- Vino de la Costa — the traditional mix from the Contraviesa. The name points at the sea you can see from the ridge, not at a beach cellar.
- Rancio — the taste of wine aged a long time in wood, with air. Nutty, not rotten. Some old Costa wine was made this way, sometimes with extra grape spirit.
- Laujar-Alpujarra — the protected name (Vino de la Tierra) for table wines from Laujar de Andarax, Fondon and Alcolea in Almeria.
- Vijiriega — a local white grape of these mountains. You will also see Moscatel, Pedro Ximenez, Tempranillo and the usual French names.
Wines of Laujar and the Contraviesa — Alpujarra and Andarax
Two hill countries sit between Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean. On the Granada side the ridge is the Contraviesa: Albondón, Albuñol, Cadiar, Murtas and the villages that look down on the Costa Tropical. On the Almeria side the valley is the Andarax: Laujar de Andarax, Fondon and Alcolea. Both grow vines high up. They are not Jerez and they are not one denomination.
The old local glass is called vino de la Costa — “coast wine” — even though the vines sit at about a thousand metres. Some of that wine was fortified and left in wood until it tasted of rancio: nutty, tired in a good way, strong. Modern bodegas also bottle ordinary red, white and rosé. From the Costa del Sol you reach this map if the Alpujarra or inland Almeria is already the plan. It is not a detour from a Malaga lunch.
*Village wine is easiest in a bar. Bodegas that take visitors need a call first.
Words you will meet
Contraviesa and Albondón
The Granada Alpujarra and the Contraviesa sit in the wider Quality Wine of Granada map, with a named sub-zone that includes Albondón, Albuñol, Almegijar, Cadiar, Castaras, Murtas, Polopos, Rubite, Sorvilan, Torvizcon, Turon and Ugijar. Vines here have been a crop since the Romans; by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries they were the main plant on this ridge.
Albondón is still talked about as the shop window for the old Costa wine. You drink it in the village more often than you find a labelled bottle in a Costa supermarket. Strength and colour vary from house to house. Some is a dark rosé, some red, a little white. The fortified, long-aged style at around 20 percent alcohol is the one the old notes call rancio. It is not every bottle from every hillside now.
Laujar, Fondon and Alcolea
East of the provincial line the Andarax valley runs between Sierra Nevada and Sierra de Gador. Laujar de Andarax, Fondon and Alcolea are the three towns on the Laujar-Alpujarra IGP. The wines you are likeliest to be poured on a visit are pale clarets, fresh whites and modern reds — Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo — not a 20-percent dessert glass.
Fortified, wood-aged lots still exist, in the same family as the Granada rancio. They are the smaller part of what a visitor will be offered. Almeria’s coast is dry and hot; these cellars work because the vineyards are inland and high, not because the desert plain is a vineyard.
How to reach Laujar and the Contraviesa from Malaga
This is mountain country. A hire car from Malaga Airport is the practical way: the coast road toward Motril and then up, or inland via Granada into the Alpujarra. A private transfer can leave you in Orgiva, Lanjaron, Laujar or a coastal hotel; the cellars are then a local drive.
Car hire Malaga airport
From Malaga Airport follow the A-7 toward Motril, then climb to Albondón and the Contraviesa, or continue toward Almeria and turn inland for Laujar. The roads are slow and steep. One ridge in a day is enough.
Car hire Malaga airport
Book a taxi
From Malaga Airport or your Costa del Sol hotel to Lanjaron, Orgiva or Laujar de Andarax. Stay overnight. A same-day return that includes a tasting and the mountain road is too much clock.
Book a taxi*No credit-card details or advance payment are needed to request a quote. Cancellation is free. Book ahead in high season to avoid price rises and to secure the car or group size you need.
Other options
Buses from Malaga reach Motril and Almeria. From Granada there are services into the Alpujarra — Orgiva, Lanjaron, Ugijar — but not a timetable built around a cellar door in Albondón or Laujar. You will need a taxi for the last miles.
There is no useful train on this ridge. From Fuengirola, Torremolinos or Marbella go into Malaga for the long-distance coach, or drive. In winter the high roads can take snow; in summer they take heat. Fill the tank before you climb.
Practical tips
- Albondón is the Contraviesa stop for the old Costa wine. Laujar is the Almeria valley stop for labelled table wine.
- Ask for vino de la Costa in a village bar. Do not expect the same bottle in a Malaga supermarket.
- Rancio means long-aged in wood. It is not a fault and it is not every wine from these hills.
- Do not stack Sierra Nevada, the Alpujarra villages and Laujar in one afternoon.
- The driver does not drink the tasting. These roads are narrow.
Frequently asked questions about Laujar and Contraviesa wines
Why is it called vino de la Costa if the vines are in the mountains?
From the Contraviesa you look down on the Mediterranean. The name is local. The vineyards themselves sit high above the shore.
Is all the wine fortified?
No. The old rancio style was often strengthened with grape spirit and left in wood. Most labelled wine from Laujar now is ordinary table red, white or rosé.
Are Laujar and Albondón in the same province?
No. Albondón and the Contraviesa are in Granada. Laujar de Andarax, Fondon and Alcolea are in Almeria.
Can I buy a bottle to take home?
Modern Laujar wines, yes, if the bodega is open. Traditional Costa wine is easier by the glass in the village than as a labelled souvenir.
Is this the same as Sierra Nevada wine?
Same mountain mass, different slopes. The Contraviesa and Andarax face south toward the sea. The ski road is the other side of the range.
How far from Malaga?
Count on two and a half to three hours to Albondón or Laujar, plus mountain time. Stay overnight if you want a tasting.
