International press club members discover the heart of Malaga's Axarquía

Members and guests of the Costa Press Club spent a day in the Axarquía area of Malaga province on Saturday 6 September, where they learnt about the Muscat of Alexandria grapes, which since 2017 have been recognised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as part of their Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).

The first stop on the tour was Lagar Tunante de Arriba near Almáchar, where they were introduced to the drying and selection processes involved in the centuries-old traditional grape harvest by owner Francisco (Paco) Ríos Lozano.

This was followed by a walking tour through Almáchar, which coincided with the village's Fiesta del Ajoblanco, an annual event which promotes and celebrates the traditional cold soup which is made with almonds, garlic and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). They also visited La Lipa apartments to find out more about the tourist accommodation offer, the village's Museo de la Pasa (raisin museum) and the final stop in the village was Bodega Fabio Cullet where the group tasted local muscatel wine.

They went on to El Borge where they were apprehended by some of the local bandits at the Galería del Bandolero, a museum space which provides a fascinating insight to Malaga's infamous 19th century outlaws. The day finished with lunch inspired by the Axarquía's local produce at the village's Posada del Bandolero, which is the birthplace of El Bizco de El Borge, one of the area's most notorious bandits.

The day was organised by APTA (Asociación para la Promoción Turística de la Axarquía) with the collaboration of guide Elena Sanchis from Plan A Málaga tours, the mayors of Almáchar, Antonio Yuste Gámez and Moclinejo, Antonio Muñoz Anaya, and Ezequiel Moya from the Galería del Bandolero.

Founded in 2002, the Costa Press Club is an association of international journalists and content creators based on the Costa del Sol and across the province of Malaga. It is open to all nationalities and encompasses a diverse group of members with backgrounds in journalism and content creation.