🍇☀️Manilva Grape Harvest Festival: 🍷An Authentic Andalusian Tradition Worth Experiencing

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🍇 Manilva Grape Harvest Festival: A Truly Andalusian Tradition 🇪🇸

If you are staying in Sotogrande or along the Costa del Sol in September, there is one celebration that is definitely worth discovering: the Manilva Grape Harvest Festival (Fiesta de la Vendimia). 🍇☀️

Traditionally held on the first weekend of September, this year’s celebration is expected to take place over the weekend of 5th and 6th September 📅, coinciding with the end of the grape harvest. This unique local festival has been declared a Festival of Tourist Interest by the Provincial Council of Málaga. 🎉

For international visitors, it is a wonderful opportunity to experience an authentic Andalusian celebration, bringing together tradition, music, horses, traditional costumes and, of course, wine. 🐎🎶👗🍷

🍇 A Festival with Centuries of History

Since the 16th century, vineyards have been an important part of Manilva’s landscape and identity. Its famous Moscatel grapes are at the heart of a tradition that brings locals and visitors together every year to celebrate the end of the harvest. 🌿🍇

The day begins with a Rocío-style mass 🙏🎶 and continues in the afternoon with a parade featuring participants in traditional Andalusian horse riding and vaquera dressage. 🐎

One of the most moving moments is the procession of Our Lady of Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de los Dolores), accompanied by young women from the village dressed in traditional aldeana costumes. 💃🌸

The procession represents a prayer for protection and blessings for Manilva’s vineyards and countryside. 🙏🍇

👣🍇 The Highlight: Grape Stomping!

One of the most eagerly awaited moments of the festival then takes place: the offering of the finest grape bunches to the Virgin, followed by the traditional grape stomping. 🍇👣

Unlike modern pressing methods, this traditional technique is still kept alive in Manilva. The grapes are spread across a specially prepared surface, where a local resident stomps on them to extract the first grape must of the season. 🍷✨

For first-time visitors, watching the grapes being stomped can be both fascinating and fun. 😄 For the people of Manilva, however, it is a tradition that represents the deep connection between their land, their families and their wine-making heritage. ❤️🍇

Afterwards, locals and visitors gather in Calle Mar to taste the first must of the season, making grape stomping one of the liveliest and most popular moments of the celebration. 🥂🎉

☀️ An Experience Worth Living

The Grape Harvest Festival is the perfect opportunity to discover a truly authentic side of Andalusia: a friendly, lively celebration full of tradition, where the streets become a meeting point for locals and visitors alike. ❤️

If you are enjoying Sotogrande in September, a short trip to Manilva is a wonderful way to experience something different and discover a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. 🚗🌊

🐎 Horses, 🎶 music, 👗 traditional costumes, 🍇 grapes and 🍷 the first grape must of the year.

A celebration with a true taste of Andalusia that deserves a place in your diary. 📅✨