Terranger Transpirenaica Tour 2021 | Pyrenees Day 2

From the Basque Country to the Navarra wine region - In light rain and 18 degrees, we head east and leave the Basque Country.

We reach the first foothills of the Pyrenees and thus have an approximately 430 km long mountain range in front of us. This is not only the natural border between France and Spain, but also separates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe. Most of the valleys run across the main ridge, making it difficult to cross. This means more fun for us, as we are constantly going uphill and downhill on varied slopes.

A wild, fantastic and species-rich animal and plant world that is unparalleled in Europe awaits us. It is very likely that we will see wild horses and cows. But will we also see brown bears, chamois, marmots, eagles or vultures? We have already seen griffon vultures in southern Spain. This sight remains unforgettable for me. I could never have imagined how majestic these birds are in the wild. We are all the more excited.

Today we are already driving on some spectacular slopes. These always offer magnificent views of the coast.

The beautiful green forests with many ferns in the Navarra area remind us of the Bergisches Land. On and on we drive uphill on serpentines. Apart from a thin tree lying across the path, but easily cleared to the side, we reach a plateau without any special incidents. 

You actually have a wonderful all-round panorama here. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we can only see fog and have no visibility at all. We drive downhill again, past some small waterfalls. The first goats cross our path. Then large, yellow cornfields follow.

Navarre

We leave the Basque Country behind us and reach the wine region of Navarre.

Spanish wine is popular, it simply tastes delicious. So the demand has been met. Almost one million hectares of the country's surface area are used to grow wine. This makes Spain the country with the largest area under vines in the world. Although Spanish wines are almost always associated with red wine, Spain is the world's largest producer of white wine.

Navarra, the wine-growing region we have just reached, has a cultivation area of 15900 hectares. The robust Garnache vine grows on almost half of the vineyard area.

A visit to the Bodega Tandem is planned for the evening, with a guided tour and wine tasting. 

The Tandem Winery

Bodega Tandem is located in Lorca in the Valle de Yerri in the Navarra region, the famous wine-growing area in northern Spain. The Way of St. James passes through the winery property. It was founded in 2003 by Alicia Eyaralar and José María Fraile. They are supported by family and friends who are just as big wine lovers as they are.

Tandem is Latin and means "finally". It stands for the fact that the operators have finally fulfilled a long-awaited wish with this winery.

The 2-storey winery was built from concrete and faces north, creating an optimal temperature for natural wine production.

José María Fraile gives us a personal tour of his winery today.

The very large window at the front is illuminated at night, reminiscent of the old custom of illuminating church towers to attract pilgrims to Compostela.

Wine production begins on the upper floor. There, the grapes are pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The juice then runs down into the concrete tanks on the lower floor. The wines mature in 300-liter French oak barrels.

A unique place, with special wines and very nice people. A real discovery in the middle of the Way of St. James.

We spend the night on a large meadow behind the winery. 

Although we visit a genuine bodega, then take part in a wine tasting and finally spend the night at this beautiful winery, our personal highlight of the day was the diversity of the landscape. We are only on day 2 of our tour and are already overwhelmed.