Ronda Day Trip from Marbella: Winery Tastings & Tapas Lunch

4.90

(139 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the road from Marbella to Ronda to twist so much — or for the air to change halfway up. We started early, and by the time we reached the edge of the Tajo gorge, my head was still full of that piney mountain smell from Sierra de las Nieves. Our guide, Ana, pointed out olive groves and told stories about her grandfather working these hills. I remember standing on the Puente Nuevo bridge, peering down into that impossible drop — it made my stomach flutter. There was a group of older men arguing softly in Spanish by the bullring (I caught “toros” and “domingo”), and I just stood there for a second, feeling like I’d landed in someone else’s life.

The first winery surprised me — not at all what I pictured. It had this odd Feng Shui vibe (Ana said it was designed that way), with bright tiles and lavender growing everywhere. The winemaker poured us a white that smelled almost like peaches, and I totally forgot to swirl it before tasting — he grinned but didn’t say anything. We tried eight different wines during the day, reds and whites both, each one with some story about the soil or how they pick everything by hand here in Ronda. Lunch was out on their terrace: jamón sliced right there, cheese so sharp it made my mouth water, tomatoes that actually tasted like sun. The bread was warm and crusty; I probably ate too much but honestly didn’t care.

By afternoon, the light got softer and you could hear cicadas starting up between the vines. At the second winery, we wandered through rows of grapes while Ana explained how these small producers avoid chemicals — she said “minimum intervention,” which sounded fancy but really just meant letting nature do its thing. I liked that. We finished with a last glass on a stone wall overlooking Ronda’s hills; someone laughed about how red wine always stains your teeth here (it does). The drive back felt slower somehow — maybe it was all those flavors lingering or just not wanting to leave yet.