The Cigales Wine Route shows that there is life beyond the Duero River in Valladolid

That Valladolid is one of the provinces with the strongest links to wine is a truth that is widely believed. But if you ask what is the typical wine of this area, many people will answer with Ribera del Duero. But the Cigales Wine Route shows that there are more Denominations of Origin than that of the famous river.

The Cigales Wine Route has rosé wine as its hallmark, being the main DO for the production of this type of wine in Castilla y León and one of the most important at a national level. The municipalities, wineries and other spaces that make up this route have hundreds of tourist attractions for wine lovers. With these premises they will attend FINE, #WineTorusimExpo on 1 and 2 March.

Source: Ruta del Vino de Cigales

Underground wine cellars are to blame for success

Part of the secret of the famous rosé is to be found underground, in the traditional cellars where this quality wine was (and in some cases still is) made. The beam and the spindle, the sisas, the zarceras…. These are names that are completely linked to this heritage, which has more than 1,200 underground cellars in the twenty winery districts of twelve municipalities.

The maximum cultural exponent is the Wine Museum of Mucientes, which can be visited together with the Murals of the artist, Manuel Sierra. Geographically, the Cigales Wine Route is located in the Pisuerga countryside, where the Pisuerga River gives personality and identity to the vineyards in the area.

A wine with tradition

In the times of the Court in Valladolid, the municipalities that today make up the route were responsible for supplying wine to the rulers. The castles of Fuensaldaña and Trigueros del Valle are good examples of this. In fact, the oldest wine press documented on the Wine Route is in the Enchanted Castle of Trigueros del Valle.

Another of the attractive points of the route, and which serves to prove the tradition in these lands, are the cave-houses. The people who had fewer resources lived in this type of property in order to be able to work with their vineyards, livestock or other work. Nowadays, the houses in Trigueros del Valle and Dueñas can be visited.

Source: Ruta del Vino de Cigales

Looking back in history, we can find documents of the first vineyards in the 10th century with the Monastery of San Isidro de Dueños and the Countess Eylo, wife of Count Ansúrez, with the vineyards in the territory of Valdetrigueros (in the surroundings of Trigueros del Valle). One of the highlights of the products of this area, as mentioned above, is the establishment of the Court in Valladolid. This was a definitive step for the nobility to make these wines famous.

Hiking and history with the Canal de Castilla

Lovers of wine and extensive walking routes can enjoy all the benefits of the “Senderos del Clarete” which covers the twelve municipalities that make up the Wine Route. Almost 100 kilometres with different landscapes: the river Pisuerga, immense vineyards, neighbourhoods of wineries… one of the highlights is the Canal de Castilla.

The Canal de Castilla is a very useful means of communication, especially at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The southern branch of the canal was used to transport goods from the mesta to the north of Spain. These goods included wine from the territories that today make up the Cigales Wine Route. Nowadays, the Canal has a second life as a route for hiking and cycling.