"Boris thank you so much for making David’s birthday such a fun and fantastic day!
It was so great that you came to pick us up from our house an hour away from Malaga (and drop us home too) so that we could enjoy the experience without worrying about driving. The bubbly cava reception before we even climbed in the car was a great welcome!
Despite living in Spain, we had never visited an authentic working winery before.We felt privileged to see Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia on our private tour, to see the original ‘by appointment’ certification by Queen Isabel and to meet the owner Ignacio.It was like stepping back in time seeing how the wine was made and we could highly recommend this trip to anyone else.
For us it was also great to see more of down town Malaga, including the Cathedral and delicious tapas lunch.You even arranged sunshine and 20 degrees in December – again, many thanks!" Lucinda & David See our pics!
Dear Boris,
We are back in the Netherlands and looking back to an unforgettable trip with you! While your tire was flat and we were waiting for it’s repair we started our exclusive wine tour at the car garage with a nice sparkling Cava Vintage wine. After this to the great wine fields of the Bodegas Gomara winery.
Different from other wine trips was that we tasted sweet wines. A nice variation. After this we went to Malaga to visit some really authentic tapas restaurants. In our opinion, the nicest part of the day!
All your nice, informative and entertaining stories made this to a great memory!
I’d recommend you to everyone who has the intention to take a wine tour on the Costa del Sol
We are back in the USA. We had a great time in Spain and especially enjoyed spending 2 days with you. Since we speak only English, we benefited not only from you as a guide but also as an interpreter. Andalucia is such a big and beautiful territory! You introduced Lynn and me to parts of it that we otherwise would not have experienced. I agree with you that both wine tours (Malaga and Jerez) are beneficial, but if I could only do one it would be Malaga. Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia is a marvelous little winery that, without you, we would have never seen. I treasure the few bottles of wine that we brought home to be enjoyed in the future as memories of Spain. We also enjoyed the tapas at Bar Lopez in the little white village of Almachar. Thank you for ordering such variety for our shared meal! The vistas overlooking Malaga and the Mediterranean were spectacular. Thank you again for two wonderful days in wine and sherry country of Andalucia! Clay & Lynn Whitmire, Indianapolis USA claywhitmire@sbcglobal.net
Hi Boris,
I just wanted to thank you again for the Malaga tour we did las week. It was a very enjoyable way to visit and learn about Malaga city, its culture and obviously its wines (I still can’t believe these were white wines ;o).
« An extraordinary experience for me and Satish . A must for anyone visiting Malaga but the experience only with you Boris. Ignacio's wines are out of this world .Keep up your wine tasting tours of Andalusia especially Malaga that is Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia » Vrunda Mohile Mumbai, India vrundamohile@yahoo.com
Luxury for all our senses. We had to investigate for our company and Boris organized everything for us. He picked us up early morning at our hotel and drove us first to Malaga where we discovered the most beautiful sites (Gibralfaro, cathedral, old town, Roman ruins) as well as the most original and unsuspected places. It allowed us to improve our knowledge of Malaga as compared to the previous image we had.
After this agreable stroll, Boris took us with his beautiful car through a twisty but wonderful mountain road leading to our final destination: la Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia.
It is located near the little white village of Olias at the crossroads of the Malaga mountains, the Axarquia typical region and Malaga city. It is a really unique place. The winery itself has a special enchantment for being so old and having kept its original flavor. Moreover it is located in a spectacular landscape. We were lucky enough to see the vines in their best moment, a few weeks before grape harvest. The owner of the winery, Ignacio, explained us all the whereabouts of the bodega, history, wine making, and we finished wine tasting some of his marvelous and international prize winners wines.
Boris was attentive all the time that everything was perfect in every single detail like the music to our taste in the car, the explanations on what we were seeing not to mention the complimentary drinks available on board. It is clear that he is very pleased with his job, he knows his business very well and he does whatever is possible to have his clients more than satisfied.
It really was an unforgettable prospection due to the warmth and professionalism of our guide, the beauty of the places we visited, the amount of information we learned and the great time we had although we were on a work assignment.
Todo un lujo en todos los sentidos. Tuvimos que hacer una prospección profesional para la empresa y Boris se ocupó de organizarnos todo. Nos recogió por la mañana temprano en el hotel y nos llevó primero a Málaga donde nos hizo descubrir los lugares más bonitos de la cuidad (Gibralfaro, catedral, casco viejo, ruinas romanas), pero también los rincones más insólitos e inesperados. Eso nos permitió enriquecer el conocimiento y la percepción que teníamos de Málaga antes de esta visita.
Después de este agradable recorrido, Boris nos llevó de nuevo en su magnífico coche, esta vez para subir por una sinuosa pero maravillosa carretera de montaña que nos llevó a nuestro destino final: La Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia. Se encuentra en la Barriada de Olías, en la encrucijada de los Montes de Málaga, la típica Axarquía y Málaga capital. Se trata de un lugar realmente único. La bodega en sí tiene un encanto especial por ser tan antigua y por haber conservado su esencia original, pero además está situada en un paraje absolutamente espectacular. Tuvimos la enorme suerte, además, de ver las viñas en el mejor momento, justo pocas semanas antes de la vendimia, todo un lujo, sin duda. El dueño de la bodega, Ignacio, nos hizo descubrir y admirar todo el trabajo que llevan a cabo en ese lugar y terminamos catando algunos de sus maravillosos y premiados vinos.
Boris estuvo pendiente en todo momento de que todo saliera perfectamente y no descuidó ni un detalle, desde la música en el coche, hasta las explicaciones de todo lo que veíamos sin olvidar las bebidas que nos tenía preparadas en su coche para la ocasión. Se ve que le encanta su trabajo, que lo conoce muy bien y que hace todo lo posible para que sus clientes disfruten al máximo de las visitas.
Realmente una prospección inolvidable por la calidez y profesionalidad de nuestro guía, por la belleza de los lugares que visitamos, por todo lo que aprendimos ese día y lo bien que lo pasamos aunque estuviéramos todos trabajando.
Boris, Boris, Boris, had many a dream of the incredible time spent with you... and without further delay... our testimonial:)
Words simply will not do in attempting to describe the adventure we were privileged enough to share with Boris in Malaga. Never in my life would I have imagined when we happened upon his website that this would be the most informative, interesting, lovely (on the palate and the eyes) adventure we could have in experiencing Andalusia. No first-time visitor (and I dare say even locals!) would have never been able to find the gems he had discovered and I will be thanking him for all time for allowing us to share in what so few visitors to the region will ever lay eyes on. A wine consultant myself, I was literally floored by the wealth of information concerning the wines of southern Spain I had never learned in my years of study. I cannot stress enough that what you will taste with Boris will be a new and fabulous surprise for even the most jaded oneophile :) From our initial contact with Boris, he was a wealth of information and suggestions for all the places we were about to explore...From Malaga to Grenada to Seville, to Marbella... going above and beyond, adding an almost unheard of personal touch to our journey. Upon our arrival to Marbella, there was Boris… ready with a smile, warmth, and a fabulous welcome gift of wine, music and a hint of what was to come on our journey with him the following day. The vinos at the Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia, in the Museos in Ojen and Mijas were new and incredible tasting experiences ... so few have traveled these paths upon visiting. So few will ever without the help of such a knowledgeable and personable guide. I doubt many would be willing to share the secrets! You will find treasures for the eyes and palate, a wonderful friend, and will take the memory of it, and him, with you forever. I cannot stress enough what a unique opportunity Boris's private tour can give you. You will never forget it. Absolutely magic for any lover of wine, any lover of Spain, any lover of culture, any lover of life! Thank you so much Boris! Much Love, Your Favorite Rock Stars, Karen and Luke New York City
HAVE A LOOK AT THE VERY LIVELY AND UNBIASED REPORT OF THESE WINE TASTING TOUR AS DESCRIBED AND BEAUTIFULLY PHOTOGRAPHED BY MY CLIENTS MURIEL AND HAROLD PRITCHETT DURING THEIR HOLIDAYS IN ANDALUSIA: MALAGA & SHERRY WINE TASTING TOURS WITH BORIS
"We really enjoyed the trip. Thank you for your excellent tours." Hal and Muriel Pritchett" harold@uga.edu
"I WILL NEVER FORGET THE TASTE OF THOSE WONDERFUL WINES AT THE BODEGA ANTIGUA CASA DE GUARDIA. BORIS, YOUR TOUR IS SO DIFFERENT AND SO FULL OF PALATABLE SURPRISES! THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR MOST ENJOYABLE COMPANY." O.D. DIAKOV SOFIA BULGARIA
Cher Boris, Après les inoubliables moments que nous avons passés en votre compagnie dans les vignobles et caves «malagueños» nous tenons à vous témoigner notre gratitude et vous féliciter encore pour l’excellence de votre rôle de guide dans une région que, pourtant, nous croyions connaître. Comme je vous l’ai dit, je suis amateur de bons vins. J’ai une cave emplie de vins, à majorité français et du nord de l’Espagne. J’avais un à priori négatif regrettable quant à ceux d’Andalousie. Depuis notre instructive promenade en votre compagnie, nous avons comblé cette lacune : les bouteilles que nous avons achetées à la Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia, grâce à votre érudition, font la surprise et le bonheur autour de notre table. Nous n’avons qu’une idée : c’est revenir dans votre belle région et nous laisser conduire, par vous vers d’autres sites et d’autres bodegas… Paul & Maité Mauro, Biarritzpaul.mauro@wanadoo.fr Translation: Dear Boris, After the unforgettable moments we spent with you in the Malaga vineyards and wineries, we wish to tell us our gratitude and compliment you again for the excellence of your guiding role in an area which we thought we were familiar with. As I told you, I am an amateur of good wines. My cellar is full of wines, mainly French and from Northern Spain. I had a negative and regretful prejudice against Andalusian wines. Since our instructive tour with you, our error has been corrected: the bottles we bought at the Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia, thanks to your counseling, are highly appreciated at our table. We only have one idea in mind: to come back in your beautiful country and be guided with you to other sites and wineries… Paul & Maité Mauro, Biarritzpaul.mauro@wanadoo.fr
Dear Boris Margaret and I would like to thank you for a truly fantastic day on your wine tasting tour. From the moment you picked us up from our apartment in your very comfortable car and presented us with the very extensive booklets explaining all about the various wines, and our own minature Malaga wine set. When we drove up to the top of the hill by the castle in Malaga, the views over Malaga port and the bullring were second to none. The short walking tour around the old town of Malaga was very interesting as well. The journey up to the Bodega along that very winding road was an experience, and the views back over Malaga and the sea were fabulous. The visit to the Bodega was so interesting with Ignacio the owner. He could not have been more helpful and informative and his English was very good. The wine tasting, complete with local ham and cheese was excellent and the Malaga wines we tasted were very good. So good in fact we had to buy some bottles there and then! Next you took us to a typical Spanish restaurant in a very pretty white village off the tourist route, and i have to say even though we have been coming to Spain for eleven years, the Tapas we had there was the best we have ever had. Finally the visit to the wine museums in Mijas and Ojen were very informative and interesting. When you dropped us back at our apartment we were tired but feeling very satisfied after a truly wonderful day. In conclusion. I have to say that in all the years of visiting Spain and all the different tours we have done. this has by far been the best and Margaret and I would like to thank you so much for being such a good host and for all the planning you did to make it a day we will never forget. I have enclosed some pictures we took during the day which i hope you can include on you web site. Best Wishes Peter and Margaret Nuttall peterandm@gmail.com
As seen on Trip Advisor Traveler rating: Jerez De La Frontera: "Worthwile experience Sherry wine tasting with Boris" SultanaMalta, Malta Wine Tasting in Jerez
While staying in Marbella Costa del Sol, my husband and I had been advised by the concierge of the Marbella Club Hotel to take a private wine tasting tour to Jerez de la Frontera in a nice and comfortable car with Boris as a guide and chauffeur. In a single 12 hours day we had the opportunity to see a lot of the Jerez de la Frontera monuments, the magnificent cathedral, the moorish Alcazar, the narrow typical streets in the old town, the visit of the most famed winery in town: Gonzalez Byass, makers of the sublime Tio Pepe sherry wine and Lepanto brandy. The tour is very interesting with great explanations of the specificities of the Sherry wine given by a guide as well as in a 20 minutes video show. At the end, of course, wine tasting with typical tapas: ham and cheese. We also made various stop overs in small bars in order to taste more tapas and more wines. Mouth watering!. On our way to Jerez de la Frontera we could have a look at the imposing Gibraltar Rock, and on our way back we visited the little town of Medina Sidonia, home of the Red Duchess, a must! Contact me if you want Boris's webpage & mail. C. Sultana, Malta
Hi Boris, Just a few words to tell you that we are back to Northern France and we are already missing the Andalusian sun and that special light ! The tour we had with you will remain in our memories. An dit is a must to visit this countryside by car, the coolest and most personnalised way to take time and discover and even to make some interesting contacts. By the way I have already received an email from Antonio and Pepa with the pictures at Granada Alhambra. It’s raining cats and dogs outside! But we safely keep some good bottles for better days to come. Best regards to your charming wife. Anda gain, congratulations for this 3 day Andalusia tour which allowed us to share pleasure with culture, traditions and cordiality. I will no doubt recommend your services to my friends. Jean-Pierre Chabaud Lille, France chabaudjeanpierre@gmail.com
Bonjour Boris, Juste un petit mot pour te dire que nous avons retrouvé le nord de la France et le soleil et cette lumière spéciale de l'Andalousie nous manquent déjà ! Le tour que tu nous as fait faire restera mémorable. Et c'est un must de voir ce pays en voiture qui reste le moyen le plus cool et le plus personnalisé pour prendre le temps de découvrir et même de faire certains contacts intéressants. J'ai déjà trouvé un e mail d'Antonio et de Pepa avec les photos devant l’Alhambra de Grenade. Il tombe des cordes dehors !. Mais rassure toi il nous reste quelques bouteilles que nous gardons pour des jours meilleurs. Amitiés à ta charmante épouse. Congratulations encore une fois pour ce circuit andalou de 3 jours qui nous a fait partager plaisir culture traditions et cordialité. Je ne manquerai pas une occasion de le recommander à mes amis.
Many thanks for everything. The tour was absolutely fabulous and your company was most enjoyable. Yes, I will let you know when I can do the Granada tour. Thanks for the pix too; they're gorgeous. I am grateful for your foresight on that matter. It was worth every penny and I loved every moment of it!
I loved the fact that--doing the Jerez wine tasting tour with you, wasn’t only about touring a vineyard-- I received an exclusive history lesson as well-- about places I’d consigned to boring history. To see them in reality, brought them alive and made me tingle all over. For example, I couldn’t believe that I was really seeing the Rock of Gibraltar, in the flesh- so to speak! and getting a first class, local history lesson about it—from a Spaniard—all in one sitting. I loved the beauty of the Spanish countryside. It felt very nostalgic and reminded me of my own country- Jamaica--with rolling hills; and rugged gorgeous seafront terrain.
The Winery –Tio Pepe—was extremely impressive; but again, very simple.
Tio Pepe, made me think that Spain had a trademark of classic simplicity. It’s a Vineyard with a simple history about a young man who invested his own savings in a business concept; and worked hard to build an empire that has sustained his family for many generations. It’s a very human story; uncomplicated, moving and romantic.
I suppose if I were to chose one thing I loved most about the Jerez Wine tasting Tour--it would be the ‘up close and personal’ aspect of rubbing shoulders with the locals in the ‘fish market’; or eating gourmet meals with people at the alfresco bars—; or wondering through the Moorish Ruins and visiting that old cathedral on the hill—with the beautiful silver altars and artefacts.
... Or, maybe –that one favourite thing was-- visiting the village of Medina Sidonia and hearing about the Red Duchess for the first time. I can’t help wondering –if its merely co-incidental that she died three weeks later; or–that my visit to Spain was really all about her. I read her obituary in The Independent newspaper. She was a great woman—a woman after my own heart. I would love to visit her archive when I return to Spain. She was wonderfully courageous and principled. I simply adored hearing about the way she lived. About her, I prefer the story told by the barman; its more poetic and radical and fits with her character more; nevertheless I really like her and will research her life.
Oh, and before I forget, doing the wine tour by a nice comfortable car ride, was so much more satisfying. I saw and enjoyed more than I otherwise would have done. We stopped to take a look at everything. The bus would not have done that; so I could not have had –such great value for money-- if I had done the Jerez wine-tasting tour by bus.
This fabulous Jerez wine tour and delicious gourmet tapas feast following, became the highlight of our trip thru beautiful Andalusia. Well worth the price to learn about all the wonderful wines of the West Andalusia area like Sherry, Manzanilla, Fino, etc... We will be back soon for another tour with you and will do the Malaga wine tasting route in combination with Granada. Thank you, Boris, for such a wonderful experience!" Robert Gulbenkian Palm Springs, FL robert.gulbenkian@gmail.com
My husband and I were fortunate enough to have scheduled Boris' wine tasting tour before we left the States. I had read positive reviews and decided to give it a try. I must say that it was one of the highlight of our ten days in Spain. Boris is very knowledgable, warm and welcoming. The tour was both educational and entertaining, a perfect mix while on vacation! Perfect oenotourism. We also enjoyed great conversation and were sorry to see the evening end. We have taken other wine tours, but have not had anyone talk about the science of wine making in such an easy to understand way, yet with such compassion. We learned more about wines in that day than we had in all the other tours we have taken.If you have the time to spend the afternoon and hopefully the evening as well, with Boris...you will not be disappointed! Enjoy ! mariacaldwell@mac.com Tampa, Fla
My wife and i have been staying regularly on the costa del Sol over the last few years.
we decided to get to know more about southern Andalusia and the Costa de la Luz, the cadiz province where the famed sherry comes from and we asked our concierge at the marbella guadalpin hotel for information. He recommended us to contact the services of boris, a real gentleman, I must say it was one of the most enjoyable days we ever had in our touristic life.
Boris picked us up at the hotel at 9am, in his extremely comfortable Chrysler car. In just two hourse we were in Jerez de la Frontera. During the trip he explained to us a lot of interesting matters relaing to history, politics and agriculture of the local area and of course sherry, wine and winemaking in the Jerez region.
We arrived right on time for an English speaking tour of the famed Tio Pepe winery and cellars. When you leave you are almost an expert in Sherry wines! There is even a mini train to drive you around the property and see some vineyards. An excellen wine tasting is also provided. The wines were so good we could not resist buying a few bottles.
After this Boris took us to the monumental cathedral, a must, and then to downtown Jerez where we visited the typical daily maket with a variety of vegetables and fruits and a quantity of fish and seafood which you couuld see was fresh from the ocean. We were hungry and thirsty after this so Boris suggested either a lunch in a restaurant for "Tapas" in a bar (small portions of cold or hot plates like the best ham in the world - ask for jabugo - potatoes in garlic mayonnaise, port kidneys in sherry wine, oxtail, mussels, shrimps, jumbo shrimps, snails - yes we did try them - calamari a la romana, fried anchovies, octopus and cheeses etc.) We decided on the 'tapas' and it was very good indeed. We had 'Sangria' (a mix of wine, Spanish cognac, fruit juice and chunks of fresh fruit to drink with the tapas (boris only had one small beer because he was driving). We needed a siesta after all this but Boris continued to keep our interest going by offering us the chance to take a city bus tour and have a general view of this beautiful small town of Jerez.
On our way back to marbella we stopped at the beautiful little town of Medina Sidonia, home of "The Red Countess" who wons the most important private archives in spain on the conquest of America after Sevelle. A very singular town on the top of a hill with various churches, a beautiful square, narrow streets with all the houses painted white, very peaceful. We were back at our hotel with a feeling of total accomplishment and we had a glass of sherry with Boris to exchange addresses and discuss all the things we had seen on our fantastic day out. Be sure to visit his web page,
www.costadelsol-winetours.com if you like the same kind of exclusive tourism that we like.
Would welcome any similar ideas from other readers of the forum
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