Vino on the Camino | Camino Wine Tours

When you think about Spain do you think about wine? Yes? Then a Vino on the Camino walking tour could be exactly the holiday for you! Grab the opportunity to walk a section of the famous pilgrims walking route while also trying the best of Spanish wines.

A Brief History of Wine and the Camino

The Camino de Santiago is a network of pilgrimage routes leading across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. This fascinating collection of routes have been walked by pilgrims from across the world for centuries.

Wine has also been made in Spain for centuries and was, in fact, a favourite of the Romans! So it could be said they are already two long-life friends and a perfect combination!

Both have also had their own trials and tribulations.

The Camino was hugely popular in the middle ages but its popularity declined for many years after that. In the late 20th century there was a resurgence, and now tens of thousands of people walk it each year.

Spanish wine was widely exported by the Romans until the 8th Century when the Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula. They restricted the export of Spanish wine, so production decreased. Once Spain was reconquered, the Spanish wine export restarted.

The 20th century was challenging for Spain and Spanish wine. Restrictions and a decline in wine production began under the rule of Franco. However, after his death and the introduction of democracy to Spain wine production and export took off. Today Spain is one of the largest global exporters of wine.

Spain has a wonderful variety of vineyards, grape varieties, climates, and incredible flavours to explore. There are a number of vineyards that managed to survive through hundreds of years of that fascinating history. Some have been bottling their traditional wines since they were founded in the 1800s!

Today, the Camino and Spanish wine are continuing to grow and be celebrated all over the world. What better time to experience them!

Key Wine Regions of The Camino

The most popular Camino route, the Camino Frances, starts in the Pyrenees and moves west across the north of Spain. Along the way, you will encounter wonderful towns and cities, many churches and monasteries but also many vineyards.

The Camino Frances passes through the wine regions of Navarra, La Rioja, Tierra de Leon, Bierzo and Galicia, while nearby are also the regions of Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro and Rias Baixas close to Santiago de Compostela. The Camino del Norte passes through the País Vasco region around Bilbao and the Via de La Plata passes through the Ribera del Guadiana and the Tierra del Vino de Zamora.

So you can see there are plenty of options for wine on the Camino!

To combine these two wonderful pastimes we have two options. A self-guided option for walking the Camino and sampling wine as you come upon it, and a guided tour in the future. We are taking expressions of interest for wine expert-led guided tours on the Camino including wine tastings and winery visits.

Self Guided Wine Tours

For our self-guided options, we recommend walking the section from Pamplona to Logrono as this takes you through the famous La Rioja wine region.

The Camino actually passes through many vineyards and also has the famous Irache Fountain that provides wine to pilgrims rather than water!

You could also start your Camino in Logrono and traverse the vineyards to Burgos where just south lies the region of Arlanza.

Finally, if the Galician wines are what you are looking to discover then why not walk from Tui to Santiago de Compostela on the Camino Portuguese.

On this stunning vino-infused Camino route you can sample the local produce along the way or upon finishing in Santiago take up the opportunity to do a full day Rías Baixas boat tour!

Guided Wine Tours

We are taking expressions of interest for a guided Vino on the Camino walking tour through Spain. It will be based in both the Galicia and La Rioja regions, depending on demand.

For this guided tour we want you to experience the best of walking the Camino along with sampling some well known and not so well known wines of the region.

These 4-5 day guided tours will have a daily schedule of short 2-3hr walks in the morning so you can experience a sample of daily life on the Camino for a pilgrim and then followed by a wine tastings and winery visits in the afternoon.

Experience some of the best Spanish wines in carefully selected vineyards and tasting rooms, and meet some of the most interesting people involved in the production of this incredible wine.

You will be accompanied along your tour by a wonderful and experienced wine expert who knows everything there is to know about the area and the wines you’ll be tasting. They will make sure that your Vino on the Camino experience is one that you will never forget!

Our amazing Camino Planners have loads of knowledge to share about their favourite Camino routes and top tips along the way. Get in touch with us today with any questions and we’ll be happy to help you out!