Underground Winery Hidden Valley and Waterfall Lunch Near Madrid
Description
GET OFF THE BEATEN PATH AND DISCOVER A SIDE OF MADRID FEW VISITORS EVER SEE. This exclusive owner-led experience earns its 5* reviews for a reason. Designed for small private groups, it offers privileged access to hidden places most travelers never see. Begin at a family-owned boutique winery, exploring centuries-old underground clay tinajas and tasting exceptional local wines. Then visit one of the world's best-preserved 17th-century plazas, its magnificent church, and the astonishing Puente del Zacatín—an amazing engineering feat. Next, enjoy exclusive access to the historic Agua de Carabaña estate. Journey by 4x4 through a valley shaped by over 5K years of history, from prehistoric settlements to the Spanish Civil War. Discover mineral springs, forgotten spa ruins, vineyards and olive groves. Finish with an authentic country lunch and local wine beside a lush riverside garden and waterfall. A remarkable day of wine, history, nature and hidden Spain. Minimum 2 participants.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We drive less than an hour from Madrid to visit the Boutique Peral Winery, in the historic town of Colmenar de Oreja. We park and walk to the Plaza Mayor of the town built in the 1600s. This is one of the most well preserved plazas displaying Castilian architecture of the time. We tour the narrow streets and alleys to learn more about this unique town and its history. We then have a short walk to the Peral Winery. The owner will give us an exclusive tour of the underground wine cellar and it´s giant clay jars unique to the region. We will learn of the old and new wine making process. The tour will be followed by a wine tasting with the winery´s prize-winning red, white and rose wine served with local tapas.
*After our drive to the private Water of Carabaña estate we arrive for an exclusive tour of the restored hydroelectric plant and museum *We learn of the story of the famous Carabaña Water which was exported in the millions of bottles over the world over a century ago, and it´s visionary entrepreneur Ruperto Jacinto Chavarri *We visit the estate vineyards and take a quick tour of the abandoned spa resort and former home of the Chavarri family. The area was also the headquarters of the Republican fighters during the Spanish Civil War, where we can tour the trenches and tunnels where the soldiers hid during Spain´s dark era *We return to the converted hydroelectric plant and have authentic seafood or vegan paella next to the Tajuña river and beautiful waterfall *Before our meal we try three more local wines of a neighboring winery, considered one of the best of the Madrid region *Lastly we gift you our locally made hand-made soap with the medicinal herbs and minerals of the estate
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age requirement for alcohol consumption is 18 years of age
- Travel time is included on the total tour duration
Reviews(15)
We had the most wonderful experience on this tour. Roy, the tour guide, was very friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. The winery tour exceeded our expectations. We have done winery tour before but we learned so much on this one. And on top of that, the wine was incredible!!!! After the winery we had lunch at “the ranch”. The place is breathtaking and the food was amazing! We didn’t want to leave. Thanks for a marvelous experience.
If you're looking to really know and understand Spain, take this tour. One of our goals was to get to know Spain and not just do the typical Tourist things. Roy made this very memorable for us, it was exactly what we set out to do. Going to the country-side (only 45 minutes away), visiting an outstanding winery and Olive Orchard/Mineral Water estate, was amazing!!! The history and legacy of the winery and the orchard estate was what we wanted. The local people (Colmenar de Oreja), the people at the winery (Peral) and the staff at the orchard estate (Carabana) makes you appreciate the Spanish people, salt of the earth. The lunch we had in the solarium, surrounded by the gardens, running stream and trees seemed like it was all out of a classical painting. All of your senses are engaged. It is a hidden gem.
So glad you enjoyed your visit! Wishing you a pleasant and memorable time in Spain.
This is where a 5 star review does not do this tour justice. We would give it a 10+. This tour takes you to a charming piece of rural Spain largely bypassed by the normal tourist route. Firstly the winery - Boutique Petal winery. A wonderful experience- historic cellars and a very personal and informative wine tasting experience. Also the wines are excellent! The tour of the charming little town of Colmenar de Oreja was lovely. The highlight for us though was the visit to the Carabana Water estate. A wonderful restoration project where we had a tour of the museum and a lovely paella lunch in the Gardens with a view of the waterfall. After lunch you can either cycle, walk or have a four wheel drive around the estate and countryside, we chose the latter. We were also blessed to do this tour while everything was verdant. A big thank you to Roy and Carlos for a truly amazing experience!
Dear Gary, your review warms the heart - much appreciate your sincerity, and so glad we could share our little bit of paradise with you and Barbara before your return back to the UK. Please stay in touch.
If I could give 10 stars, I would. Roy was extremely knowledgeable, and we learned so much. We never had a tour go so in-depth and every moment was planned with care. He took us all over the town where ethe winery was located and was a good sport about my husband being a slow walker. Every aspect of the day was perfect, from the wine tasting to the olive oil tasting and then the beautiful lunch where we ate overlooking a waterfall. This was an experience we will never forget and we’ve already told our children they need to do it for themselves.
Dear Nancy, glad you both had a special experience. Being New Yorkers, I am sure seeing some of the benefits of Mediterranean living was a nice contrast to observe. Hope to see your kids here soon, and please tell your son the chef that we look forward to trying some of his cuisine done in our kitchen with our organic vegetables, olive oil, wine and honey!
This was the highlight of our trip to Spain. The tour guide Roy was very friendly and knowledgeable. We particularly loved the tour of Bodegas Peral and meeting Don Antonio the owner who told us some great stories and let us try some awesome wines. We finished our day with a wonderful paella lunch.
Thank you very much Yanerys, having your mother celebrate her big birthday with us and your family was a great pleasure!
My parents and I had a wonderful day exploring the countryside south of Madrid with Roy. If you are looking to explore hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path places outside Madrid, this is the perfect tour for you! First, we went from Madrid to Colmenar de Oreja, where Roy showed us around the little town, and afterward we went for a guided tour with the owner of one of the town's wineries, La Peral. It was super interesting to hear about the development of the area and how the wine production has changed since they started. After the wine tasting at La Peral, Roy took us to visit an olive oil cooperative, where we learned about their production and tasted some of their different olive oils. For lunch, Roy drove us to visit Finca de Chavarri, an old mineral water establishment with an abandoned hotel and spa area. Roy himself is involved in the restoration project of the area, and shared interesting stories about the place. The seafood parallel for lunch was one of the best parallels we have tried in Spain in a very very long time, and the accompanied wine was delicious. Thank you for a wonderful day and for sharing a different view of Communidad de Madrid :)
Thanks, Rebecca — it was a real pleasure spending the day with your parents. I’m really glad they enjoyed exploring this quieter side of Madrid and learning about the local wine and olive oil traditions. Hope they took good memories back home — and tell your mom she’d fit right in giving tours around here too.
The was an amazing experience. Roy was so knowledgeable about the area. The winery was amazing, going to the subterranean wine cellar and seeing the clay pots provided an unmatched experience. Seeing a village right before a festival and experiencing the church. Then the olive oil coop and the tasting experience. Last we went to Roy's property and Carlos made a delicious paella. Then Carlos took us up the mountain and on a tour of the olive groves which were also historical battle fields during the civil war. We absolutely loved the tour. Thank you Roy and Carlos!
Thomas, many thanks for your message. So glad to hear you both enjoyed your visit, and if you ever come back to Madrid, of course don't forget to ping us. Very much appreciate your support.
This was one of the best tours we have taken. We went to a small underground winery, to a coop producing olive oil company and had a wonderful paella and visit to the private property of the tour guide Roy. The property was amazing full of history and still in the process of fixing the property. Did not disappoint and for the price you will no regret it. Go for it.
Hi Dalia, Thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the tour and had such a memorable experience—from the underground winery and olive oil coop to the paella and exclusive visit to Agua de Carabaña historic property. It means a lot to us that you appreciated the personal touches and the unique places we love to share. Your recommendation truly means the world. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon!
It is a very pleasant experience, you feel the taste of a rural Spain that has new life. The very good paella
Muchas gracias, Ana María. Se nota que ambos disfrutaron mucho de sus conversaciones con los locales, captando así la esencia de lo que hace tan especial a la Madrid rural. ¡Espero que hayan pasado un buen tiempo en España!
Roy was great! We did a wine tour and tasting and olive oil tasting as well as lunch at the beautiful Carabaña estate prepared by Carlos.
Barri, had a lovely time with you both. Hope you enjoyed the concert, and enjoy the rest of your stay in Madrid!
