On the first weekend of September, the little town of Manilva celebrates its Muscatel grape harvest with wine, flamenco and barefoot grape-stomping. Here's why it's worth the trip.
If you want to see the Costa del Sol at its most authentic — the version the guidebooks skip — put the first weekend of September in your diary and head west to Manilva. This small town near the Cádiz border has grown sweet Muscatel (moscatel) grapes since Roman times, and every year it throws a Fiesta de la Vendimia, a grape-harvest festival, to mark the moment the vines give up their fruit. It's declared of Provincial Tourist Interest, and it's exactly the kind of local, unhurried celebration we love pointing visitors towards.
When it happens in 2026
The festival falls on the first weekend of September — for 2026 that means around 5-6 September. It runs across the weekend with a full programme, and the town centre and the vineyard slopes above it are the places to be. As with all local fiestas, the town hall confirms the final timings close to the date, so it's worth a quick check when you plan.
What actually happens
This is a working harvest turned into a party, and the traditions are the whole point:
- Grape-treading (la pisa). Locals climb barefoot into the lagar and stomp the freshly picked grapes the old way — messy, joyful and genuinely how it was always done.
- The first must. The weekend builds to the pressing of the season's first must (mosto), the fresh grape juice that marks the official start of the harvest. Tasting it, straight and sweet, is the signature moment.
- Wine tastings of the local Muscatel, alongside stalls of regional food.
- Flamenco, marching bands and processions, plus family-friendly activities through the day.
It's colourful, free to wander, and refreshingly unpolished — a real town celebrating a real harvest, not a show put on for tourists.
Making a weekend of the western coast
Manilva sits at the quieter, western end of the Costa del Sol, between Estepona and the Cádiz frontier, so it pairs beautifully with a couple of days exploring that stretch: the marina and old town of Estepona, the beaches around Sabinillas and Duquesa, and the hillside villages behind. The first weekend of September is also when Ronda holds its famous Feria de Pedro Romero and Corrida Goyesca up in the mountains — so if you're already this far west, an inland day trip is easy to add.
September is a wonderful month to be here generally: the sea is still warm, the summer crowds have thinned, and the light turns golden — we go into it in our guide to the Costa del Sol in September.
Where to stay
Manilva itself is small, so most visitors base themselves along the nearby coast — Estepona and the western beaches give you a good choice of holiday apartments within a short drive of the festival. September accommodation is easier to find than in high summer, but the pretty coastal spots still book up at weekends, so it's worth sorting your stay a little ahead.
If you'd like a hand finding a base for the harvest weekend, tell us your dates and how far from Manilva you're happy to be, and we'll point you to the right holiday rentals. Have a look at what's available in our rental search to start — and come thirsty for that first taste of must.
The GR Estates Team
The best experiences on the Costa del Sol
Written with AI assistance and reviewed by the GR Estates team before publication. AI transparency
