The network of underground cellars in Aranda de Duero is the most extensive known to date in Ribera del Duero, with 4.2 km of galleries, all of them on the same level, with communications that allow ventilation and, on occasions, access from one cellar to another.

This network of tunnels or galleries was excavated between the 12th and 18th centuries (a large part of the complex was built in the last quarter of the 15th century) and the use of semicircular arches in ashlar stone to protect the vaults of the galleries is outstanding. They have a depth of between 8 and 12 metres and maintained a constant temperature of between 10 and 12º all year round, as well as the absence of humidity, stillness and lack of vibrations, optimal for the preservation of wine.

This network of cellars is located under the town centre itself, with flat terrain, a fact that differentiates it from other riverside districts of underground cellars, located on adjoining hills or far from the urban centres themselves. This fact has contributed both to preserving them in order to avoid damage to the buildings on the surface, and to destroying them in order to erect new buildings (1970s).

The peñas arandinas have played an important role in the maintenance of various underground cellars in the town, giving them a recreational use. Each peña has its own day of celebration, but there are two occasions when they all come together, livening up the streets of the town: the Fiesta de las Peñas (August) and the Fiestas Patronales de Aranda (September), during the traditional “Bajada de las Peñas” (Descent of the Peñas). There are currently 8 official peñas in Aranda de Duero (they even have their own deck of cards made by the friends of the Asociación La Tanguilla):

• El Alboroto (Bodega Frente la Manca).
• El Chilindrón (Bodega El Bolo)
• El Cubillo (Bodega El Aceite)
• El Jarro (Los Martinez Winery)
• El Niño de La Capea (Juan Antonio Winery)
• La Amistad (Botica Vieja winery)
• La Ribera (La Navarra Winery)
• Tierra Aranda (Requejo Winery)

Since the 1982 map of wineries included in the book “Viñedo, vino y bodegas en las historia de Aranda de Duero”, by Javier Iglesia and Alberto Villahoz , various investigations have been carried out. Of particular note are: the 2010 Inventory , a Digital Study in 2014, and the Special Plan for the Protection of the Wineries, which is currently being processed. In this last work, through the C+LLL studio and the architect Alfredo Sanz Sanza, the following are catalogued:

• 136 underground cellars with their own entrance and an average length of 30 metres.
• 178 wine presses.
• The wine presses have disappeared, as a result of their location in the town centre, but in 1752 there were 197 of them, storing approximately 35,000 hectolitres of wine.

The network of underground wine cellars in Aranda de Duero was classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) in 2015 with the category of“Ethnological Ensemble” to ensure the protection and conservation of this priceless heritage that forms the backbone of the subsoil of the town of Aranda de Duero.

VISITS to UNDERGROUND WINERIES of ARANDA DE DUERO:

• The Town Council of Aranda de Duero has two underground cellars that can be visited through its tourist office:
  • Las Caballerizas: in Calle Cascajar. There are also regular dramatised visits to this cellar.
  • Las Ánimas: in Calle Santa María, opposite the church.
• You can also visit the CIAVIN Interpretation Centre ( in the Plaza Mayor) and, through virtual reality (in three dimensions), more than 20 of them.
• On the other hand, establishments belonging to our Wine Route such as the Restaurant El Lagar de Isilla, the Historical Winery Don Carlos s.XV or the Travel Agency Ribiértete, have underground cellars in the centre of Aranda and manage visits.