The Wine Museum allows visitors to explore the evolution of viticultural and winemaking practices through its dedicated building, in an educational and interactive way.

Built upon the former winery of Leocadio Morales—one of the most active participants in the commercial and export boom of Valdepeñas wines at the beginning of the last century—the Wine Museum preserves the full history and tradition of the “Valdepeñas” Designation of Origin. It focuses its efforts on portraying the shift toward quality that began in the 1970s, culminating in “The New Generation of Valdepeñas Wines.” This transformation is reflected in the building’s very structure: functionalist in style, its façade breaks forth like a large monolith, embedded into a traditional Valdepeñas winery.

As visitors journey through the various rooms that make up this cultural temple of renowned wines, they are placed within the geographical context of the Designation of Origin, which covers around 30,000 hectares of vineyards carefully tended by nearly 4,000 winegrowers across ten municipalities. The museum also recounts key historical milestones in the legacy of “Valdepeñas wines”, preserved through quotations from notable travelers. Visitors can also access data related to wine marketing and delve into the local culture through figures such as Gregorio Prieto, Juan Alcaide, and Francisco Nieva, without overlooking the significance of the Wine Festivals, held during the first week of September and featuring a rich array of artistic, cultural, and gastronomic events.

Through informative panels—concise in text and rich in visuals—the museum provides a comprehensive overview of Valdepeñas wines, offering specific insights into the region. A physical identification is made of the ten towns registered with the Regulatory Council of the “Valdepeñas” Designation of Origin, along with the most decisive historical data to indicate wine quality. The museum highlights the grape varieties authorized by the Council and shares information on soil characteristics, climate, rainfall, and hours of sunshine, among other parameters, as well as unique local viticultural and winemaking practices.

Likewise, the structure of the old winery has been lovingly preserved in all its splendor.

Visitors can admire the majestic courtyard, featuring a traditional La Mancha-style well with a single-piece stone curb, and agricultural tools placed under the side porch. The building’s gabled roof with Arabic tiles, the unloading dock, the scale, the jaraíz (where the original wine presses and grain stores can be admired), the chilanco, the clay jar cellar, and the underground wine cave—all remain intact, including the famed miniature jar used by the winemaker. Inside the Tinaja Cellar, the museum displays all the machines and tools used in the winemaking process, accompanied by a permanent photography exhibition by Harry Gordon, taken during the 1959 harvest in Valdepeñas. Another section is dedicated to the cooperage, showcasing how casks, barrels, and vats were once made and repaired.