It's getting too hot, time to go up North: La Rioja

Church in a small village of La Rioja

The wine region of la Rioja has become more widely known around the world in recent years, firstly for the quality red wine that it produces and secondly as a travel destination. The types of visitor the region of La Rioja pulls is mainly Spanish, being fairly near Madrid, it makes it an ideal getaway. However, it is beginning to emulate the atmosphere of St Emilion as a centre for wine appreciation. Its stylish and modern hotels and its mix of new world wine making and traditional methods has brought in a new kinds of visitors eager to discover the its historical heritage and admire the striking landscapes. While also indulging in tours and tasting in the many wineries that are spread over the region.


Many of the vineyards cover the region and cross over to the Basque country. Many of the grapes used by individual wineries are taken from different areas of La Rioja and the Basque country. The capital of the region is the untouristy  Logroño, this is the main commercial centre but also has a old historic Centre lined with tapas bars.

Chillis hanging ou to dry

Main tapas street in Logroño

The tapas are cheap and delicious, typically served are pinchos which are marinated meat skewers, stuffed piquillo peppers, Riojan cheeses and sweet paprika chorizo. There is also a great local fiesta in September, the streets are full with people eating and drinking. The local wines are of course on offer, as are other wines from around Spain. One of the most delicious wines I tried was a young white wine from the region, at only 0.70cents a glass!  What's also also appealing about Logroño is that there is none of that wine snobbery that you find in areas like Bordeaux. Any bartender is happy to advise and suggest wines that will be more than reasonable in price.

Right: stuffed piquillo pepper, left; pinchos (Before)

(After)

Another big wine producing town is Haro, which is home to both the Muga and the Cune wineries. Tours of the wineries cost between 6 and 10 euros, and free wine tasting is included. Muga actually gives each visitor a wine tasting glass as a present.

Grapes being processed

Huge wine vats

 Its worth doing one or two tours to see the inside workings of the wineries and the different methods that are used. The history of the wineries are also explained and some of their origins are quite interesting. If you can get a glimpse of the the growers wine book, this provides plenty of interesting information of the wine harvests, some even date back till the 18th century.

In the Muga wine cellar

The countryside around Haro is stunning. Camping is a good option in La rioja and there is an excellent campsite situated right between  the town and the Muga winery in Haro. Don't miss the wine festival in August when everyone throws copious amounts of wine over each other.

In the north of La Rioja towards the Basque country there are stunning mountain and valleys. There are actually seven main rivers that run through the region making it very green and fertile. There are even Vultures to be seen on the mountain tops as well as old red-stoned villages along the way.

Countryside around La Rioja

Logroño has an airport and there are flights from London and connecting flights from Madrid. Alternatively, you could hire a car from Madrid and take a tour up to La Rioja, its about two hours away from Madrid and worth the drive. Online car hires are the cheapest in Spain, check out amigosautos.com or pepecar.com

Abandoned village house

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