What to Know Before Attending Sanlucar’s Ruta de Mosto, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain

If you find yourself in Sanlúcar de Barrameda during November or December, I highly recommend making a few stops along the unofficial Ruta de Mosto (Mosto Route). You’ll find cheap wine, great food, and plenty of flamenco music.

Mosto is a young white wine native to the area. It’s consumed during the months of November and December, after a short vinification period. Don’t expect to drink mosto using a typical wine glass—it’s usually served straight out of an oak barrel, in small jarritas (pitchers) and accompanied by shot glasses. I would not recommend drinking this wine like a shot however, it contains 12% – 15% alcohol so pace yourself accordingly. 

There used to be an official route back in 2011; it was mapped out by city officials and you could get a stamp from establishments as you made your way along each stop. These days however, the ruta consists of going from bar to bar, ordering a pitcher of mosto, some tapas, and making your way to the next stop for more. I usually head to Barrio Alto (uptown) for lunch, around 1:30pm in the afternoon, and grab a table at my favorite mosto bar (see below). We’ll go from place to place and towards 6pm we’ll usually end the route at a venue with live music in uptown or downtown; Zambombas (Christmas flamenco concerts) are very typical in December and there’s always a bar or plaza somewhere in Sanlúcar with live music. If you want to hang with the 20-something crowd, this place is always packed on Saturdays after ruta. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).