Last week, Almansa Wine Route received the visit of the gastroinfluencer Eva Garcinuño and her page Gastroactivity, one of the most important guides of gastronomic recommendations in Spain, with more than 40,000 followers on Instagram at a national level.
Led by our coordinator, Cristina Maldonado, we welcomed the influencer to enjoy several days of wine tourism between Higueruela, Almansa and Alpera, in which she was able to learn first-hand about the wine tourism attractions of our region, taste a selection of wines from our Almansa Designation of Origin and, of course, enjoy our rich gastronomy in some of the best restaurants along the route.
Visit to the essence of Alpera and Higueruela
After arriving on Tuesday 3 June and staying at the Hotel Blu in Almansa, during the day on Wednesday 4 June, we first visited the town of Alpera, to get to know the historical heritage of the town, such as the Cueva de la Vieja and the Pocico de la Nieve. The visit ended in Alpera tasting and enjoying the wines of Bodega Santa Cruz de Alpera, a national reference in red wines made from Garnacha Tintorera.
Afterwards, we travelled with Gastroactivity to Higueruela to start by getting to know the exquisite gastronomy of one of the restaurants of reference on our route: Restaurante + Ideas. Afterwards, we visited some of the most important sites in the town, located at an altitude of more than 1000 metres, travelling to the spectacular Salobralejo Lagoon and the archaeological site of ‘La Alquería de la Graja’.
That same afternoon, we visited Bodegas Cano and the Vinoteca de Sinforiano, enjoying the wines produced in Higueruela with DO Almansa seal. We finished with accommodation at ‘La Casa de la Abuela’ in Higueruela, where dinner was opened with a tasting of products from our partner establishment, ‘Casa Victoria’.
A gastronomic, historical and quality wine tour in Almansa
On the 5th, Gastroactivity was able to visit the historic centre of Almansa, with the obligatory visit of course to the Castle of Almansa, a landmark and the most visited monument in our region. To recharge our batteries, the Restaurant la Ventica offered us to taste our typical gazpachos manchegos and then visit the Almansa Reservoir.
Thursday’s dinner was completed in another of Almansa Wine Route restaurants of reference: El Rincón de Pedro, to finish the visit in the Torre del Reloj tourist flats, located in the centre of Almansa.
The end of an unforgettable gastro-experience
To start with the last day of this gastro-experience on our Almansa Wine Route, the first stop was the headquarters of DO Almansa, in the hermitage of San Blas. Then, Bodegas Piqueras was the next visit on the last day of this multi-day wine tourism experience, visiting one of the pioneering wineries of DO Almansa and a benchmark in the production of quality wines at an international level.
The morning ended in Alpera, specifically in the Restaurant Los Arcos, where you could enjoy an excellent portion of grilled meat, which put an end to this wine tourism visit for Gastroactivity and in which we hope you have been able to get to know and enjoy the best essence of our Almansa Wine Route.
