Wine Tour From Ronda

Ronda's wine industry collapsed in the 1880s when phylloxera devastated Andalusia's vines, reducing the Serranía de Ronda from fourteen thousand hectares under cultivation to fewer than fifty. For a century the valley grew wheat and olives while its neighbours in Jerez and Montilla thrived.

Replanting began in the 1990s when agronomists confirmed the region's high-altitude microclimates — between seven hundred and one thousand metres above sea level — could support temperate varietals like Petit Verdot and Syrah alongside traditional Tempranillo. Bodega Doña Felisa, established in 2008 on the Cordel del Puerto al Quejigal, pioneered organic viticulture in the appellation and now farms nineteen hectares of terraced vineyards visible from the Puente Nuevo.

The Serranía's soils rest on limestone and clay, fractured by the same tectonic forces that carved the Tajo gorge. Winter rains percolate slowly through calcareous bedrock, providing steady hydration through summer droughts that can last four months. Daytime temperatures in July exceed thirty-five degrees Celsius, but elevation and evening breezes from the Sierra de las Nieves drop night-time readings below fifteen, preserving acidity in ripening grapes. This diurnal shift defines the appellation's signature profile: fruit-forward reds with mineral backbones and balanced tannins. Winemakers harvest by hand in September and October, fermenting in temperature-controlled stainless steel before ageing selected cuvées in French and American oak.

Bodega Doña Felisa opens daily at 10:00 for guided visits that trace the full production cycle. Tours begin in the vineyards, where guides explain trellising systems adapted to the slope and the organic pest-management protocols required for certification. The barrel room holds two hundred twenty-five-litre barriques sourced from Allier and Missouri cooperages. Tastings conclude in a stone-walled sala with views across the valley toward Setenil de las Bodegas, pairing three estate wines with local cheeses and cured meats. The entry fee of twenty-eight euros includes the ninety-minute tour and tasting; reservations are recommended during harvest season when production schedules limit capacity. Visitors arriving between 11:30 and 12:30 align with standard tour departures and avoid midday heat in the vineyards.