Private Ronda Wine Tour from Marbella
Our private Ronda wine tour takes you from Marbella into the mountains for a full day of wine, food and exploration, with your own chauffeur. You will visit two wineries, enjoy a tasting menu at Bardal and explore one of Andalusia’s most extraordinary towns with your local expert guide.
Marbella, probably the Costa del Sol’s most luxurious resort, is perfectly situated on the southerly coast of Andalusia, sheltered by the beautiful Sierra Blanca Mountains. From here, just over an hour’s drive away, you can discover one of Spain’s most exciting emerging wine regions: the Ronda Winelands, part of the D.O.P. Sierras de Málaga.
This ancient wine region has produced wine for over two millennia, though it has only recently attracted serious attention from wine connoisseurs. Celebrated wine writer John Radford wrote that “the dream has taken hold” when praising the rise of Ronda’s wines. The minimal restrictions on permitted grape varieties have encouraged successful experimentation with a wide range of international varietals.
On this marvelous day trip to Ronda, you will try some terrific wines at two quite different wineries: Doña Felisa Winery (Chinchilla), founded by a husband-and-wife team originally from Rioja, and the captivating Descalzos Viejos wine estate.
Ronda is a truly fascinating town, distributed in two quarters on either side of the Tajo gorge. Here you will admire some of its most remarkable historic architecture, including the Arab baths, the Real Maestranza bullring and the bridges that join the two halves of the town.
Contact us, and we will start planning your Ronda wine tour.
As featured in
Signature journey
Highlights include private winery visits and tastings, chauffeur-driven transportation from Marbella, lunch at Bardal, and a privately guided tour of historic Ronda.
Day 1Ronda
Bodega Descalzos Viejos, Ronda
Morning: You will be picked up at your hotel by your elegant driver in a luxury Mercedes and head inland, passing the stunning Sierra de las Nieves nature reserve towards Ronda town. As the rugged terrain of the Sierra de las Nieves nature reserve transitions to rolling vineyards, the acclaimed Winelands of Ronda emerge on the horizon. Their acclaim didn’t come overnight, but a turning point was undoubtedly the high-profile Wine Symposium in April 2008, attracting the world’s most revered wine critics, such as Jancis Robinson.
It brought this burgeoning boutique wine industry into the spotlight and took the wine press by storm. You will have a fabulous day today and learn all about these up-and-coming wines at two of the most interesting small wineries. The Doña Felisa Winery (Chinchilla) is the first stop; here, after a private tour, you will enjoy a personalized tasting drawn from their current range, including wines such as Cloe Chardonnay and Seis+Seis.
Your second winery visit is the atmospheric Descalzos Viejos wine estate underneath Ronda’s cliffs. Architects Flavio Salesi and Paco Retamero masterfully restored a 16th-century chapel from the Convent of S. Trinity XVI, giving birth to this breathtaking estate. They zealously restored the chapel, which echoes with centuries of whispered prayers, to its former glory, then planted vineyards on 15 hectares of fertile land once belonging to the monks of the Los Descalzos Order. Flavio is charming and an effervescent host; he will enthusiastically lead you through a tasting of wines such as DV+, DV Aires and DV Rufina, which are utterly spectacular.
Lunch: Prepare to be dazzled at Bardal, Ronda’s two-Michelin-star restaurant, where chef Benito Gómez offers a creative and highly personal interpretation of Andalusian cooking. Bardal offers two tasting menus, both with optional wine pairings, with dishes evolving according to the market and the seasons. Your lunch will be arranged as part of your private Ronda itinerary.
After your fabulous lunch, enjoy a digestive walk and tour with a local expert guide; what better place than the breathtakingly beautiful mountaintop town of Ronda. Learn about Ronda’s tumultuous history in its historic quarter, with reflections on its Arabic past in the well-preserved baths and the genuinely outstanding gardens of the Mondragon Palace. Highlights include the Real Maestranza bullring. This is one of the oldest and most picturesque bullrings in Spain, built by the same architect, José Martín Aldehuela, who designed the Puente Nuevo.
Evening: As the sun heads west, your chauffeur will ensure a relaxed journey back to your hotel after a fabulous day in Ronda.
Genevieve has spent more than 20 years creating private food and wine journeys across Spain, Portugal and France. For these Spain tours, she draws on regular visits to the country’s wine regions, meetings with winemakers, hoteliers, restaurant partners and local guides, and feedback from returning guests. She helps travelers choose the Spanish region, itinerary style and pace that best suit their interests and time available.
International flights, travel insurance, personal expenses, optional spa treatments, gratuities and meals or tastings not listed in your itinerary are usually not included unless specifically stated.
All wine visits and tastings are private and pre-arranged for your party.
Yes, 100%. Share mobility considerations, allergies, dietary preferences, and pacing needs early so we can adapt hotels, transport, restaurants, and visits wherever possible.
Scott and Pamela, New York
It’s obvious that you only visit the most friendly and personable wineries. We did enjoy the contrast of our day which featured one more family oriented winery and the other with more name recognition
It was a real treat to see what opportunities await for a winery and where another’s success had already come to be realized. What we did love was when it came to the tasting – one of the winemakers was impressed with the selection of vintages arranged for our tour! Everything met and exceeded our expectations!
