The first decision to make is accommodation: home or hotel? It will depend on the weather and the number of people. For one night, I prefer a hotel, also for a couple of nights if a maximum of three people travel, otherwise it is preferable to stay in a house. This option allows you to buy the wines in stores and drink them quietly at home. In this way we reduce the cost of the trip and enjoy the local product much more, we have more time to prepare and, of course, after dinner.
If you are interested in visiting a specific winery, it is advisable to arrange a visit with some time. Most of the wineries, however small they may be, have a website with a telephone number and a contact email. If they do not have any commitment, they are happy to attend. The passion for wine is a language that the producers immediately detect, from there everything is very easy, because the visit will be like being with a friend. Obviously, this is valid for small producers, because with large wineries that magic is usually lost, although I will not deny that I have had very interesting commercial visits, such as Viña Tondonia, Barbadillo, the Celler de Capçanes or some great Champagne house. .
With small producers I have lived moments that I will never forget. The experience with the legendary Raúl Pérez, who dedicated an entire afternoon to us and invited us to dinner with some friends, is second to none. The visit to Etienne Courtois, who during the visit began to eat and invited us in the kitchen of his house, was also magical. No less memorable was the lesson on soils and the Rioja vineyard by Abel Mendoza, or that of Borja Pérez in Tenerife. Of course, it was incredible to meet the mythical Pierre Overnoy.
During the trip, an important fact is not to focus on visiting wineries haphazardly, only those that really interest us, but no more, as too many visits also saturate. The freedom of not being subject to appointments and the spontaneity of the trip is something that we must always keep in mind. Let’s enjoy the landscape, the different places, the people and their food. There is time for everything and not everything related to wine is learned inside a winery.