Wine tour to Murcia

The itinerary has been prepared by our host and tour organiser Tony Higgins. Tony is from the North East but has lived in Murcia for 20 years. Since completing his WSET Level 2 with Newcastle Wine School Tony has developed close relations with a number of wine makers in Bullas. The final itinerary may be subject to change but will be based upon last year’s successful visit and feature small, family owned bodegas, a beautiful natural landscape and the region’s finest cuisine.

Day 1:

Coach transfer from Alicante Airport to the historical mountain town of Caravaca de la Cruz. The journey takes approximately one hour and twenty minutes by coach, skirting the city of Murcia and heading northwest towards Caravaca.

Accommodation will be in the Discalced Carmelite Friary that dates back to the 16th century. The hotel, whilst retaining its historical charm, has all the expected features of a modern facility, including WI-FI.

After settling in there will be a welcome and orientation meeting followed by a tour of Caravaca de la Cruz.

Evening meal, El Horno restaurant, situated in the old town of Caravaca, traditional Murcia dishes and local wine selection.

Day 2:

Continental breakfast at the friary

Coach transfer to Cehegín (Approximately 10-15 minutes). Here we will walk through orchards to visit the Bodega of the family Carreño, a local family that have been making wine in the area for many years. Nowadays, the family are trying to incorporate new grape varieties into their wines as well as still focusing on the region’s flagship Monestrell variety. A trip to see the nearby vines is also planned.

If time allows, we will do a short tour of Cehegín old town, followed by a short coach ride (5 minutes) to one of the best restaurants in the area, La Almazara. Here we will have a traditional rice dish, made from local Calasparra “bomba” rice and cooked over a naked flame that is fuelled by vine cuttings called “sarmiento.”

The very typical Murcian rice dish will be accompanied by a selection of local wines from Bodega Carreño.

Evening activity: Free time in Caravaca de la Cruz. No evening meal, you are invited to sample the many tapas bars of Caravaca. Friday nights are usually a lively affair, and you can join in with the locals as they wind down for the weekend. Remember, things don’t get going until about 20:00.

Day 3

Continental breakfast at the friary

Coach transfer to Bullas (approximately 20 minutes). Whilst Bullas is only a small town it is the central town in the D.O. Bullas. The D.O. Bullas is the biggest DOP in the Region of Murcia and includes the towns of Caravaca, Cehegín and Lorca.

A scheduled 1 hour visit to the Bullas Wine Museum, where we will discover the history of wine in the area.

Bodega Monestrell visit. A small family run bodega that is situated in the beautiful Aceniche Valley and takes its name from the regions signature grape. We will be guided around some of the vineyards of the bodega and told how the wine is elaborated, including the use of biodynamic methods. We will sample some of the wines which will be accompanied by local cheese and crackers.

After the bodega visit, we will travel by coach through the vine laden Aceniche Valley and on to the Asado Murciano, where we will have lunch. This restaurant has an impressive wine list of local and national wines, and the food is a fantastic example of what the area has to offer.

Visit to Bodegas Saura. A modern, new venture benefiting from significant investment and making very high quality wines from small terraced plots in the Sierra de las Cabras.

Saturday Evening free time

Day 4

Continental Breakfast in the friary.

Coach transfer to the navel coastal city of Cartagena. (Journey 1 hour 20-30 minutes)

Full day tour of Cartagena – Roman Amphitheatre, maritime history etc. Cartagena is steeped in this type of history, and we will get a good insight on how that has shaped the city and its people,

14:00 Lunch – Tapas route with local wines, focusing on white wine, followed by the famous Asiatico coffee.

Monday 27th March 2023

Coach transfer to Alicante Airport

The cost of the trip is £900 and includes airport transfers, accommodation, visits as outlined above and all meals and wine noted above.

I would be grateful if you could confirm if you would like to join the trip and if you would require a double room for two or single occupancy. Once we have established current levels of interest Tony will raise a deposit invoice for £150 to secure your place.

email David at info@newcastlewineschool.com