I’m already looking ahead to the long hot summer months – and thinking of enjoying long evenings as the air cools with a glass of wine in my hand. Lucky for me there is a winery just down the road!
Bodegas Bentomiz near Sayalonga makes the exceptional Ariyanas wines – which are served in Michelin starred restaurants all over Europe – and they offer a winery tours and tastings at 12.30 daily from Wednesday to Sunday. Guests can follow the tasting with the winery’s own gourmet lunch, served at 14:00. This is a superb service and guests have been very happy with it but, though their wine-salon,
with its open balcony and back terrace enjoys cool air all summer, owners Clara and André
were keen to do something outdoors on those long summer nights. A couple of years ago they began hosting the Mountain Wine & Music summer concerts – and each year the musical line-up is more exciting.
This year they are offering guests (who can arrive any time after seven to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine and relax) a three course dinner served al fresco in the forecourt, between the winery itself and the vineyard, followed by a live concert. It is the most beautiful place – an elegant, modern Bauhaus building, clad in slate and surrounded with steep slopes clothed in vines. From the forecourt there are views all the way from the rocky slopes of La Maroma, across to Corumbela on the other side of the valley, and all the way down to the
Mediterranean sea. The food they serve is exceptional – reviews on TripAdvisor are ecstatic – and as they design each dish to the wine, the taste pairing can’t be bettered.
Then there is the music. Concerts include Flamenco, Classical and Jazz, with superb artists at the top of their game already signed-up. Samaruco, a group of 5 flamenco artists led by
Rúben Portillo from Velez-Málaga will perform in June. In July the bodega will welcome back concert pianist Thomas Kaurich, along with two of his friends and fellow graduates of the Julliard school of New York: violinist Liba Shacht and cellist John Sharp, who play for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. And La Bejazz, the flamenco-jazz fusion group who dazzled guests in 2017 are back for the first jazz night at the end of July. That’s just the first three; there’ll be more flamenco and jazz to come. It’ll be ideal for me to take visiting friends and family as well – a truly unique experience.
What a way to enjoy the best the Axarquia has to offer – warm summer nights, good food,
good wine and good music! I know they have lots of space for the summer open-air events but all the same, I’m going to make my bookings now – just in case!
