Spain‘s wine harvest—the vendimia—kicks off in late August and rolls through October, turning wine regions into stages for some of the country’s most authentic and joyful festivals. These aren’t tourist spectacles invented for cameras. They’re centuries-old celebrations where winemakers, families, and entire towns mark the year’s most important work with parades, grape-stomping competitions, wine blessings, and enough free-flowing vino to make you forget you ever drank anything else.
If you’re in Spain during harvest season, these festivals offer a rare chance to see wine culture at its most vibrant—and to drink exceptionally well while doing it.
Fiesta de la Vendimia in Rioja: Spain’s Premier Wine Party
La Rioja’s grape harvest festival in Logroño is the country’s most famous, and for good reason. Held in late September, the week-long Fiesta de la Vendimia transforms the region’s capital into a nonstop celebration of wine, food, and regional pride.
The highlight is the grape-stomping competition in Plaza del Espolón, where teams race to crush grapes by foot in wooden barrels, splattering juice everywhere while crowds cheer them on. It’s messy, loud, and utterly joyful. The festival also includes the Ofrenda de los Primeros Mostos—a ceremonial offering of the first grape must to the Virgin of Valvanera, Rioja’s patron saint—held in the stunning San Bartolomé church.
Between events, hit Calle Laurel, Logroño’s legendary tapas street, where bars pour young Rioja wines alongside champiñones, patatas bravas, and grilled chorizo. The entire street becomes an open-air wine bar during the festival.
Logroño is two hours from Madrid by train on the direct Renfe line, making it an easy base for exploring Rioja’s bodegas during harvest season.
Jerez’s Fiestas de la Vendimia: Sherry, Flamenco, and Horses
Jerez de la Frontera celebrates its sherry harvest in early September with a festival that blends Andalusian flair, equestrian tradition, and some of the finest fortified wine on earth. The Fiestas de la Vendimia here is a more intimate, deeply local affair than Rioja’s mega-festival, but no less spirited.
The week opens with the blessing of the grapes at the Colegiata de San Salvador, followed by the Pisa de la Uva—a ceremonial grape-stomping in front of the cathedral, performed by locals in traditional Andalusian dress. The must is then processed into the season’s first mosto, offered to city officials and the crowd.
Flamenco is woven through every night of the festival. Head to the Bodega González Byass or Bodega Tío Pepe for private concerts in centuries-old sherry cellars, where the acoustics are as good as the wine. The festival also features the Feria del Caballo-style horse parades, with Andalusian riders in traditional trajes cortos parading through the old town.
Jerez is one hour from Seville by train, and the best sherry bars in town—El Pasaje, La Cruz Blanca, Tabanco El Pasaje—stay open late during the festival.
Requena’s Fiesta de la Vendimia: Wine, Bulls, and Medieval Streets
An hour west of Valencia, the medieval town of Requena throws one of Spain’s oldest and wildest harvest festivals, dating back to 1956 but rooted in centuries of winemaking tradition. Held at the end of August, Requena’s Fiesta de la Vendimia is a full week of wine tastings, bull runs, parades, and grape battles.
The centerpiece is the Pisa de la Uva in Plaza de la Villa, where local women in traditional dress stomp grapes while musicians play jotas, the region’s folk songs. Afterward, the batalla del vino—a free-for-all wine fight—erupts in the streets. Bring clothes you don’t mind staining purple.
Requena’s old quarter, with its labyrinth of medieval alleys and cave bodegas carved into the rock, is worth exploring between events. The town’s wine culture is serious—this is Utiel-Requena DO territory, known for Bobal, a bold, earthy red grape you won’t find much outside the region.
Requena is 50 minutes from Valencia by regional train, making it an easy day trip or overnight escape from the coast.
When to Go and What to Bring
Spain’s wine harvest festivals run from late August through early October, with September being peak season. Rioja’s festival is the last week of September, Jerez’s is the first week of September, and Requena’s is late August.
Book accommodation early—hotels in wine towns fill up fast during harvest. If you’re planning to participate in grape-stomping or wine battles, bring a change of clothes and closed-toe shoes you can toss afterward. Most festivals are free to attend, though some bodega events require tickets.
The festivals are family-friendly during the day and turn rowdier at night, especially in Logroño and Requena. If you want to visit bodegas during harvest, call ahead—many are working overtime and tours may be limited.
Spain’s vendimia festivals are where the country’s wine culture comes alive, and where you’ll drink not just good wine, but wine that means something to the people pouring it. Subscribe to the Love Spain newsletter for one short story a day about Spain’s fiestas, food, and hidden traditions.
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