Wine and snow pairing at the foot of the Pyrenees from Somontano to Formigal

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Here is a different wine route.

The tastings are not lacking, of course.

Nor the walks between vineyards or

.

But neither is it a snow day (or those that are necessary) with skiing

,

cheese

.

Or what is the same, that fun descent with nocturnality (and some treachery) on a wooden sled down an illuminated track.

And all without leaving Huesca.

From the Somontano wine region, in the geographical center of the province, to the Formigal station.

From the medieval town of Alquézar to

or Lanuza, the reborn village on the shores of the homonymous swamp.

And in between, what has been said: pairing of wine and snow with the Aragonese Pyrenees looming in the background.

The itinerary starts in

, built in 2015 on the outskirts of Barbastro, the capital of the aforementioned region.

It is not necessary to be very sharp to intuit the

but the first responds, in addition, "to that idea of ​​belonging to a site, of being from here and being proud," says Diego Mur, head of Marketing.

And the two "m"?

There is also an explanation, since it is the silhouette that draws the mountain that protects the place.

Hence the

, a prism formed by symmetrical cubes of glass and steel integrated into the environment.

Not for nothing is it the second of

internationally, only behind that of Artesa, in the Californian Napa Valley.

The barrel room of the winery.I.

GARCIA

And no, it is not the work of any star architect such as Frank Ghery, Zaha Hadid or

but by

who opted for an underground bioclimatic construction, whose 27-meter-high production hall

to the movement of grapes from one tank to another.

"In this way, they are not handled roughly and violently, but delicately, as they fall under their own weight," adds Juan José Echandi, Sommos winemaker.

The journey continues in the

, which can be explored in a thousand different ways: on foot, by Segway, on horseback, by electric bike... Even through an Escape Room game to find the elixir of life.

Main building of the Sommos winery, in Barbastro.SOMMOS

Among the grape varieties, there are Pinot Noir,

.

Even Tempranillo.

His thing is to discover the exclusive (and award-winning) wines in a picnic at the foot of the vine accompanied by Iberian sausages from the area and

made from goat's or sheep's milk from the Sierra de Guara.

The same delicacies can be tasted in the winery's restaurant, with views of the vineyards, along with others such as the grilled T-bone steak matured for 22 days, the duck

or the pularda cooked at low temperature.

Restaurant and vineyards of the Barbastro winery. SOMMOS

It's time to get to know Barbastro, the capital of the region, with obligatory stops at the

, the cathedral (ex-mosque), the Diocesan Museum, the ice well or the Frutería del Vero, a classic that combines a restaurant, bar, winery, cave and

shop

(watch out for

or pâtés) in an old chocolate factory.

You should also visit the

home of the mythical cake of the same name.

Next stop:

, where

He proposes pairing different Sommos with his Aragonese signature cuisine inherited from his great-great-grandparents, whose photos decorate the walls of the cozy local with exposed stone walls.

He adds an

and changes the menu every day "according to what is on the market".

Some surprises: scallops with Japanese Ponzu sauce, tuna tataki with trout roe or sweet rice with squid.

View of the town of Barbastro.HUESCA LA MAGIA

Somontano offers much more, such as a visit to Alquézar, one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Spain;

a

along the footbridges of the Vero river and another for canyoning in the Sierra y

the best place in Europe to practice this sport.

It is time to head to

, which, together with Panticosa, is one of the four resorts of the Aramón Group, the largest ski area in Spain.

In the 182 kilometers of slopes distributed throughout the

you can do the

that we already talked about or

, an activity in which a piste-piste machine with a cable acting as a ski lift leads to lonely places that the chair lifts do not reach.

Ski-ratrack session in the snow.ARAMÓN

We do not forget the wine or

since it is the official winery of Aramón, so it can be enjoyed throughout Formigal, from the

from Marchica to

, the exclusive igloos at 1,800 meters above sea level with views of the Pyrenees and the stars.

There are only six (plus one general) and you can get there by Ratrack machine or skiing.

The collection is at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy the sunset from inside,

with cozy wooden furniture, elegant checkered blankets and even

.

Calm down, no, it's not cold.

Quite the opposite.

Interior of one of the igloos of Las Mugas.ARAMÓN

Dinner takes place in the main igloo, which serves as a restaurant with a tasting menu with

(that smoked trout, that stuffed lamb, that apple

with cheese ice cream...) washed down with a

first and a Chardonnay later.

The next morning, after breakfast, there is a walk with snowshoes.

The only thing left would be to know the charming surrounding towns.

Like Sallent de Gállego, with his bucolic image from a fairy tale.

Not surprisingly, there is a route starring

linked to the municipality since ancient times, those in which covens and the burning of supposed ladies with brooms on their backs were the order of the day.

of Valle de Tena

is held here every year .

Exterior of one of the igloos of Formigal.I.

GARCIA

This peculiar wine route ends in Lanuza, the idyllic village of

that almost disappeared under the waters of the swamp that began to be built on its banks in 1975. This is what they thought was going to happen and for That's why its inhabitants had to leave the place.

But

, so 50 years later and after having to buy back their properties, here they are again, fighting to maintain one of the most beautiful mountain villages in Spain.

The snowy town of Sallent de Gállego.I.

GARCIA

PRACTICAL GUIDE

HOW TO GET

The AVE arrives in Huesca, Lérida or Zaragoza.

From there, you have to go to the region of Somontano and Formigal.

WHERE TO SLEEP

Hotel San Ramon del Somontano

.

Historical modernist-style building in Barbastro with 18 rooms, restaurant and private spa.

From 150 euros (www.hotelsanramonsomontano.com).

The Mugas

.

Set of six igloos at an altitude of 1,800 meters in the Formigal station.

Night with dinner, breakfast and snowshoes for 435 euros for two (www.formigal-panticosa.com and www.aramon.com)

WHERE TO EAT

We are winery.

Its restaurant offers signature cuisine paired with its wines.

Located on the outskirts of Barbastro, the winery offers guided tours, wine tourism experiences and tastings (bodegasommos.com).

L'Usuella

.

Cozy Aragonese cuisine restaurant with oriental touches and local products.

MORE INFORMATION.

At www.dosomontano.com

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