Wine Tourism increasingly popular in Andalucia

A recent EC Study may have revealed that Spanish wine ranks as the 2nd cheapest in Europe, but wine tourism is a growing sector that brings in much-needed revenue to a number of regions, including Andalucía. A cheap bottle of plonk may only cost non-EU countries 1.83 Euros per litre to buy on average and be sold at a mere 0.91 Euros to countries within the European Union, but this doesn't mean that there's no money to be made out of growing wine in Spain. 

According to the European Community, Spain was responsible for producing nearly a third of all wine sold abroad in 2014. Only Bulgaria produced cheaper wine within the EU. But while wine prices for exports may have gone down due to higher production, bodegas are raking in money from wine tours, wine tastings, wine appreciation and cookery classes and by selling directly to locals and tourists via farmers' markets and farm shops.

Wine connoisseurs close to retirement find their lifelong savings stretch that much further when they explore the housing market at the Costa del Sol. A home in Marbella is never far away from a vineyard - Andalucía devotes around 40,000 hectares to wine production. So it's a great location to start one's search for alternative wine tours and potential home and vineyard ownership.

Bodegas are often located in simply breathtaking countryside, boasting both sea and mountain views. Vineyards therefore make for wonderful day trip destinations and a Marbella-based holiday offers wine lovers several chauffeur-driven tours that take them to some of the most picturesque bodegas nearby, such as the Serrania de Ronda for example.

Guided wine tours often include walks around lovely estates as well as tastings and talks by local experts. One can learn the wine-making process and dream about owning one's own vineyard one day. Unlike wine-growing regions in France, however, such as the Loire Valley, Bordeaux or Champagne, house and land prices do not require connoisseurs to be multi-millionaires to acquire their own finca and plot of land. 

A few miles inland from Marbella, Fuengirola and Estepona, prices begin to drop significantly and the white-washed villages of the Ronda offer amazing value for money, both for tourists staying in rural hotels and for house buyers contemplating wine cultivation. 

Already wine tourism (enoturismo) in Spain is worth around 2.5 billion euros per annum, a figure expected to at least double over the next few years. Wine tourism has contributed to the overall economy in countries like Germany, Italy and France for a very long time, but is a fairly recent development in Andalucía. 

In recent times, Spain has hit the headlines with amazing vineyard architecture, showing the world the growing importance the sector has for the country by employing world-leading architects such as Frank Gehry to design the Marques de Riscal Bodega and Hotel and its grape-inspired spa and Zaha Hadid to design the Lopez de Herdia Bodega, both located in La Rioja.

For Andalucía it has been a modest success so far, a low-key development in tourism that started with simple tours around bodegas, ending in a brief wine tasting in the bodega's cellars. But now some of the oldest vineyards have recognised the wider interest in traditional methods. Small museums spring up on estates, making a visit even more interesting because displays of historic wine presses and other wine-making equipment adds to the overall tourist experience.

Autumn is the best time to come for a wine tour - it's no longer so hot, prices for hotel accommodation begin to drop and the grape harvest festivals abound. The harvest starts on 21st September in Andalucía. Axarquia holds the La Viñuela and Cordoba the Montilla festival each year. The Grape Harvest  Festival in Jerez is perhaps the best known of these events; traditionally held around the 8th September, it attracts the largest number of wine lovers.

Anyone seriously interested in running their own bodega should consider Malaga Province, which produces sweet desert wines and dry white wines from the Muscatel grape, selling under the Denominacion de Origen Malaga and DO Sierras de Malaga labels to prove authenticity. Huelva region produces dry and sweet white wines, while Andalucía's Cordoba area produces not only white wines but also fortified sherry-like wines, usually referred to as Amontillado when sold abroad. 

Within a short drive of Marbella, the Serrania de Ronda area boasts several modern boutique bodegas that have sprung up in recent years. They serve as a great example what can be done with a finca conversion. These modern bodegas produce wines that aren't well known yet, but are gradually making their name in the wine-selling world. 

Serrania de Ronda produces mainly young red wines from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz grapes, but also several delicious white wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Various rural hotels offer comfortable and affordable accommodation, where one can get to know the surroundings and taste local produce on an extended wine tour.