Sanfermines and wine (6 – 14 July)

Tomorrow is San Fermín, a celebration that every year brings together many people from all over the world. It is celebrated in Pamplona (where LEV2050 is located) between the 6th and 14th of July.

Although this year we will not be able to celebrate these events either, we are going to talk a little bit about them.

The origin of the Sanfermines comes from the mixture of three celebrations: the religious festivities in honour of San Fermín (patron saint of Navarre), the livestock fairs and the bullfights. Although these celebrations were held at different times of the year, they ended up coming together due to the bad weather on the dates of the feast of the patron saint. Finally, on 7 July 1591, the Sanfermines were held for the first time.

What do the Sanfermines consist of?

The official start of the Sanfermines is on the 6th of July at noon, with the traditional txupinazo. This consists of the launching of a rocket from the balcony of Pamplona City Hall after the shout: “Pamploneses, pamplonesas, Viva San Fermín, Gora San Fermín! The town hall square is full of people dressed in pure white celebrating the start of the sanfermines. Until the txupinazo, those present are not allowed to wear the red kerchief.

As for the encierros, they have changed a lot since their origins. In the beginning, the bulls were taken from the countryside to the city for bullfighting. They entered the city at dawn, quickly, so as not to disturb the neighbours. Nowadays the running of the bulls takes place at 8 o’clock in the morning, from 7th to 14th July. This consists of running in front of 6 bulls and 6 steers for 875 metres until they reach the bullring.

But the Sanfermines are more than just the encierros. Throughout the whole week, Pamplona is dyed white and red (although in the end, the white clothes end up becoming red thanks to the wine). Yes, wine, that product for which LEV2050 is so passionate.

It is impossible to walk through the streets of old Pamplona during the Sanfermines without getting stained. Wine flies through the air, especially on the 6th.

In addition to the streets, Pamplona is full of bars and terraces. While eating pintxos, people also drink. Especially wine. Traditionally, during Sanfermines, people drank a lot from the “botas de vino”, those bags of cured pigskin.

These days, wine from our D.O. (the Navarra Denomination of Origin was created in 1933) is very popular. Navarrese wines are unique due to the combination of 3 climates: Atlantic, continental and Mediterranean. This combination, as well as the diversity of the land and altitude, results in many distinctive wine styles. You will find balanced wines – red, white and rosé – made from autochtonous grapes (Tempranillo, Garanacha and Viura) and international varieties (Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon).

We are looking forward to next year’s celebrations, ¡Viva San Fermín! Gora San Fermín!