What to see and visit in La Manchuela (Albacete and Cuenca)

One of the great attractions offered by the Community of Castile-La Mancha when planning a tourism getaway for the same reason is the great diversity of landscapes that you can enjoy.

And a good example of this is The Manchuela, situated between the provinces of Cuenca and Albacete, a natural region that extends between the valleys of the Júcar and Cabriel rivers, with landscapes of vineyards and olive trees.

If you are also fond of tasting a good wine, and even deepen your knowledge of it, to get to know this region you have the proposal that the La Manchuela Wine Route.

It is one of the three wine routes until now certified by said Community, in addition to those of La Mancha y Valdepeñas, and becomes a good common thread to plan your getaway.

What are the wines of La Manchuela like?

You sure know that Castilla la Mancha It is not only one of the main wine-growing areas of Spain, specifically, the largest, with several different designations of origin.

One of them is the DO Manchuela Wine, whose vineyards are located in the territories that cover from the Cuenca mountain range at La Mancha plains of Albacete, an ideal area for a wine tourism getaway.

It is an area with vineyards on a plateau, at an altitude of between 600 and 700 meters, where pale and fresh white wines are produced, with an aromatic and fruity flavor.

But above all, the young red wines with strong colors stand out, as well as their aged red wines, mostly made with native grapes. bobal, although other grapes are also used such as Tempranillo, Syrah y Cabernet.

In your wine tourism trip In the area you have the option of visit various wineries, which are characterized by combining traditional bulk wines, to aging wines quality barrel-aged.

In order to plan your trip, here you have information about the possible wineries to visit in La Manchuela, from the wine cooperative Villavid Wineries that we met on our recent trip, or Iniesta Winery, owned by the prestigious soccer player.

The best things to see and visit in La Manchuela

In addition to wineries, the aforementioned La Manchuela Wine Route highlights the main tourist attractions of the region, both towns, landscapes and cultural heritage, as leisure activities to develop.

After our aforementioned getaway to this area of ​​the provinces of Cuenca and Albacete, below we are going to indicate the main sites that will not disappoint you.

Alcalá del Júcar in the Gorges of the Júcar river in Albacete

Although before making this trip we had no references to this region as such, however on the travel agenda a prominent place that we had yet to visit was Alcalá del Júcar, in the natural area of ​​the Júcar Sickles.

It is a town of Albacete province which you approach across a wide plain, and which you only begin to see when you descend the steeply sloping road that takes you to the course of the Júcar river.

This is the way you discover the enclave of the aforementioned Júcar Sickles, Which Alcalá del Júcar make up a spectacular panoramic view, with a XNUMXth century castle of Muslim origin at the top of the rocky hill drawn by a bend in the river, and the white houses of the historic center crowded on the slope of it.

This panoramic view creates a picturesque scene that makes Alcalá del Júcar in one of the most beautiful villages in Spain.

In your visit of Alcalá del Júcar You will have to walk through the steep and narrow streets of its historic center, as well as visit its castle, in reality, a typical tower of tribute whose interior is a museum.

It is also worth highlighting the cave houses, some of them can be visited, and where you can even go through a tunnel that leads you to a bar-viewpoint located on the other side of the rocky gorge.

Jorquera in the Hoces del Río Júcar in Albacete

Not far from Alcála del Júcar you can visit jean jacket, a town on which the aforementioned Alcalá depended until 1364 when it was declared a town.

jean jacket It has a similar configuration as it is located on a rocky promontory formed by another meander of the Júcar river, with the walls of an ancient almohad castle at the top, and a 16th century church.

Wolf Stride in Casas de Ves in Albacete

The Manchuela offers us a great wealth of natural landscapes, ideal for hiking.

In this regard we want to highlight the Wolf Strider RouteNear Houses of Ves northeast of the province of Albacete, where along a dirt track you can enter a natural area and forests that cover the course of the Júcar river.

In that area you can find some corners of country architecture, like a small hermitage or an old laundry, and also crossing a suspension bridge over the Júcar river.

Among the great wealth of The fauna that this area has, don't be surprised to see groups of mountain goats that will cross your path or move along the slopes of the mountains.

Iniesta Archaeological Museum in Cuenca

From the heritage point of view, you should know that in the Iniesta Archaeological Museum, a town located southeast of the province of Cuenca, you can see the only iberian mosaic preserved in Spain, whose origin dates back to the 5th century BC

In this museum, in addition to the Iberian remains, local vestiges of the Bronze Age and from Roman times.

In your Iniesta visit you should also see his Plaza Mayor, with the castle keep from the 11th century and the Town Hall from the 15th century, and walk through its streets to see several emblazoned houses from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Near Iniesta, from the place known as Consolation Site, following a dirt track that takes you to the Cabriel river, you can see the Valdecañas bridge of the 16th century, at the time of the Renacimiento, currently used as a livestock trail that connects the provinces of Cuenca and Valencia.

Villa de Ves and El Molinar Reservoir in Albacete

But if what really catches your attention are the great natural sites, on your getaway through the La Manchuela Wine Route You should not miss visiting the town area of Villa de Ves and the Molinar Reservoir.

After crossing an area of ​​plains in the northeast of the province of Albacete, you will suddenly begin to descend the slope of a deep canyon formed by Júcar river, whose waters open in this place due to the effect of the Molinar Reservoir.

On this slope sits the very small town of Villa de Ves, and on top of a rock you will see the figure of the Sanctuary of the Christ of Life, a Gothic style church from the 16th century.

As you continue descending to the level of the reservoir and reach an ancient Hydroelectric power station Built in 1910 and now abandoned, you will be able to see a landscape with imposing rocky gorges.

You will also be able to see the houses of the old town of El Molinar, built for the workers of said plant, with its church and schools, which are also abandoned.

Alarcón in Cuenca

If a top site in the La Manchuela Wine Route, that is, without a doubt, the town of Alarcón.

See its imposing location in the Sickles of Alarcón, another of the meanders created by the Júcar river, and tour its spectacular access with three fortified doors behind which the majestic image of the castle appears, they only justify the getaway to Alarcón.

Very close to the old road that connects Madrid with Valencia, Alarcón It is a town that reached its greatest prominence in the 12th century, when after being reconquered from the Muslims, it became a great defensive bastion.

The conversion of his castle into Parador de Turismo In the middle of the last century it has led to the recovery of its heritage, now becoming an outstanding tourist destination.

In your Alarcón visit  You will see the aforementioned castle, which dates back to the Muslim fortress of the 8th century, and from whose tower of tribute you can see the structure of this great defensive fortress that made it Alarcón was never conquered.

His churches, the oldest is that of the Holy Trinity, from the 13th century, with its great plateresque cover of the 16th century, although the most notable is the church of Santa Maria, from the 16th century, with a large renaissance altarpiece.

As a curiosity, you should not miss visiting the Center for Contemporary Art Located in an old church, which actually houses a huge mural painting by artist Jesús Mateo, with the theme of Nature and Man, which covers all the walls and ceiling.

Villanueva de la Jara in Cuenca

Although we already had clear references from Alcalá del Júcar and Alarcón before the trip through the La Manchuela Wine Route, it was not the case of Villanueva of the Jara, a town that has been a great surprise.

Its attractions begin with its spectacular Plaza Mayor, which shows a set of very different and interesting buildings.

You will be able to see from the old granary with the Clock Tower, the renaissance building of the Town Hall of the 16th century, and Posada Massó, with its wooden galleries, to the large 19th century house known as Villa Enriqueta, a sample of neo-mudejar style.

And that's actually what led us to Villanueva of the Jara was to know the enormous Basilica of the Assumption, a building that mixes various architectural styles, from Gothic and Renaissance, to Baroque and even Neoclassical.

To highlight above all its Capilla del Rosario, with its great baroque decoration, and the altarpiece of the High Altar of churrigueresque style.

You should also know that Villanueva of the Jara part of the route of teresian places, whose best exponent is its church of carmen, example of carmelite architecture.

Where to sleep in La Manchuela

Facing your getaway through La Manchuela, you have a wide accommodation and restaurants offer.

As a reference, and after our experience, in Alcalá del Júcar, a population with a wide availability of rural houses, we highlight the Los Olivos Estate For its high level of comfort, a complex of rural houses next to a four-star hotel.

And with a totally different style, but also very comfortable and with a very original decoration, in Alarcón you have the Hierba Luisa rural hotel, also highly rated on hotel platforms.

Where to eat in La Manchuela

Regarding the gastronomy on the Manchuela Wine Route, on your trip you will have the opportunity to taste the more traditional dishess of the region as the crumbs, the ratatouille, the gazpacho Manchego, the jams, the morteruelo, the porridge or, for dessert, the Calatrava bread.

But you also have an offer with more modern preparations, all combined with the wines of the DO Manchuela Wine.

Due to our experience we can highlight you in Alcalá del Júcar el El Mirador restaurant With its spectacular location in front of the town and a very varied menu, or next to the river, the Casa El Moli restaurant, a family establishment where grilled meat stands out.

If what you want is to make a Tasting of La Manchuela wines with some tapas with local cheeses and sausages, you have the Los Federos Winerya whirlpool bath, wine shop located in an old warehouse from 1940 in Las eras, a district very close to Alcalá del Júcar.

And in the Cuenca province, we want to recommend you Rocio House, a classic restaurant on the old route between Madrid and Valencia, in the municipality of Iniesta's graja,

There you find a very interesting gastronomic offer in which the grilled meats, which you can complement with one of the numerous La Manchuela wines from its extensive winery.