10 wine festivals, harvest celebrations, and food-and-wine events — with dates, tickets, and travel tips.
Festivals worth planning a trip around.
The birthplace of Albariño celebrates its star grape with Spain's oldest wine festival, running since 1953. Producers from across Rías Baixas pour their crisp whites alongside Galician seafood on the main square. Declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest, it is the definitive Albariño experience.
View festival detailsThe annual showcase of Priorat wines in the small town of Falset, capital of the DOQ Priorat. Over 50 producers pour their powerful, mineral-driven wines from old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena, making this one of the most concentrated tastings of a single DO anywhere in Spain. Paired with local food and cultural events.
View festival detailsThousands of people drench each other in red wine on the hillside of Riscos de Bilibio above Haro each June 29th. This centuries-old celebration honouring San Pedro and San Felices is Spain's messiest wine festival — participants arrive in white and leave dyed purple. A joyous, raucous tradition.
View festival detailsThe world's greatest concentration of centenary wineries, clustered around Haro's historic railway station, opens for a single weekend. López de Heredia, Muga, CVNE, Roda, Bodegas Bilbaínas, and La Rioja Alta pour their finest wines in their own cellars. An extraordinary, intimate tasting experience at iconic bodegas.
View festival detailsJerez's legendary horse fair is equally a sherry festival. The casetas (private party tents) flow with Fino, Manzanilla, and Amontillado, while Andalusian horses parade and flamenco fills the night. A week-long explosion of Andalusian culture where sherry is the essential social lubricant.
View festival detailsA global celebration of sherry coordinated from Jerez, with events in 30+ countries. In Jerez itself, the week features bodega open days, tapas routes, sherry cocktail competitions, and educational masterclasses. The best time of year to visit the sherry triangle's three towns: Jerez, El Puerto, and Sanlúcar.
View festival detailsThe medieval walled town of Laguardia celebrates the Rioja Alavesa harvest with grape-stomping, traditional txalaparta music, wine tastings in the centuries-old underground cellars beneath the town, and a harvest-queen crowning. The stunning setting — perched on a ridge with vineyard views — makes this one of Spain's most photogenic harvest festivals.
View festival detailsThe capital of Cava country celebrates its sparkling wine heritage with a weekend of tastings, vineyard tours, food pairings, and live music. Over 30 Cava houses open their doors, and the town's main square becomes an open-air tasting room. The best place to discover artisan Cava from small producers.
View festival detailsAll 10 festivals organised by month.
Fiestas de la Vendimia de Ribera del Duero
Book a private underground bodegas tour with a sommelier-led group before the main festival to avoid crowds and taste from bodegas that don't pour during the public celebration. Seek out smaller family producers from the eastern slopes (Peñaranda de Duero side) rather than the well-known names everyone crowds around.
Attend the producers' tasting the day before the main festival (ask at the tourism office for advance access); this is where serious collectors and trade find library vintages and single-vineyard bottlings. Pair specifically with percebes (goose barnacles) from the fishmongers near the harbor rather than festival food—it's how locals taste albariño.
Request a tasting agenda that prioritizes old-vine Garnacha producers (Clos Mogador, Alvaro Palacios disciples) and avoid the Cariñena-heavy stations—Priorat's reputation rests on its ancient Garnacha. Stay in Falset proper and ask your accommodation to connect you with producers offering pre-festival barrel tastings; these are where you find the pre-release gems.
Arrive by 7am to secure position on the hillside before the 11am battle begins; wear clothes you're willing to discard entirely, as the wine staining is permanent. The real magic happens afterward in Haro's bodegas where locals celebrate—seek out López de Heredia's family-run tasting room for post-battle Tempranillo rather than the crowded main square.
Cata del Barrio de la Estación
Book López de Heredia and La Rioja Alta cellars weeks in advance—these are the most coveted slots and fill instantly. Time your visits to catch the afternoon light in the underground galleries (galerías) where century-old vintages rest, and ask specifically for barrel samples rather than finished wines, as this is where Rioja's true character reveals itself.
Skip the official fairground casetas and instead book dinner at a private bodega on the outskirts—bodegas like González Byass or Tío Pepe often host exclusive evening tastings during fair week. Request a fino from Sanlúcar rather than Jerez proper; the slightly salinity from Atlantic proximity makes an enormous difference in the heat.