- At least six Ronda bodegas take visitors in 2026, from a €20 tasting without booking at La Melonera's wine bar to a €69 visit with food at Doña Felisa
- Most visits must be booked ahead and run at fixed times: Cortijo Los Aguilares opens Monday to Friday, Doña Felisa's Finca Chinchilla daily at 11:30
- A wine may carry the name Serranía de Ronda only if all its grapes come from the subzone, under the DOP Sierras de Málaga rules
- Ronda is 61 km and about 75 minutes from Marbella up the A-397; with tastings in the plan, hire a driver, about €360 for a nine-hour day
- We price wine days by the hour; one long visit, lunch in town and a companion who enjoys the subject beats a circuit of three bodegas
Ask a Marbella hotel concierge about wine and you get a list of restaurants. Ask about Ronda's bodegas and you usually get a shrug, because the wineries are small, scattered along farm lanes and mostly visited by appointment. We plan these days for clients often enough to have checked which ones actually open their doors, at what time and for how much; our agency then matches a companion who enjoys a long lunch and a cellar, and our escort in Marbella page explains how bookings work. Ronda's wineries are worth the 75-minute drive if you book one or two visits in advance: prices run from €20 to €69 a person in 2026, most visits start at fixed times in the late morning, and a driver is the only sensible way to get there and back.
Below: the bodegas, the wine, how to book, the drive and a day plan.
Which Ronda Wineries Take Visitors in 2026?
We have checked six on their own websites in 2026: La Melonera, Cortijo Los Aguilares, Bodega Doña Felisa, Bodega Kieninger, Bodegas Excelencia and Descalzos Viejos. All but La Melonera's wine bar need a booking, and most publish their prices and visit times online, which makes planning a couple's day straightforward.
Six Bodegas Side by Side
Prices are per person for 2026, from each winery's own site.
| Bodega | Visit from | When | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Melonera | €20 wine bar; €35 tour | Book tours online | Recovered native grapes, Picasso and Goya |
| Cortijo Los Aguilares | €35 | Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00 | Vineyards above 900 m, picnics |
| Doña Felisa, Finca Chinchilla | €38.50 | Daily at 11:30 | Tapas pairing, rooms from €180 |
| Bodega Kieninger | €35 tasting; €45 tour | Online calendar | Organic wines, online booking |
| Bodegas Excelencia | €25 | Book by phone | Four wines in 90 minutes |
| Descalzos Viejos | On request | Pre-arranged groups | A restored convent |
Two Lanes, Four Wineries
Geography helps if you want two visits. La Melonera gives its address as Paraje Los Frontones on the road towards Setenil, and Kieninger is at Los Frontones 67. Doña Felisa's Finca Chinchilla and Bodegas Excelencia both sit on the Cordel del Puerto al Quejigal. Pair wineries on the same lane and you spend the afternoon tasting rather than reversing down farm tracks. Doña Felisa's second estate, Viña Amaya, is on the MA-7402 at kilometre 9.2, and Cortijo Los Aguilares is at kilometre 35 of the Ronda–Campillos road.
What Makes Serranía de Ronda Wine Different?
Altitude and old grapes. The vineyards sit high for southern Spain, from 650 to 940 metres at La Melonera and above 900 at Los Aguilares, and growers such as La Melonera have revived local varieties. The wines are sold under the DOP Sierras de Málaga, and only Ronda-grown grapes may carry the Serranía de Ronda name.
The Label Rule
The Consejo Regulador's rules for the DOP Sierras de Málaga divide the province into seven subzones, Serranía de Ronda among them. A bottle may name the Serranía only if the winery is there and 100% of the grapes come from the subzone. The DOP covers still wines of 10% to 15.5% alcohol. For scale: the regulator expected about 2.6 million kilos of grapes across Málaga's denominations in 2026, after roughly 2 million in 2025, when mildew cut the crop by 30%.
Old Grapes Brought Back
Ask to taste the local varieties, not only the Syrah and Cabernet. Since 2003 La Melonera has replanted grapes it says had almost disappeared from the Serranía, including Tintilla, Blasco, Romé and the Melonera itself, now officially recognised in Andalusia. The DOP's list of permitted reds includes Romé, Tintilla and Tinta Velasco, the official name for Blasco, alongside Pinot Noir and Petit Verdot. A tasting that sets one of those against an international grape tells you more about Ronda than five glasses of familiar names.
Which Visit Suits a Couple's Day?
It depends on whether you want art, lunch or a quiet hour with the winemaker. La Melonera adds a gallery and a sunset picnic, Doña Felisa pairs wine with food and has rooms, Los Aguilares runs vineyard picnics, and Kieninger and Excelencia suit a short, unhurried tasting. Descalzos Viejos is the one to book for its setting.
Art, Sunsets and a Convent
La Melonera's €50 Tauromaquia visit ends in a room holding the 24 aquatints Picasso made for Pepe Illo's bullfighting treatise, plus Goya's Bulls of Bordeaux lithographs; its €65 Sunset Experience is a tasting and picnic among the vines and holm oaks. Descalzos Viejos makes its wine in the Convento del Tajo, the former home of the Discalced Trinitarians that gives the bodega its name. Its visits are pre-arranged for small groups and led by the owners and the winemaker, in Spanish or English.
Lunch at the Winery Instead of in Town
Doña Felisa's €69 guided visit pairs five wines with food from local producers and lasts about two and a half hours, which makes it lunch. Los Aguilares sells a €80 summer picnic among its vines and holm oaks, with a winter version for the cooler months. Kieninger's two-hour tour with four wines and local products costs €45 a head for two people, or €35 each for three or more. Any of them can replace a restaurant booking, which frees the afternoon.
How to Book a Ronda Winery Visit
Book online or by email at least a few days ahead, and a week ahead for Saturdays in spring and autumn. Most visits start at fixed times: Finca Chinchilla daily at 11:30, Viña Amaya at 11:00 or 13:00 from Wednesday to Sunday. Cortijo Los Aguilares closes on Sundays and public holidays.
Fixed Times and Group Minimums
Small wineries run visits for groups, so a couple can find themselves joining strangers. Cortijo Los Aguilares opens Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00, takes Saturday mornings on request, and on Saturdays forms groups from four people; a couple can join one or pay for four places to have it privately. Its tours run in Spanish, English, French and Italian. Kieninger books through an online calendar and prices per head by group size.
Harvest Weeks and Sundays
The 2026 harvest in Málaga province started in late July, about a week early, according to the regulator, and in the higher Serranía the picking and fermentation keep small teams busy into the autumn. Expect fewer slots then, and ask whether the cellar will be working, which is often the best time to see it. On Sundays, choose a winery that publishes Sunday times, such as Viña Amaya or Finca Chinchilla. La Melonera's wine bar takes walk-ins for a €20 tasting.
How Long Is the Drive From Marbella to Ronda?
About 61 kilometres and 75 minutes from central Marbella, most of it on the A-397, which leaves the coast at San Pedro de Alcántara and climbs to Ronda at 739 metres. Allow longer behind lorries on the bends. With wine in the plan, nobody in the group should be driving.
The A-397 Over the Mountains
The road is continuous curves for most of its length, good for a passenger with a strong stomach and tiring for a driver who has just tasted four wines. Give the front seat to whoever suffers on bends. Ronda is noticeably cooler than the coast from October to April, so pack a jacket, and flat shoes for gravel paths between the vines. Our four-day Marbella itinerary covers the town itself, from the bridge to the bullring and lunch at Bardal or Tragatá.
Book a Driver, Not a Designated Driver
Spain's drink-drive limit is lower than England's, and a tasting of four or five wines can put anyone over it. At the €40 an hour one Marbella firm publishes for up to four passengers, a nine-hour Ronda day costs about €360; an executive car costs more. Our guide to getting around without a car has the drivers' rates. Clients in a hurry can fly: Ronda is 36 kilometres from Marbella in a straight line, and our helicopter guide explains landing sites.
A Ronda Wine Day That Works
One bodega in the late morning, lunch in town or at the winery, and a second, shorter tasting only if the first left you wanting more. Leave Marbella at 09:30 and you are back by 19:30. Three wineries in a day is a schedule, not a pleasure, and the third tasting always disappoints.
The Plan, Hour by Hour
This version uses fixed visit times published for 2026.
| Time | What | Cost per person |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 | Driver collects in Marbella, up the A-397 | About €360 per car for the day |
| 11:30 | Finca Chinchilla: vineyard, cellar, four wines and tapas | €38.50 |
| 13:30 | Lunch in Ronda, booked ahead | Restaurant prices |
| 16:00 | La Melonera wine bar, no booking needed | €20 |
| 18:00 | Down the A-397 as the light goes | — |
| 19:30 | Back in Marbella, time to change for dinner | — |
One Bodega or Two?
One long visit with someone who makes the wine teaches you more than two short ones with whoever is on duty. If you add a second, make it a plain tasting on the same lane. Buy at the cellar door: many of these wineries make small quantities, and the bottles rarely reach Marbella wine lists. For Ronda wines back on the coast, our Marbella wine bars guide lists where to look. Ship cases home rather than carrying them through an airport.
Booking a Companion for a Wine Day
A wine day runs nine to ten hours, mostly in a car, a cellar and a restaurant, and is priced on the hourly rate: €2,700 for nine hours at €300, €3,000 for ten, or an overnight if it runs into the night. Tell us the bodegas and the lunch booking, and we suggest a companion who enjoys wine.
The Whole Day or Just the Evening
A wine day suits a travel companion who enjoys conversation over several hours, and a Spanish speaker helps at the smaller bodegas; our Spanish companions are the obvious choice there. If you would rather taste alone, book her for the evening once you are back: a dinner date, a minimum of three hours, starts at €900, and if you are staying near the foot of the A-397, our San Pedro escorts page covers bookings there.
What to Send Us
The date, the bodegas and times you have booked, the lunch reservation and the driver's pick-up time. Wineries ask for numbers in advance, so confirm the companion before you confirm the visits. Ronda is outside Marbella, so the two-hour minimum applies and the client pays her taxi to the pick-up. A wine day is booked in advance, so it carries a 25% deposit by transfer or crypto, to her or to us, and you pay her the balance at the start, in cash, by transfer or in crypto. Three days' notice is comfortable outside August.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which wineries in Ronda can you visit?
In 2026 at least six take visitors: La Melonera, Cortijo Los Aguilares, Bodega Doña Felisa, Bodega Kieninger, Bodegas Excelencia and Descalzos Viejos. Most require a booking and run visits at fixed times. La Melonera's wine bar is the exception, serving a €20 tasting without a reservation.
How much does a winery visit in Ronda cost?
From €20 a person for a tasting at La Melonera's wine bar to €69 for Doña Felisa's guided visit with five wines and food. Typical guided tours with a tasting cost €25 to €45: €25 at Bodegas Excelencia, €35 at Cortijo Los Aguilares and €38.50 at Finca Chinchilla.
Do Ronda wineries open on Sundays?
Some do. Doña Felisa's Finca Chinchilla runs its visit daily at 11:30, and its Viña Amaya estate opens Wednesday to Sunday at 11:00 or 13:00. Cortijo Los Aguilares closes on Sundays and public holidays and opens on Saturday mornings only on request.
How far is Ronda from Marbella?
About 61 kilometres, or roughly 75 minutes by car on the A-397 from San Pedro de Alcántara, a mountain road with continuous bends. Ronda sits at 739 metres and is cooler than the coast. With wine tastings planned, hire a driver; at €40 an hour a nine-hour day costs about €360.
Can a companion join a Ronda wine day?
Yes. A wine day runs nine to ten hours and is priced at €300 an hour, so €2,700 to €3,000. Send the bodegas, times and lunch booking and we suggest someone who enjoys wine. Booking her for dinner back in Marbella, from €900, is the cheaper alternative.
Planning a Day Among Ronda's Vineyards?
Send us the date, the bodegas you have booked or want, the lunch plan and whether you need company for the whole day or only the evening. We suggest a companion who enjoys wine and confirm the price before anything is booked.
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