The grape harvest is once again setting the pace in the Ribera del Duero. Against this backdrop, where landscape, winemaking tradition and gastronomy come together, Roberto García González, founding president of Castilla Termal Hoteles, has been honoured with the Herencia Ribera Award, presented by the Regulatory Council of the Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin. Each year, the award recognises individuals, wineries and projects that have contributed to the history, promotion and prestige of the wine-producing region.
The recognition highlights Castilla Termal’s contribution to the development of the Ribera del Duero as a wine tourism destination, as well as its approach to hospitality, which is closely linked to heritage. The company has built much of its offering around the restoration of historic buildings and their integration into the local landscape, combining accommodation, wellness, gastronomy and local culture.
The recent opening of Castilla Termal Palacio de Avellaneda, in Burgos, has strengthened this presence along the Duero corridor and was cited as one of the reasons for awarding the prize. The establishment joins a collection that allows visitors to explore different locations in Castile and León from a perspective in which historic architecture and the landscape form part of the experience.
Four hotels linked to the wine region
Castilla Termal’s connection with the Ribera del Duero region currently encompasses four establishments: Castilla Termal Monasterio de Valbuena and Castilla Termal Olmedo, both in Valladolid; Castilla Termal Burgo de Osma, in Soria; and the recently opened Castilla Termal Palacio de Avellaneda, in Burgos. Four destinations set within a region whose identity has historically been linked to vine-growing and winemaking.
In this concept, wine is not merely a complement to the culinary offering. It forms part of the story of these establishments and their connection to the local area, which is particularly evident in places such as the Monastery of Valbuena, where the building’s history and the winemaking tradition have been intertwined for centuries.
Converso, un vino inspirado en la historia del monasterio
This connection finds one of its most distinctive expressions in ‘Converso’, the name of both the restaurant at Castilla Termal Monasterio de Valbuena and its own wine. Converso Crianza, which belongs to the Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin, is made exclusively from Tempranillo grapes selected from a specific vineyard and is aged for twelve months in French and American oak barrels.
Its name pays homage to a figure linked to the monastery’s history: the conversos, lay workers who, during the Middle Ages, assisted the Cistercian monks with agricultural tasks and the cultivation of their vineyards. Produced in limited quantities, the wine has won awards at competitions such as the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, the International Bacchus Wine Competition and the Zarcillo Awards.
The Herencia Ribera Award thus comes at one of the most symbolic moments in the wine-growing calendar. With the grape harvest in full swing, the honour bestowed upon Roberto García González highlights the connection between hospitality, heritage, gastronomy and wine that Castilla Termal has made one of the cornerstones of its presence in the Ribera del Duero.
