The annual grape stomping ceremony took place, Friday 3^rd September in the Wine Museum ‘Bodegas La Sangre de Ronda’ which is situated near the Santa Maria Church in the old town. This event marked the beginning of the wine pressing season.

As part of the Pedro Romero Feria one of the official duties of the Damas Goyescas is to assist in the process of stomping the grapes. All the ladies did an excellent job with a lot of fun and good humour along the way as they  stomped through several kilos of grapes in a traditional way. Well done to the Damas Goyescas! The local guests and dignitaries attending the wine stomping ceremony were able to savour a selection of wines from bodegas in the area as well as local produce from the Serrania.

Grape pressing is an age-old custom and for many decades wine has been made in the Serrania de Ronda. Wine making is a tradition in Ronda that spans around 6.000 years of history with wine being enriched and production improved with the variety and knowledge of new techniques.

There are various archaeological references and documents that refer to the long tradition of Ronda as the land of vines and wines. The coins of the Iberia Roman town of Acinipo (47-44 AD) that feature a cluster of grapes, without doubt demonstrates the importance of the vine in the economy of these communities. The projection of vine is also documented in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, especially in the area of Barrio San Francisco.

More than 15 existing vineyards in the Serrania make extraordinary reds, rosés and whites. Many of these vineyards may be visited by appointment to taste the wine and experience a visit to a traditional Spanish bodega. (further inf. Ronda Tourist Office ). Making wine is not only for professionals. Wineries often offer the opportunity for anyone to make their own bottle of wine and anyone with a small vineyard or a few good vines can participate in this exciting occupation and delight friends and family with their home grown wine.

The past few years has seen Ronda wine come to the forefront with gold and silver medals being gained by local wine makers in prestigious, international wine events. Ronda wine is now considered a serious contender in the highly competitive world of wine.