The Winemaker's House ★★★★★

We knew of the Duero Valley and its wines of course, and had often sampled a good Ribera del Duero, but never dreamt we would be able to live the life of a (very successful!) wine producer on the very spot where the 70 hectares of vineyards produce some of the finest wines to come out of Spain. When we arrived, we sorted out the bedroom arrangements among us, with the four en-suite double bedrooms and the one double bedroom with shower facilities being allocated on a first-in-with-the-suitcase basis; all very fair and friendly. We then spent some considerable time simply marvelling at the lovely space we were in.

The bedrooms are gorgeous, in neutral colours and furnished almost exclusively in the noble materials of stone, wood, metal and glass; solid, opulent luxury. A private balcony looks out over the vineyards and open countryside. Most amazing was the sitting room area, with its bare oak-beamed ceilings, stonework arching around semi-circular windows, soft leather sofas, huge open fireplace, and wooden gallery with open metal railings above. It is packed with artworks of local fauna, particularly birds, with a huge painting over the fireplace of a couple of the famous black storks that can be seen here – reminding us of our hunt (the kind with binoculars, not guns) for the endangered black storks, vultures, and eagles who call this stunning countryside home. Overall, a perfect, authentic and luxurious country hacienda feeling – though definitely not one where you would consider putting your booted feet up on the table!

There is no kitchen in the villa, but we did not feel the need at all as we were looked after with scrupulous care and attention by our very own ‘butler’ service and the catering, both room service and in the restaurant, often with organic produce from ‘our own’ estate, was superb. The only thing we could possibly want to have on hand was good coffee for savouring on the balcony in the morning, which was provided courtesy of the Nespresso machine.

Although we were a party of ten in total, we didn’t feel crowded. We got together to enjoy a wonderful wine tasting session from our own cellar and a tour of the said cellar and vineyards, as well as the occasional game of billiards in the billiard room. Apart from that we followed our own pursuits, whether it was lounging in the private garden, browsing the library of books and DVDs in the living room, lazing in the pool or relaxing in the clean uncluttered spa treatment room. We got together in the evenings in those lovely relaxing leather sofas and shared our selection of wines and stories of bird-spotting triumphs or newly discovered walks. We were unanimous in our enthusiasm for wildlife – our other common interest as well as wine - so being in one of the largest protected areas in Europe, formed by the two natural reserves on each side of the River Duero - the Parque Natural de Arribes del Duero and the Parque Natural Douro International - made this a really special place for us.

We also occasionally tore ourselves away from our lovely winemaker’s hacienda to explore the village of Fermoselle, known for its spectacular views over the valley of the Duero. We discovered a delightful restaurant where the owner is a specialist ham curer, so we experienced the ultimate in authentic local cuisine! By the end of our stay we were all agreed on another thing: that our stay in the Winemaker’s House had been a unique and unforgettable experience.