-fired oven or grilled, “jijas”, snails, crabs, mushrooms, partridges, pigeons, hares and rabbits. All this accompanied by good vegetables and cheese to give way to orejuelas, leche frita, rosquillas ciegas or rosquillas de palo. You can also enjoy a wide variety of homemade desserts, such as the traditional aniseed doughnuts, borrachuelas or torrijas.

Cerrato Palentino offers a unique experience that combines wine, culture and heritage with gastronomy and tourism. Its underground cellars, vineyards and quality wines are a sample of the cultural wealth of the region. Not forgetting the artistic and monumental heritage, its beautiful villages and hiking trails are essential tourist attractions.