Trip Report Oct 2025

Thirty four members enjoyed this trip to the DO of Valencia

Report on Wine Trip to Terres dels Alforins DO Valencia 7/8 October 2025

A buzzing collection of wine trippers gathered at Jávea bus station to be transported to another exciting destination. This time to Les Alforins, a wine producing area tucked away in the centre of Valencia province. 

Our cheerful driver, Victor, steered us safely along the highways and byways past Oliva, Xativa and thus into the hinterlands.

After a coffee stop in one of those traditional bustling service areas, we trundled into the hills past well tended fields of olive trees, almonds  and vines. As we were to learn, Terres des Alforins translates from the moorish as Food Store. An apt name for the area.

Thus we arrived at:

Celler Del Roure 

The old Finca was approached along a winding dirt road. The place had an ancient, rustic feel about it. Yes, it was organised & functional but set in a locale that reeked of antiquity.

We were welcomed by Paco, a young local from Moixent, one of the 3 towns that make up the area. His enthusiasm was immediately obvious, as he told us of the vision of the vineyard, like other Bodegas in Terres dels Alforins, to produce their wines from old grape varieties which have been largely forgotten.

They have been reintroducing grapes, like Mando, Verdil and Forcalla which had been grown in this region for hundreds of years. It is a long-term project which makes Terres dels Alforins unique in Spanish viniculture. Wine has been growing at Les Alcusses for 4,000 years but Pablo started the current operation at Roure in 1997.

The Finca buildings are spread across a site with open vistas of rolling countryside.

Our tour took us first past a series of small hut type constructions to the ancient underground cellars. It was an extraordinary sight. Two long, curved rows of clay tinajas (amphorae) buried in the ground, either side of a central, white path. We were amazed to learn there were 97 in all. Several vent holes reached up to ground level and the aforementioned huts. These were constructed in 16th century, with later additions in the 18th century, and are now being used anew.

The tinajas are filled with wine, via hoses from the vent holes, to mature the wine for several months. This part of the vineyard is called the Bodega Fonda where the wines are created from several old grape varieties. The clay chambers have a neutral effect on the maturing wines allowing more of the fruit flavour to develop. 

As we emerged, Pablo, the owner, strolled by with his two huge dogs and a young donkey. Pablo used to be a musician and entrepreneur, who bought 10 hectares initially to start the vineyard. He played the euphonium and was part of a group called ‘Spanish Brass’. Paco, our guide, is also a musician.

Then, once again underground to the Bodega Fonda Nueva to a stage in what had been a bottling plant area but was now used as a music venue because of its fine acoustics. They organise gigs here with new singer/songwriters from Valencia and combine a concert with wine tasting. Very creative marketing! Thence into a series of cask chambers that had been hewn out over the past 12 years. Here, the vineyard’s classic wines were maturing in French oak barrels of differing capacities. Again, this was planned to vary the intensity of the oak in the wine. 

The wines were the reds from Monastrell and Mando grapes, principally.

The tasting room was another building of ancient vintage, repurposed & minimally restored. Here we sampled :

Gullerot (Tadpole) , a white made from a blend of 5 grapes. The wine is named to represent the struggle the grapes have to reach maturity (just like the tadpole).

Then two reds:

Safrà- a light red from the ancient cellars, blending Monastrell with Mandón

Alcusses – a more robust Monastrell from the classic range.

These all proved to have original flavours, reflecting the maker’s desire to create something different, something that reaches back into history. The tastings revealed the very different characteristics of the ancient vines, lighter and with less tanin.

As a final touch we were all gifted our tasting glasses, a fitting memento of a unique experience.

Taking our leave, we boarded the bus to meander through the verdant countryside to:

Bodega de Angosta (Santa Rosa Estate)

The Bodega is an imposing building set back from the road amongst fields of vines. It is replete with a tower and a mission bell, reflecting its religious heritage as a Dominican monastery. Painted in a bright yellow, it has the image of Santa Rosa on the tower, from whom the estate gained its name. 

In front of it, there is a terrace shaded by pine trees, overlooking the vines and fields beyond.

We were warmly welcomed by the delightful Anna, one of the members of the Cambra family, four generations of which have run this estate and three others. The family have been developing vines and producing wine for over 100 years. She told us that this estate had been bought by the family 55 years ago, reviving the fields yet keeping some of the traditions, such as maturing the wine in demijohns, as well as French oak barrels. Again, the themes of old grape varieties, traditional methods and ecological concerns were to the fore.

After this introduction, she led us to the terrace and straight into an al fresco wine tasting, accompanied by a range of delicious local cheeses, meats, olive tortilla and bread. It was a delightful experience commented on by many of the party as a refreshing change from formal tasting indoors. 

Glasses in hand, we were then led into the cellars to a room of upright barrels, each containing 5000 litres of single grape varieties, Monastrell, Syrah, Garnacha Bobal, etc   These large casks allowed the fruit flavours to be released with less oak. Buyers from the Netherlands buy direct from the barrels, to blend for themselves.

To our surprise we were allowed to taste each of these direct from the barrel. An opportunity seized upon with alacrity!!

We toured some of the other parts of the building, seeing equipment that attested to the evolution of olive oil and wine production in the bodega. There was that same sense of continuity with the past, drawing from and refreshing traditional methods.

Back on the terrace, we reviewed the wines we had tasted. These included:

White wines

Soldadito Marinero a well balanced blend of Moscatel, Grand Menudo and Alexandria

Angosto a young white blended from Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo

Almendros an oak aged blend of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo

Red wines

Vereda a single variety Monastrell, large cask oak aged 

And finally,

Teuladi – a blend of unusual varieties – Arco, Forcallat and Bonicaire.

The wine is called Teuladí, a Valenciano word meaning sparrow, a ubiquitous bird on the roofs and domes of the Valencian Community. This name was chosen to reflect the brand’s connection to Valencia and its cultural heritage, specifically its Mediterranean architecture and aesthetics. 

Having made our choices of the wines to take away, it was with a heavy heart that we dragged ourselves away from that idyllic terrace with its Aleppo pines and stunning vistas.

And so on to the local town of Ontinyent, to Hotel Kazar, an imposing building in the mudejar style, which was to be our home for the night.

After a rest and opportunity to reflect on the day’s experiences, (a nap for some of us!) we gathered for a reception and dinner at the (very long) dining table. During drinks, Caroline conducted a mini straw poll asking for the highlights of the first day. Three main themes emerged: 

1. the amazing amphorae cave at Roure 
2. the idyllic terrace under the trees and delicious lunch at Santa Rosa
3. Anna’s passion for the wines, in spite of a recent bereavement in the family

By email, some of the following comments were received:

• the renaissance of old grape varieties
• intentional planting to create unique wines
• the passion of every winemaker we met
• biodynamic production creating very drinkable wines
• the stories and history especially from Miguel
• the crowning glory of the lunch at Molí del Pas! 

Day 2 dawned as sunny and warm as the previous one.  Adhering to John’s instructions, the whole group was ready and eager to board the bus at the allotted time, defending the parking space in front of the hotel from an irate white van driver who was no match for the wine aficionados!!

We set off again into the rolling countryside until we reached the track that led us up to 

Casa los Frailes.

This was another small, rural estate with a range of buildings set among fields of vines.

We were greeted enthusiastically by Miguel, the owner, and even more so by Humphrey, the (very) boisterous, big, brown Labrador whose domain we had invaded. 

We started by exploring the growing fields in which Miguel gave us a comprehensive and humorous overview of the estate’s history, geography and philosophy. As he said, we should see the tools and production before tasting the wine – our reward!

The area was named Alforins (meaning granary or food storehouse) by the Moors because of the growing soil, valley location and protection of the Maseta and Dolomites, mountain ranges.

Traditionally, farmers had planted grapes for high yield rather than quality, mainly Muscatel. He picked a bunch of grapes and invited us to tell him which grape it was by the taste. Previously, grapes were grown in huge quantities to turn into raisins in Denia, Teulada and Javea creating some very wealthy vine growers.

The bodega has sought to carry on the ancient traditions, whilst also using updated versions of viniculture and diversifying grape varieties, to include Monastrell, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdil. They pioneered organic growing in the early 2000s and became fully biodynamic 7 years ago. (This in itself was a return to the methods used centuries before.) All grapes are hand picked in small boxes, then placed in rectangular metal tanks before crushing. Miguel delighted in showing us the grapes and the juice by plunging his hand into the sea of red grapes, his hand dripping red liquid. 

The north east orientation of the fields, their altitude, exposure to early morning humidity from the sea and dry winds from inland create a character in the grapes which is lighter than that found in other areas of Valencia and Murcia. 

Miguel was keen to emphasise the links to history and the word of mouth learning that had created successful cultivation. The name of the bodega itself, Los Frailes, the Friars, spoke to its origins as a monastery, taken over by the Jesuits, who themselves were expelled from Spain in 1767 (nobody expected that Spanish imposition!!) His family, Velasquez, has owned it since then. They are committed to producing authentic and different wines, loyal to their personality and history.

From the fields we were taken into the estate house, a piece of living history, with its antique furniture, ornamentation and feel of the ages. Miguel led us into a quintessentially aristocratic study library then, like a time magician, opened wooden doors in the wall, allowing us to descend into the cellars and travel back in time too. 

Here we were shown further evidence of continuing links with trusted methods. There were  amphorae sunk into the ground, as well as extensive use of demijohns to mature the wine. Some had been kept in the demijohns for over 30 years, giving it the intensity of a fortified wine.

Each variety of grape is held in a different vessel to allow the full fruit to emerge. Then they can be blended.

Our final call was the last building in the complex, holding the maceration tanks on the ground floor and above on the first floor, the tasting room with its vistas over the valley to the Dolomites. Here we were treated to: 

Blanc de Trilogia      – a subtle blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and Verdil

Los Frailes Rosado – an unusual Monastrell rose

Trilogia                       – a blend of Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo

Caliza                         – a single variety Monastrell grown on limestone 

Dolomitas                  – another single variety Monastrell grown on stonier terrain

Again, after much discussion and comparing of notes we made our selections and loaded yet more boxes into the, by now, crammed hold of the bus. 

Farewells made to Miguel and Humphrey, we set off for the final, challenging leg of the trip.

A twisting road wound us into a gorge and as we climbed up, we took a sharp left on to a narrow bridge over a precipitous drop. Victor’s skill at getting us over unscathed was roundly applauded.We had arrived an hour later than intended, at Restaurant Molí del Pas to be greeted by a slightly harassed Paco, the owner.

The restaurant building, complete with mill race and now unused mill machinery, was a fascinating space. Large and capacious, yet it was intimate enough due to the seating arrangements on round tables of 8. 

Each place setting had a variety of bowls and plates which presaged what was to follow.

Already atop each table was a selection of slaws and salads, accompanied by a spinach empanada.

In succession we were then supplied with :

• gazpacho (manchego) of seafood and pasta
• Arroz con verduras
• Arroz con morcilla y pollo
• A stew of garbanzos and spinach topped with fried eggs
• Bacalao en salsa
• Pollo Mariposa with a chicken sauce
• Costillas
• Crepes suzette
• A variety of sweet cakes and tarts
•  

All of this was washed down with copious carafes of red and white wine (just for a change).

After 2 hours of wondering just how many dishes would be served, it finally came to an end. Even the hardiest gourmands had struggled to keep pace with this culinary cavalcade.

With grateful thanks to Paco and his team, we slowly sidled back to the bus. As Victor steadfastly guided us homewards, there was the chance to sleep, perhaps to dream of:

fields of vines; amphorae and demijohns; dogs and donkeys; history and tradition; Muscat and Verdil; Marselan and Monastrell.

Coaxed from slumber by John’s dulcet tones we arrived back in Javea.

That buzzing bunch of 36 hours ago was now older, certainly, satiated, probably and wiser, hopefully.

All this in no small measure due to the planning, organisation and cheerful leadership of Tim and Sandy, John and Shirley. 

Thanks too, to all participants for their engagement, stories, humour and camaraderie. These are the ingredients of a successful trip.

Richard and Caroline xx

With thanks to Richard Harris and Caroline Swain for the text and various photographers from the group