Ruta del Vino Somontano

The number of visitors to the region continues to rise with the month of August being the most popular for visits.

A total of 49,000 people visited the wineries and food establishments belonging to the Somontano Wine Route during 2010.  August proved to be the most popular month with more than 6,000 wine tourists recorded.  These figures, presented by the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Somontano, confirm the progressive growth in the number of visitors to the Somontano Wine Route since its incorporation as an official Spanish Wine Route in 2006.

The Somontano Wine Route celebrated its fifth birthday as a Spanish Wine Route on 18th January 2011, and the evolution of the product over these last five years has been evident.  In addition to the continuous rise in the number of visitors, the number of establishments linked to the Route has tripled and the creation of new businesses specifically geared towards wine tourism is another significant factor.

History of the Project

The Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Somontano was established in April 2005 and one of its first tasks was the creation of the Somontano Wine Route.  This non-profit organisation is the shared responsibility of the Barbastro council, the Somontano Regional Council and the D.O. Somontano Regulatory Council, whose common objective is the development of the region as a wine tourism destination.

With the creation of the Somontano Wine Route, a network that facilitated public-private communication was born, which not only incorporated tourist establishments, but also took in other businesses from outside the traditional tourism remit.  However, the one thing they shared as a common thread was wine as the basis of their offer.  There are now more than 90 companies make up the current-day Somontano Wine Route offer, representing the region’s finest establishments and including; wineries, restaurants, accommodation (hotels, hostels, holiday apartments and rural guest houses), wine bars, specialist shops, museums, visitor centres, guided visits, food companies (olive oil mills and dairies) adventure sport companies, urban spas, car hire companies, tourist taxis and incoming travel agencies.
 
Since its foundation, the project has brought these businesses together and supports the integral and sustainable development of the region in a way that provides economic diversification as well as highlighting wine as a successful part of the local economy.  In addition, the Wine Route has been able to attract a new public, i.e. the wine tourist, by offering a varied wine tourism offer throughout the year.

Wine Routes of Spain

The Spanish Wine Routes club is a tourism related product created by the Association of Spanish Routes (ACEVIN) and established with the support of the Secretary of State from the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce and the General Secretary of Agriculture & Food from the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs.  Their objective is to create a number of quality routes in regions traditionally linked to wine in order that they become a benchmark of wine tourism at both a national and international level.

In order to be part of this exclusive club, a Wine Route has to meet certain criteria in terms of quality and comply with self-governing rules that ACEVIN and the Tourism Minister have set in place.  These lay down specific requirements regarding management style, promotion and commercialization, all of which must be met by each of the establishments that make up each specific Wine Route.

This club currently incorporates 21 destinations, of which 16 are officially certified as Spanish Wine Routes.  This take on more relevance considering that there are over 70 wine regions with the Designation of Origin title and over 5,000 wineries in Spain.

With the backing of this ambitious programme and on the back of audit results from 2006, 2008 and 2010, there is no doubt that Somontano is a leading wine tourism region in Spain and a reference point among similar regions.