In early Autumn, when the grape harvest festivities are celebrated, it is a good time to enjoy the famous Spanish wines. These celebrations are a special and unbeatable occasion to get to know the wine culture, participating in the traditions and the popular atmosphere that takes place around the grape harvest.
With the months of September and October, Autumn arrives, and so does the grape harvest. Each year, the grape harvest is responsible for closing the growing season of the vine; and after the work, it is time to celebrate the good harvest in style. The grape harvest festivals that take place in many wine regions of Spain are a sample of the character and popular customs typical of the world of wine. During these celebrations you are sure to have fun, because the prevailing joy is contagious. You will also have the opportunity to learn about some of the tasks involved in the winemaking process of the Spanish wine.
Spanish wine regions
There are 138 designated wine producing zones in Spain. All regions have different flavors to please the taste buds. From fresh and zesty notes into a deep and indulgent explosion of flavors. In each wine regions also grow different grapes to make white wines, rosé wines and red wines.
Spain's vineyards can be split into seven climatic regions. These can be further divided into smaller regions for identifying each variety.
How is the harvest festival celebrated in the wine regions of Spain?
Among them, of course, could not miss the traditional treading of the grapes or the tasting of the first must. It is also frequent the organization of events related to oenology, such as wine tastings, outdoor meals or open days at wineries. The program usually also includes other cultural activities such as competitions, folk dances, parades or theatrical performances. The Fiestas de la Vendimia Riojana or those of Jerez are among the most famous, but you will discover that this festival is celebrated in a multitude of places in each of Spain's wine regions.
The grape harvest in La Rioja wine regions
La Rioja wine is the most internationally recognized wine, and its grape harvest festivals could not be less. On September 21, the day of San Mateo, patron saint of Logroño, this wine region honors its reputation linked to wine.
Here you can be an oenologist for a few days. From the mythical treading of grapes to obtain the first must of the season and offer it to the Virgen de la Valvanera, patron saint of La Rioja, through the open days of the wineries to stroll through the vineyards on foot, on horseback or by bicycle. In addition, there are fireworks on the Ebro, various tastings, concerts and even balloon rides over endless vineyards.
In this region there is also time for culture. If you are interested in the history of wine, do not miss the Museum of Wine Culture in Briones, considered the best wine museum in the world. In addition, you can finish the day sleeping in authentic winery hotels, where you can be sure to experience the essence of the grape harvest in La Rioja.
The harvest festival in the Ribera del Duero wine regions in Spain
This region encompasses an important extension of wine harvests whose appellations of origin cross borders. It's harvest season is at the end of September. Since 2017, Aranda de Duero has been celebrating its Grand Ribera del Duero Harvest Festival, with a flavor not only of wine, also of music concerts in the street, emulating the Sonorama Festival for one more day.
The Riberjoven, Peñafiel's young wine and gastronomy fair, is usually held between the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October, where the wineries, wine shops and the hotel and catering trade are the protagonists, enlivened by regional dances.
The harvest festival in El Penedés wine regions
Catalonia is the autonomous community with the most wineries. Although the harvest in this region is in August, the famous town of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia celebrates its Cava Week (Cavatast) during the second week of October. Born to promote the consumption of this autochthonous product, on October 12 there is an open day in all the cellars of Sant Sadurní.
The grape harvest festival in Jerez Andalucia
During the first fortnight of September, Jerez de la Frontera hosts its Grape Harvest Festival, declared of International Tourist Interest, and dedicated to a different city of the Jerez Region in each edition.
The starting signal is the Pisa de la uva, loaded with symbolism, as the priest of the Cathedral blesses the grapes before being stepped on, as well as the first must that, once it comes out of the piquera, is accompanied by the hymn of the Harvest.
Wine is not the only protagonist in this fair, as it is always accompanied by flamenco, gastronomy and horses. As in previous years, Jerez, along with other cities linked to the equestrian sector, celebrates the commemoration of the European Day of the Horse. There is also room for puppets, a medieval market, music festivals, wine pairings, night visits to wineries, equestrian galas, tapas, exhibitions and live performances, a true Jerez grape harvest festival.
The grape harvest in Rueda, Valladolid wine region
The Rueda Grape Harvest Festival has been declared a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest and is celebrated on the second weekend of October, normally coinciding with the end of the grape harvest, which usually takes place at the end of September or the beginning of October.
The grape harvest festival in Rueda, capital of the Denomination of Origin of Rueda wines -the first D.O. recognized in Castilla y León- , also brings together the Crafts Fair, with artisan products and live workshops, and the White Wine Fair, where you can taste the wines of the wineries in the area. All this seasoned with parades, paellas in the square and the typical treading of the grapes, hand in hand with the neighbors of Rueda, with typical costumes.
The grape harvest in Jumilla
The grape harvest in Jumilla is usually celebrated in mid-August. Designed for children and not so children, with its famous children's parade, together with its parade, the wine fair, the treading and the offering of the first grape juice to the Child of the Grapes.
The harvest festival in Madrid
Although it is one of the least known, the wines of Madrid have their place in the harvest festivals around their wines. Depending on the weather, the grape harvest in this autonomous community may vary, but its star month is August and, as usual, its Albillo Real variety stands out.
Harvesting in Navarra
At the end of August, beginning of September, the grape harvest festival takes place in Navarra, highlighting the celebrations in the municipality of Olite, such as the extraction of the first must, the tasting of wines of the Designation of Origin Navarra or the open days of its wineries.
Origin of the harvest festival in the wine regions of Spain
The grape harvest is a pagan festival that has its origins in the Greek cult of Dionysus, divinity of fertility, vegetation and wine production.
Mythology tells that the first man who cultivated the vine was Icarius, a Greek king who was instructed in his arts by the same god, called Bacchus by the Romans.
In Homer's time, the renowned Greek winegrowers entertained the nearby villages every year during the grape harvest festivities; this gave them power and prestige in the region.
Possibly with techniques imported from Egypt, the Greeks spread viticulture throughout the European Mediterranean, bringing their traditions, including the celebration of the grape harvest, to their colonies in the Italian Peninsula, France and Spain.
The grape harvest festivals have lot of culture and long tradition, if you are in Spain on those dates do not hesitate to visit them, there will be no lack of fun.
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