As with its best wines, La Mancha is always aromatic and complex, becoming more expressive as it is discovered. To venture into the vast countryside of La Mancha, discover its hues, castles, people and history, is the main objective of "Caminos del Vino", the wine route of Castille-La Mancha, whose endeavour for quality has been attested by the Spanish Association of Wine Cities (ACEVIN).
Following in the footsteps of Spanish literature’s most distinguished noble and his faithful squire, this magical adventure starts with an itinerary through vineyards dotted with wineries, showing the indissoluble union between the world of wine and the culture and way of life of the region’s villages.
Following the wine route through Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Albacete, travellers will be able to enjoy the enormous natural, historic and gastronomic heritage of the region, with its wines – La Mancha, Valdepeñas and Vinos de La Tierra Castilla y Pagos Designation of Origins, which together comprise over 400 wineries – as their guide.
The La Mancha Wine Route starts at Alcazar de San Juan, an open and cosmopolitan town, whose historic centre, featuring monuments such as the Church of Santa Maria La Mayor and the Tower of the Grand Prior, is well worth a visit. Located in the vicinity, the nature reserve formed by the lagoons of Camino de Villafranca, Las Yeguas and La Veguilla, is a nature lover’s paradise in its purest form, as with the lagoons of Navalafuente, Retamar and La Vega located near the town of Pedro Muñoz, another milestone on the road, which is an excellent place for bird watching.
Campo de Criptana clings to the side of a long hill, crowned by windmills, against which Don Quixote fought during his adventures on the plains of La Mancha which here display themselves in their full splendour.
The 16th century old town of Socuellamos is a serious competitor in the monument stakes, possessing sublime attractions such as the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, the Casa-Palacio de la Encomienda, and the old Town Hall.
As travellers continue on their way through La Mancha’s wine growing area, they will discover the town of Tomelloso, which has an important cultural programme and many museums, exhibiting the works of great painters such as Antonio Lopez, Francisco Garcia Pavon, and Felix Grande.
Arriving in the province of Albacete, Villarrobledo is the largest vineyard in the world in terms of its municipal boundaries, and one of the largest in Spain. In addition, strolling through the town’s streets lined by mansions, the Renaissance Plaza Mayor vying in importance with the heritage site of the Plaza Ramon y Cajal, is like taking a trip through history.
Located in the province of Cuenca, San Clemente, one of the most beautiful heritage sites in Castille-La Mancha and the area’s cultural centre, marks the end of the route.
At every step of the way, travellers’ sensations and experiences will be enriched by wine tastings at the many wineries en route, dinners matched with Castille-La Mancha’s best wines, walks through seemingly endless vineyards and treading the longest wine route in Europe, that of Don Quixote, whose adventures in these lands elevated him to legend in universal literature.
