Some outings stay with you longer than you ever expected.

During my stay in Calpe, I booked a wine tasting at Bodegas Enrique Mendoza in Llíber. Just a 25-minute drive from Árbol, right in the heart of the beautiful Jalón Valley.

My parents and my best friend came along. We kept it a secret from my mum. She thought we were going on a boat trip for her birthday. It wasn’t until we arrived that she found out what we were actually going to do.

It was December, but it felt more like a mild spring day. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and the drive through the valley alone was already worth the trip.

As soon as we arrived, I spotted the vineyards. Behind them stood the bodega, with a beautiful old wooden gate. It felt as though time had stood still there for a moment.

Anyone who knows me a little knows I have a soft spot for wood. Old doors, wooden beams, buildings with a story to tell…

I couldn’t resist taking photos and videos. Not just to capture the place, but also to take some of that feeling home with me.

After a short walk among the vines, we were given a tour of the bodega. We saw how the wine was made, walked past the wooden barrels and learned more about the production process. I’m no wine expert, and I probably won’t remember all the different grape varieties.

But the atmosphere? I’ll never forget that.

The scent of the wood. The coolness of the cellars. The soft light filtering between the barrels. Sometimes it’s precisely those little details that make a place special.

After the tour, it was time for the wine tasting.

Several white and red wines were paired with delicious local cheeses and charcuterie. Everything at a leisurely pace, because we had nowhere else to be. Just enjoying each other’s company, the surroundings and the stories behind the wines.

One wine in particular stayed with me: Santa Rosa.

Not only because I loved the wine, but also because of the story behind it. Enrique Mendoza named this wine after his mother, Rosa Cortés Devesa, as a tribute to her. Perhaps that’s what makes this bodega so special. Behind every bottle, there is not only craftsmanship, but also a story. And I love stories.

Of course, a bottle came home with me. Alongside the Santa Rosa, I also brought home their best white and rosé wines.

I still haven’t opened it.

Some bottles simply deserve the right moment.

If you’re ever in Calpe and feel like doing something different from spending another day at the beach, I can only recommend this wine tasting.

Not because you have to be a wine lover.

But because it’s one of those afternoons when you simply forget what time it is.

And perhaps, in the end, those are the most beautiful moments of a holiday.