Spring is rising in the south of Palencia, vibrating green among hills, hills and cereal fields sprinkled with yellow at the expense of rapeseed. It is the Cerrato Palentino, a landscape of vineyards and mountains which is divided between a bit of the DO Cigales and a huge extension of the DO Arlanza.
A barely two and a half hours from Madrid by car, the Cerrato Palentino flirts on its edge with the province of Valladolid and to the east with that of Burgos, in a halfway that places it in the heart of Castile.
An plan for all seasons where calm, landscape, history, gastronomy and wine follow each other at every step. Perfect for a spring disconnection and to be surprised by its colours, but also for the son that mark winery neighborhoods such as Baltanás, Dueñas or Torquemada, or to discover Romanesque treasures.
The Cerrato awaits nearby, affordable and almost virgin, in a land where the table talks about claret and ojo gallo wines, garlic soups, suckling lambs and, also pregnant with a green display that puts the Torquemada pepper, the Palenzuela onions or the fabiola bread on an essential map .
Day 1: from the winery neighborhoods to the treasure of the Visigoths
Baltanás, Venta de Baños, Villamuriel del Cerrato, Dueñas, Castroverde de Cerrato, Torquemada, Palenzuela, Tariego de Cerrato… more than forty towns which are spread over more than 1,500 square kilometres, drained by rivers such as the Pisuerga, the Arlanza or the Carrión, which are responsible for refreshing and greening the area.
Approachable through the A-67 motorway from Palencia, the first towns of the Palencia Cerrato They are hardly a quarter of an hour from the capital of Palencia, which could also serve as a hub.
Morning: tastings and paths between winery neighborhoods
The soil is the witness of a past oenological activity that turned the Cerrato into a wine-producing lung for centuries, abruptly cut off by phylloxera. The soils of towns such as Torquemada (in the DO Arlanza) or Dueñas (in the DO Cigales) are pierced by dozens of family wineries, most of them now converted into picnic areas, which give life to the so-called warehouse districts.
A landscape dotted with chimneys and wine tourism experiences such as those offered by Bodegas Remigio Salas, a ‘house’ with more than five generations of winegrowers, which is still offered today in Dueñas unique wines such as ojo gallo, the authentic way of getting to know Castilian rosé. If you are faithful to bread and confectionery, make a stop at the Oviedo bakery and fill your car with their homemade tea cakes.
Not far away is Torquemada, where you can also discover another historic winery district with producers such as Señorío de Valdesneros or Bodegas Esteban Araújo, two references that show traditional underground cellars and where you can also enjoy guided tastings.
Eat: Mesón del Cerrato
Through the A-62, just 20 minutes from Torquemada, after getting hungry walking through the winery neighborhoods and if we haven’t succumbed to the temptation of taste the famous fabiola breads of Palencia —a bread with a candeal character that, moreover, has another almost flaky version with lard—, Castilian cuisine makes its way.
Mesón del Cerrato (Tariego de Cerrato) becomes a wonderful option to try a simple Castilian cuisine, of product and that does not give up a certain modernity. It is the place to try the avahadas garlic soups (they become a kind of tarte tatin, toast and sequitas), its stewed pigeon or the essential Torquemada roasted peppers.
Special mention deserve their desserts, which number more than a dozen, innovative, creative and surprising in a town of just 500 inhabitants. The González sisters, heirs to this family business where Patricia, Vanessa and Yovana take charge of the dining room, kitchen and desserts.
Afternoon: sunsets from the hills and the oldest church in Spain
Barely 10 minutes of crossing separate the agape from the Visigothic church of San Juan de Bañoscataloged as the oldest church in Spain —it dates from the year 661— and is one of the great treasures of Visigothic architecture in our country.
An historical treasure very close to the city of Palencia and perfectly visitable (from Tuesday to Sunday at the following times), it is a vestige that should not be taken off the route.
The evening closure, perfect in the long spring evenings, can be set in the neighborhood of wineries in Baltanás, the regional capital, where a hill houses more than 370 old wineries, excavated in stone and in six heights.
Here is also the Cerrato Museum, a ethnographic compendium dating the life of the region, fertile and milling land, full of crops, vineyards, apiaries and dovecots, of transcendental historical importance. In addition, it also has a curious and large collection of pictorial art, located in the old palace of Santo Tomás.
There is also a restored winery, which exemplifies the old way of making wine in the area, and which is launched during the Cheese and Wine Fair (at the end of October) to demonstrate how wine is made in the area.
Dinner: La Zarcera
Recently remodeled, La Zarcera acts as the gastronomic epicenter of the Baltanás winery district. Julia and Patxi run this place in which the local wine is the protagonist, in addition to some Castilian craft beer, where you can have a snack and some tapas, most of them made with products from Palencia.
They also have a small shop with delicatessen and gourmet products from the area, such as blunt peppers, foie gras, legumes, honey, cheese or chocolate. Of course, there is also wine that would serve to reload the trunk of Cerrato treasures, including its famous cheeses.
Where to sleep
Another 10 minutes separate the historic center of Baltanás from Finca El Cercado, a old manor house with just 10 rooms which is now turned into a quiet country hotel, surrounded by greenery and tastefully decorated, where its four stars and close treatment will make you feel at home.
Perfect for large groups, as the house is rented whole, It is a perfect option to be well located in the Cerrato and have it as a base of operations. Christina Sotomayor, Owner and director of the hotel, she also prepares tailor-made plans for her guests based on what they want: gastronomy, nature, ornithology…
Day 2: a green Castilla
The impression of thinking of the landscapes of Castile as a great and dry plain is dismantled in the Cerrato of Palencia. Dotted with hills, hills and small forests, its orography is also nourished by rivers that form the backbone of an area of fundamental hydrographic importance such as the Pisuerga.
Tomorrow: the path of the Canal de Castilla
The great fluvial engineering work of Spain, with more than 200 kilometers in length, also enters the Cerrato of Palencia. We can cover it through various paths in the area of the South Branch, following part of the riverbed that crosses Palencia.
Another option is to jump from town to town and lock to lock with the car, making stops at various points such as Villamuriel de Cerrato, which also houses one of the widest and most interesting locks, since it allowed to accommodate up to two barges at the same time.
Eat: the Bodega del Canal
An old winery, converted into a restaurant just 20 years ago, its enormous rooms preserve the vaulted shapes of the past, now housing a Castilian style of cuisine with a lot of products and a lot of tradition, presided over by a large wood oven that works at full capacity in the heart of Villamuriel de Cerrato.
It is the ideal place for ask for the classic roast suckling lamb, although we can also bet on its suckling pig or lamb chops. In addition, by prior reservation, there is also Castilian soup, which is also cooked in a frying pan and in the oven. As a finishing touch, it is convenient not to overlook its fried milk.
Afternoon: between birds and vines
The afternoon in Cerrata can be crowned with another wine tourism experience, visiting the winery Negredo Payments, whose vineyards are located at more than 700 meters of altitude, dominating an imposing hill on the outskirts of Palenzuela. Its history, modern, in addition refers to the wines from this part of the Arlanza, just 12 kilometers from the Ribera del Duero, and which were already recognized worldwide at the end of the 19th century.
Another alternative, especially in the clearer and less hot days of spring, It is in surrendering to the ornithological experience that can be discovered on routes that involve the main towns in the area such as Baltanás, Dueñas, Torquemada or Villaviudas.
Corrucas, pipits, cojugates, golden eagles, buntings or partridges occur in abundance in these lands that alfoces, moors, slopes and hills alternate, and where the bird watching is truly spectacular.
Images | Visual Creates / ADRI Cerrato Palentino / Palencia Provincial Council
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