Tip: Roads into the high Ancares are narrow and slow. Set out from Villafranca in the morning and keep the afternoon for the Calle del Agua cellars on the way back.

More wine day trips in Bierzo

DO Valdeorras ★ 4.5

Valdeorras sits directly west of the Bierzo across the provincial line into Ourense, on the same Sil valley and much of the same slate. It is the Galician denomination that did most to rescue Godello from near-disappearance in the 1970s, and tasting its whites against Bierzo Godello is the clearest way to hear what the two sides of the border do differently with one grape. The drive follows the Sil the whole way.

Pours: Godello from slate soils at O Barco and A Rúa, Mencía from the Sil valley

Tip: Do Valdeorras and Las Médulas on the same day: the mine sits between Ponferrada and the provincial boundary, so it is barely a detour.

DO Ribeira Sacra ★ 4.6

Follow the Sil far enough west and it cuts the canyon that carries Ribeira Sacra, where Mencía is grown on terraces so steep the fruit comes out by monorail. It is the same grape the Bierzo works, on the same river, farmed in a way the Bierzo basin never had to attempt. Catamaran trips run through the canyon from Doade and Os Peares, which is the easiest way to read the terracing from below.

Pours: Mencía from the terraced Sil and Miño canyons, Godello and Albariño from the Amandi and Chantada subzones

Tip: The canyon boat trips need booking in advance in summer. Monforte de Lemos makes the most practical base if you stay the night.

Las Médulas ★ 4.8

The Roman hydraulic gold mine south-west of Ponferrada is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the comarca's headline excursion. The red ruined landscape at the Orellán viewpoint, the galleries and the network of Roman canals are all walkable, and Carucedo and Borrenes are both inside DO Bierzo, so vineyards run right up to the edge of the site. Pago de los Abuelos at Puente de Domingo Flórez lies twenty minutes beyond.

Pours: Mencía from the southern edge of the DO around Puente de Domingo Flórez, Godello from the Carucedo and Borrenes parcels

Tip: Book the Orellán galleries ahead through the visitor centre. Local operators run guided walks on the Roman canals for anyone who wants the hydraulics explained.

Molinaseca and the Camino Francés ★ 4.3

Molinaseca is the village pilgrims drop into after the Cruz de Ferro and the descent from the Montes de León, a medieval bridge over the Meruelo and a single stone street. It is inside DO Bierzo, Encima Wines works from it, and it makes the shortest possible day trip out of Ponferrada. Walking the last stage down from Acebo and El Acebo is the way to arrive.

Pours: Vino de Villa Ponferrada from the Molinaseca cellars, Mencía from the Boeza and Meruelo valleys

Tip: The river beach below the bridge is where the village spends summer afternoons, and the walk back to Ponferrada along the Camino takes about two hours.

See every wine day trips pick in Bierzo →

Book wine day trips in Bierzo

See all 5 bookable experiences in Bierzo

← Back to Wine Day Trips in Bierzo ← Bierzo wine guide