It has been almost 30 years since jumping on an old 1952 Matchless and driving  from Fribourg, Switzerland through southern France and then to Spain. I can remember the motorcycle breaking down constantly (those famous Lucas electrical parts!), swallowing tons of bugs outside of Valencia, crashing during an ice storm in the Sierra Nevada mountains between Granada and Malaga, seeing the Rock of Gibraltar for the fist time, and finally ending up in Madrid.

Since then I have traveled all over Western Europe many times, but I had never returned to Spain – not by choice, simply circumstance.  So it was of particular importance that I ensured I visited some wineries during a trip to Madrid this past year.

Beyond delightful side trips to Toledo and Segovia (of which I would highly recommend – they are short direct train trips from Madrid), we made our way to Sardon de Duero (“the Golden Mile”) for a visit to Abadia Retuerta.

Abadia Retuerta sits on the site of a 12th century abbey (Santa Maria del Retuerta). Currently the winery is transforming part of  the Abbey into a hotel where visitors can come to the area and discover more wineries and destinations along the Golden Mile.

From the website, “The Abadía Retuerta Estate occupies over 700 hectares of terrain, and its name comes from the combination of two words that define and describe the territory: Rívula (river bank) and Torta (twisting, winding).

Over 204 hectares of vineyards are spread out on hillsides ranging in altitude from a maximum 850 metres down to the southern bank of the Duero River. We have a wide variety of soils, with representations of most of the world’s best varieties, and state-of-the-art technology (meteorological stations, anti-frost towers, etc.)”

Abadia Retuerta vineyards

When we arrived we were met at the Abbey and then driven into the vineyards to get a sense of the soil, climate, and a great view back towards the abbey.

After a lengthy discussion we drove back to the main road, turned right and drove a mile or so to where the grapes are processed. Here we were provided an in depth explanation of the methods used at Abadia including their use of gravity

Barrel Room Abadia Retuerta

racking. I am afraid that I likely asked more questions than the rest of the group were comfortable with, since the last stop was back at the Abbey for a tasting!

When we arrived at the Abbey there were three wines opened:  Seleccion Especial and Cuvee Palamar from the Abadia collection, and one estate wine, Pago Negralada.

I can say that without exception, everyone in the group was very happy with each selection. These were all very dark in color, full bodied and complex wines, one building upon the other. My only regret was unlike years past, it is much harder now to bring back wines via plane.

The winery personnel could not have been more gracious or friendly, and I would highly recommend a visit should you find yourself on the Golden Mile in the future.