In Vino Veritas

October 27, 2012

Waking up that morning we hardly knew what to expect for the day, but we trusted it would be good if it had anything to do with wine. So off we went to San Asensio, a town inbetween where we live and where we work. We were headed to Bodegas Lecea, one of the many wineries in this small town of 1200 people.

This was the view as we approached the bodega (winery) and a few other vendors were setting up tents with beans, pate and some other souvenirs. It was a little cold and rainy, so we spent most of our inside until the wine warmed us up.

When enough people had crowded together at the entrance, a winemaker took us on a tour of the caves where they store and produce wine. We went down a couple flights of stairs and viewed the tanks and bottling areas. The tour ended in the main room upstairs again where people had started to drink.

For 5 euros we bought our wine glasses and 4 tasting tickets each. They provided some potato chips for munchies and for a couple euros you could also get a chorizo sandwich, which was a good idea since we started drinking early. 

So, after a couple glasses of wine our growing group continued on the grape stomping! The number of people in the room doubled when we got there. It was cold, but we eagerly took off our socks and shoes and waited our turns - only a few people allowed at a time.

Clean tootsies

Grape juice from the crush - we called it foot juice and we were allowed to try!

After rinsing, drying and trying to warm up our feet, we headed back into the cold for more wine and to hang with the locals. We still had tasting tickets, but there was boxed wine outside for free. We also tried drinking from the decanter (not sure the technical name) and sampled some Riojana spicy peppers.

With a lot of wine in our bellies and not enough food, it was time to go wait for our bus. Along the way we saw some more of the town and then waited in the cafe until it was time to go home. Fun day!