The Protected Designation of OriginUtiel-Requena offers a wide range of possibilities to enjoy wine tourism. The Ruta del Vino at the P.D.O. Utiel-Requena is a fantastic opportunity that complements the coastal area of the Comunitat Valenciana.
It is an ideal situation in terms of wine and cuisine, the climate and landscape, with a high quality, rapid and comfortable transportation network.
Valencia’s international airport is within 30 minutes, and the A-3 motorway from Valencia to Madrid runs through the heart of the viticultural zone. The train brings travellers from Madrid and Valencia to the stations of the main municipalities of this sensory route. The trip by car from any point of the extensive beaches of Valencia, Castellón and Alicante to the wine tourism centre is a maximum of two hours. As well as visiting wineries and tasting wine in Utiel-Requena, there are restaurants, hotels, wine shops, beautiful landscapes in places such as the Hoces del Cabriel Natural Park, adventure sports, children’s activities, and so on.
One of the most unique attractions of the Ruta del Vino de Utiel-Requena is the Bodega Redonda architectural complex which is the headquarters of the Protected Designation of Origin Control Board since 1986. It is formed by two buildings, one circular and the other rectangular, which were wineries during the 19th and 20th century, respectively. Both buildings were immaculately renovated, maintaining all of their original charm, and today the Bodega Redonda occupies a complete block with a fenced garden area.
The circular building was built in 1891, with a particular architecture using fine materials such as stone, solid brick, clay, iron, wood, lime mortar and sand. The street’s slope allowed the carriages of the day to unload grapes in the winery’s chute on the Calle Ferrocarril on the highest side, forced downward by gravity to fill a large press on the lower floor. From there, a wheel with buckets with a rotating arm distributed the already made must to the tanks laid out around the circular perimeter of the building. The Bodega Redonda changed hands several times over the years until 1991, when it was opened as the Museo de la Vid y el Vino (The Vineyard and Wine Museum) of the Comunitat Valenciana, after undergoing a careful renovation.
A visit to this museum is an educational experience, with explanatory panels illustrating the municipalities of the P.D.O. Utiel-Requena, the history and origin of wines in the region, the varieties registered by the C.B.P.D.O. Utiel-Requena, and so on. On the same floor is the collection of farming implements and winery and laboratory equipment. The collection of wines of the region and the aroma game “El Taller de los Sentidos” (Workshop of the Senses) is on the upper floor. The visit ends with a guided tasting of a wine selected by the Consejo Regulador.
To visit the Bodega Redonda and learn how to taste wine, please send an email to: museodelvino@utielrequena.org.
