A weekend in La Rioja is too short to enjoy it but it is a snack to encourage you to continue discovering more trips in the three Riojas: High, Low and Alava. 

Photography by Shaury

Vineyard La Rioja:

La Rioja is an autonomous fascinating. If you go down the road from Burgos (A1) is recommended to exit at giving Pancorbo, to start small transformation of your mind and have a weekend of aromas, flavors and learn a language that begins to envelop the exciting world of wine. A first stop might be Casalarreina where one can stay for example in a guesthouse. This an old sixteenth-century monastery has completed 500 years and every room (only 15 rooms) is different and tastefully decorated with a mix of period furnishings and modern touches. It costs us € 129incluyendo breakfast.

Before going to visit the first winery you can go for a walk in Haro, recognizing it as the place before going to the wineries to taste the wines. It should be noted that the neighborhood of the station is a cluster of wine, which is where there are more wineries per square meter. It’s where there are more wineries in the world (Bilbaínas, CVNE, Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta, Muga, López de Heredia, Rioja, and Roda Santiago). Also worth mentioning is the famous party in «The Battle of Wine» (June 29) where all participants are dumped gallons of wine, laughing and joking as their T-shirts have become of pinks, purples with wine thrown.

Photography by Maki_LO

Social room where we ate in La Rioja:

Then we can move to a village called Ollauri located on the slopes of Mount Churrumendí (a mere 5 minutes). You will be surprised to see several things on your visit to this town. There are few people with whom you come across, hardly a person, like a ghost town, the great stone mansions with their coats of arms and fireplaces. This town houses within her real labyrinths winemakers that make you move you to the past.

The atmosphere in the cellar is indescribable, as down the stairs, the light dims, the temperature is cool (do not forget your coat) and you miss by passageways; see drafts rock excavated to 40 feet deep and find out as the rest wine someday be converted into reserves and large reserves. It’s like traveling to a world of peace and tranquility. The visit cost 8 euros but if you eat in the restaurant of the winery, «Count» is leaving you free. We choose the typical Rioja cuisine but you can choose other things to the letter. The menu of La Rioja potatoes, cutlets with vine shoots and yarrow.

Patel Winery:

Among the path we have to Logroño, a place where one can stay on the road and know the place of passage, for there is the spectacular Museum Dinastia Vivanco wine culture. The valuable collection of archaeological, ethnographic and art objects it features unique to the wine.

Afternoon in Logroño, you can go to get the old town and its history. On the other hand for a pause nothing better to savor its cuisine on Laurel Street and San Juan. Impossible to prove all the skewers in a single day of the bars there but if you can get to the idea of the foundation of the cuisine of La Rioja: the quality of its raw material. The ideal day for wine tasting can be Sunday, for it will go for a wine tasting.

Photography by diluvi

Bodegas Franco Spanish:

The winery is the only one in the center of the city and discover it is like taking a crash course in the history of fine wine from Rioja and we had the opportunity to taste and compare wines from more classical (Rioja Bordon and Diamond) with others adapt to new trends (Baron d’Anglade and Barbaro). The facilities are well maintained and worth knowing the history of this winery is named after the union at the time of its founding between French and Spanish capital after the phylloxera plague that struck France in the nineteenth century.

Recommendations:

The best times to visit La Rioja are spring, summer and after harvest (in September) The wineries are generally making the harvest and you find trouble to visit. Very beautiful vineyard landscapes are in the stage of veraison (the time of the chlorination of the grapes in late August). To get you to do so by train, plane and bus, but the best is to take your car if you want to do day trips.

Budget:

You have options for every budget. If you go during the week are cheaper hotels and restaurants have menu. The winery tours and activities vary a little but cost the same.

Making wine tour is a way to cultivate their culture! I recommend it. Cheers!