Bodegas Mocén in Rueda, a walk through caves and culture: opening hours

El wine tourism In recent times so popular in Spain Its main impulse is the pleasure of knowing and enjoy the wines, and in a second order the interest in discovering the cultural heritage.

And on the other hand, when selecting the wineries to visit in a wine region we always look for a differentiating element that arouses our interest in a specific one.

On our recent getaway Rueda Wine Route, In Valladolid province, we have had the opportunity to visit a winery that in a truly outstanding way brings together both aspects, the attractiveness of its wines and a great cultural heritage.

Is Mocen Wineries, which is found in the population of Wheel, which gives its name to the designation of origin of the wines from this area of ​​Valladolid and to the wine tourism route.

Si Mocén visits, you will discover that it is a winery that will not leave you indifferent at all, since you will see the reflection of the work of a very popular character in our country in recent decades.

When and how restaurateur José Luis founded Bodegas Mocén

I mean José Luis Ruiz Solaguren, better known as José Luis, the famous businessman and founder of the José Luis restaurants, who died in 2013.

Who gained great fame for his services catering in large events he was also the founder of Bodegas Mocén in 1988.

For this purpose he acquired a framework of underground galleries under the town of Rueda, which have been used as wine cellars since the 15th century.

Currently it is a winery that produces the characteristic Rueda wine, a white wine for the production of which a large percentage of grapes are used Verdejo, and that in Mocen It is also combined with grapes Viura y Chardonay.

It should also be noted that of the annual production of Mocen Of 7 million bottles, a quarter is red wine made from grapes Tempranillo.

To produce its wines, this winery currently uses the most modern production systems, including, for example, steel tanks with cooling and pressure control systems.

This is the experience of visiting Bodegas Mocén

But you wine tourism visit at Bodegas Mocén It will not have the most technical or production aspects as protagonists.

On the contrary, it will be an imposing cultural heritage the great protagonist.

When you arrive at the main headquarters of Mocen Wineries, you find a great Castilian style patio where the collecting zeal of José Luis, his founder.

In the different corners of the patio you can see a large collection of farm implements, as well as scenes represented with ceramics from Manises.

Caves from the 15th and 16th centuries in Bodegas Mocén

The next step of the visit will be to go to see the aforementioned labyrinth of underground galleries of Bodegas Mocén, the oldest of which date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

To do this, you will pass through three rooms that will surely arouse your curiosity, like a small library that serves as a passage to an old winepress.

There you will see the walls covered with hundreds of photographs of José Luis with personalities and public figures who have visited their establishments or the winery.

Bullfighters Corner

And another space to point out is the one called Bullfighters Corner, with hundreds of photos and objects from the bullfighting world.

After descending to old underground cellars, you will know that there are up to four kilometers of galleries arranged on different levels, the result of successive accessions of wineries acquired from residents of the urban center of Wheel.

At the entrance you find a gallery where you can see eleven large French oak barrels used to make wine.

But in reality this network of galleries is currently mostly not used as a warehouse.

As you wander during your visit through these underground tunnels you will find various corners dedicated to illustrious people known for José Luis.

The galleries also house huge collections of a wide variety of objects, including up to 8.000 pieces of glass or crystal, and a collection of 2.500 bottle openers.

From a heritage point of view, it is worth highlighting the oldest sections of galleries, where you can see everything from 15th century Mudejar brick arches to Gothic arches.

And from the cultural and artistic point of view, it is in other places in Mocen Wineries where you will be surprised.

When you leave the underground galleries on your visit, you will see the imposing library with about 20.000 volumes, which as you can see in a photo was inaugurated by the Nobel Prize winner Camilo José Cela.

There, above all, books on gastronomy, wine and the history of the area are preserved, as well as old manuscripts and first editions.

You can complete the visit by seeing the two enormous art rooms where a huge number of paintings of all styles are exhibited, another reflection of the collecting zeal of José Luis.

With the tasting fingers of wines from Bodegas Mocén Your visit will conclude.

How to visit Bodegas Mocén; opening hours, prices

Facing your visit to Bodegas Mocén, you should know that you can find them in Rueda on Arribas Street, 7 and 9.

The Bodegas Mocén store hours are, from Monday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 15 p.m.

As for the guided tours, the opening hours without prior reservation are from Wednesday to Friday, at 11 am; Saturdays, at 10,30:13 am and 12 pm; and Sundays and holidays, at XNUMX pm.

For visits, it is advisable to call in advance (tel. +34 659 954 945) to make a reservation.

Here you can check updated information with the Visiting times and prices.