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Jumilla restaurant awarded prestigious Repsol Guide recognition
La Casa de los Abuelos is run by the winery of Bodegas Viña Elena
Restaurants in the Altiplano area in the north of the Region of Murcia seem to be attracting a good deal more attention of late, and following the awarding of a Michelin star to Barahonda in Yecla last November this week sees La Casa de los Abuelos in Jumilla stepping into the limelight.
The reason for this is that the annual gala held by Spain’s Repsol guide was held in Tarragona over the weekend, and the kitchen run by Ana Jose García was one of three in the Region of Murcia to be added to the list of those awarded one of the prestigious Suns which the guide gives to outstanding eateries. The other two added to the list are El Baret Wine Bar and Hispano 1926, both in the city of Murcia, while the Barahonda now boasts 2 Suns (a level it shares with only Almo and Local de Ensayo in Murcia and Magoga in Cartagena).

Image: Soles Repsol
La Casa de los Abuelos is to be found at the winery of Bodegas Viña Elena in the south of the municipality of Jumilla and offers traditional local cuisine with a touch of modernity – and, of course, a tempting wine list from the winery itself.
As for the winery, Bodegas Viña Elena is a family-run concern which was founded in 1948 by Francisco Pacheco, the late grandfather of the members of the current management team. In the mid-20th century the Pacheco wine-making operation was a modest one, but the business has since grown substantially and consistently and now employs technology which its founder could not have dreamed of in order to maintain a high standard of production. Despite these developments, though, Viña Elena is still immensely proud of its family heritage and strives to transmit this to both staff and visitors to the Bodega.
The Region of Murcia can now boast 26 restaurants with Repsol Suns to their names, 21 of them with one Sun, 4 with two and one with three, the maximum level of recognition.
For more local news, events and visiting information please contact the tourist office (telephone 968 780237, email oficinaturismo@jumilla.org) or go to the home page of Jumilla Today.
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Oficina de Turismo Jumilla
The tourist office in the centre of Jumilla is easily found by driving straight into the centre of the town along the Avenida de Murcia and following the signposts. The tourist office is alongside the Parque de Don Albano Martínez Molina, where there are a number of parking spaces.
Jumilla, in the north of the Region of Murcia, has become internationally famous over recent decades due to the quality of the wines produced in the municipality, and wine tourism has begun to attract visitors from other parts of Spain and the rest of Europe.
The tourist office is happy to provide a range of maps and leaflets showing the different bodegas which can be visited within the municipality. Some of these form part of the Rutas del Vino de Jumilla, the Jumilla wine route, and can either be visited as a guided tour or sell their produce directly to the public.(see feed below for more details)
However, the town and the surrounding countryside have plenty of other attractions for visitors, and the popularity of Jumilla wines is leading more and more people to discover other facets of the tenth largest municipality in Spain.

These include the spectacular countryside and birdlife in the Sierra del Carche, the historic remains which range from cave paintings and a Roman mausoleum to the castle, the Iglesia de Santiago, the Town Hall and the Teatro Vico, and the gastronomy: rich stews are accompanied not only by the wines of the area but also by Jumilla pears, which also enjoy Denomination of Origin status.
Tourism in Jumilla is not as seasonal as it is in the coastal areas of the Region of Murcia, but the town is at its liveliest during the fiestas in Holy Week and the August Fair, which incorporates the grape harvest celebrations and the Moors and Christians parades.
The Altiplano of the Region of Murcia, which consists of the municipalities of Jumilla and Yecla, is only just over an hour by car from the Mar Menor, Cartagena, Mazarrón, Torrevieja and Alicante, and anyone wishing to visit real inland Spain and world-class wineries is advised to include Jumilla in their schedule.
Opening hours
Summer
Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 2pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm
Monday closed
Winter
Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm
Monday closed
Click for full information about visiting the Jumilla municipality and its wine bodegas: Jumilla section































