Requena is a small town one hour west of Valencia, where lots of wineries produce excellent white, rose and red wine. We visited Murvierdro, a winery with a wine storage cave that reaches underneath the towns square. A maze of stairs and hallways is used to connect individual rooms that were carved into the rock in order to keep the wine at its best temperature and humidity. Very important way back then, when wine was stored in huge amphoras made of clay. The modern winemakers still use clay amphoras, but also a new version made of concrete and also wooden barrels of course. It was very interesting! Those underground caves stretch way outside the actual building and are 20 meters underneath the main town’s square.

Our second winery, Vera de Estenas, is a smaller more rustic winery where we got our hands and feet dirty! First they made us pick the delicious sweet grapes, then we had to stomp them with our bare feet. Fortunately I could use my bad knee as an excuse – I only got my hands dirty, but Ted could barely be stopped – he enjoyed it a lot! No wonder, with feet that big, his imagination of success went through the roof! The stomper-pro feet 🤪

After doing all this hard work, we got a tour of the winery and a delicious lunch with great wine (of course)

After all that wine we needed some water and – after another hour of driving – we got plenty of that by taking a boat tour on an underground river inside the cave of St. Joseph. This was so interesting, fascinating and unusual. I loved it! Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take any photos except on 2 locations, where the cave was high and spacious…

And another hour after the boat tour, we ended up at our next destination for the next four days: Benicassim, which is an hour north of Valencia. A resort town on the beach, where we stay at the Voramar Hotel, right on the beach, with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea!