It comes from: In Peñafiel. Protos

After that visit we went to see the Museo del Vino. Luisa Sanchez, from Bodegas Mento had arranged my visit to the Museum to be as pleasant as possible. It was a very charming and didactic visit to the Museum. There you can learn a lot about wine culture. You learn in there some other way you may do in books or even in wineries or in vineyards. I could spend in there a much longer time than I did. I expect to go back the sooner the better. The last activity was a very special tasting.

Afterwards we went to a very special called Restaurante El Corralillo. The restaurant is a cave excavated on the ground with a powerful castillian atmosphere. On this restaurant I probably ate the best lamb I’ve ever taken. I know that I have used this expression (the best ever) a few times, but that is how I felt at this moment. I highly recommended this restaurant for the lamb you can eat and how well it is decorated.

It comes from: In Peñafiel. Dining in Restaurante El Molino de Palacios

I got up early on the following day just to go to Protos winery.

They received us in a small room. We were quite a big group, about 30 people. They projected a video in which we could see Protos History and how it has evolved over time. The guide was an attractive and professional woman.

The beginning of the visit comes walking through what it was the ancient cellar. It’s in perfect condition to be used at this moment though it is hard to believe that these installations are still used because handling costs involved.

We visited the area of filling and fermenters. To move to the new area of barrels, there is a passage in which, by an original solution they have divided the wide corridor into a zone for pedestrians and a zone for Fenwick trucks. I wonder how will traffic density when the winery is in full activity?

And we went to the new zone. There you mainly see modernity, technology, professionalism, a lot of space, process, temperature and product quality control. The change is amazing. With the contrast I ask myself again how small and traditional wineries can compete in quality, Marketing and quality of product with huge wineries like Protos. Because the process, the means and elaboration costs are completely different.

As a final surprise on the visit there is a magnificent view of the new facilities, a shop setting with exquisite taste and a superb lineup with Protos shown to be the best Red wine “crianza” in the world in 2006. I think that is the best message Protos could send to us as a summary of our visit. Because the objective of letting people come to a winery is concreted on these concrete words: “The best of the world”

Protos managers have very clear an bright ideas.

It continues: In Peñafiel. Museo del Vino

When some body goes to Peñafiel, the first thinking is about visiting the “Museo del Vino” in the castle of Peñafiel.

As you arrive to Peñafiel you can see the castle, from several miles of distance. The view is great. The castle is over a mountain, perfectly maintained. You have a moment when you think you have gone through the time machine to the middle age. It is one of the nicest castles I have ever seen.

You can find a very good accommodation at the “Hotel Convento de las Claras”. The hotel has very nice rooms, an atractive swimingpool, a magnificent view of the castle and it is not very expensive. You have also a massage zone where you can relax after a hard day of walking and visiting.

As we arrived to the hotel we asked for a restaurant to dinner. They recommended us the restaurante El Molino de Palacios.

The restaurant was not far from the hotel so we decided to go walking. I suppose that this restaurant can be very good for lunch. But what it is really cool is going to dinner.

The darkness and the river that both surround it, makes the place with something mysterious and charming. We need to go through a dark tunnel, with indirect lights. Then we arrived and we could see that the restaurant is made with taste, very special. The food and the service are also good.

The way back to the hotel was also very nice. We met a local band playing for the neighbors.
It was a wonderful evening.

I live in Pozuelo de Alarcón, quite closed to Madrid. When I have an evening like this one I wonder what the great town has to offer. I prefer 1000 times what Peñafiel offered me this evening.

It continues on: In Peñafiel. Protos