sssteve

We really enjoyed our recent trip to Rioja, Spain.
Just published my web page about this trip.

http://www.travel.stv77.com/rioja/rioja.htm

Hope it can help somebody in their planning.

mikelg

Good report, very comprehensive, helpful and full of useful information. I noticed you call "tapas" what are really "Pintxos"...tapas is something quite different from pintxos but I guess the name is overly popular. You may want to take a look at the differences on http://mugalari.wordpress.com/2014/0...asque-country/ and http://www.blogseitb.us/basquetouris...-not-a-racion/


It always draws my attention about visitors complaining about dining "late" at 0900pm...that´s waaaaay too early for us locals!!

And yes, Maribel´s Guides is the best guide that I know to Spain!

Thank you again!

sssteve

Thanks Mike.

Somewhere in the beginning of the page, I mentioned that tapas is called pintxos in the Basque region and Rioja, but after that, I used them interchangably.

Ian

Thanks for your report & the pictures. The region has always been of interest to me - since I drink so many of their wines!

Ian

mikelg

Hi sssteve...yes, I noticed...but tapas are not pintxos, that´s what I wanted to point out...although it´s a very common belief!

Robert2533

Pintxos in the Basque Country, and Navarra, are typically considered haute cuisine, but yes, the term tapa is commonly used in reference to Basque style small plates cuisine. As Mikel notes, there is a difference.

sssteve

Thanks.

I will update and correct things at the first opportunity.

kja

Hi, sssteve --

I only just read your web-page and found it helpful and inspiring -- thanks so much!

I'm currently planning a trip to the area, and my problem (everyone should have such problems!) is that I am likely to have only a very limited time in the area. I'm thinking of visiting only two wineries in La Rioja (I know - it's sacrilege!) -- perhaps Lopez de Heredia and Bodegas Roda, which I think should give me a pair of experiences that provide interesting contrasts. You seemed to enjoy both, but perhaps you would recommend a different pair? Any and all comments are welcome!

If it matters, I expect to have a car while in the area, but I refuse to drive after drinking any wine, so I want to limit my selection of wineries to those I can visit by foot or public transportation. I'll definitely spend some time in Bilbao, and am thinking of spending a night in Haro or other place that maximizes my chance of exploring some of La Rioja's wineries.

Thanks so much for your report and any advice you care to offer!

bilboburgler

Thanks, off again this year for a little buying so your report will be v useful

traveller1959

<< Riscal is another winery (like Vivanco) which has become more famous than Rioja itself. It is without doubt Rioja Alavesa's grandest name and most important house. In 1858 it became the first winery in the Rioja to produce wines following the Bordeaux method. Don Guillermo Hurtado de Amézaga, the Marqués de Riscal, was asked by local producers to find a French wine expert to train them in the winemaking techniques of the Médoc. >>

Interesting, what they told you there. In my understanding, Marques de Murrieta brought wine-making techniques from Bordeaux to Rioja in 1852, so, he was the first one.

IMO, Marques de Murrieta makes MUCH better wines than Marques de Riscal, although the Frank O. Gehry building of Riscal is magnificent.

I consider Castillo Ygay (of Murrieta) Spain's second-best wine (after Vega Sicilia, which grows in Ribera del Duero).

bilboburgler

One of the Marques of Murrieta or Riscal introduced holding wine in barrels rather than goat skins.. Now which one

sssteve

Hi KJA!

The best thing about Haro is that there are several wineries there, and if you stay at a hotel in Haro, you can walk to the wineries.

The pair you mentioned, Roda, and Heredia were both enjoyable, but if I had to pick one, I would pick Heredia because of their traditional methods. It's very impressive. Roda is modern and also impressive, but there are plenty of modern wineries to visit in Rioja.

The 2 must visits in Rioja are Vivanco and Riscal. Both have restaurants. Below are 3 possibilities for your visit.

1. The visit itself is more important and entertaining than the tasting at the end. At Vivanco, the museum is incredible. You can visit and forgo tasting the wine at the end.
2. Visit either and taste some wine. Then have lunch at the winery restaurant. Don't have any wine with lunch. These are very good restaurants, where lunch takes at least 2 hours. That will give you enough time to put the wine tasting "behind" you and allow you to drive safely.
3. Have you ever heard of spitting? It's perfectly acceptable in Europe. Taste the wine and spit it out.

Another winery with a restaurant and which we enjoyed very much was Baigorri.

mikelg

I personally like the smaller, familiar ones. But you may need a car to get to them, so Lopez de Heredia, CVNE, Gómez Cruzado, Muga, Rioja Alta, Roda are good options, as all of them are at the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, easily reachable on foot from the town center. I´d avoid Marqués de Riscal, too touristy, too crowded, and not that interesting.

There are hundreds of options...Rioja wine region is divided into three areas (Rioja Alavesa, where the best wines are made; Rioja Alta, Haro and surrounding towns; and Rioja Baja, of lower quality wines). La Rioja is also an autonomous community within Spain (there are 17), but not all of La Rioja is wine country. Rioja wine country is in three autonomies: Basque Country, La Rioja and Navarre. Maybe a bit complicated to understand.

I love Remelluri and the walks among the vineyards, its chapel, the prehistoric tombs...Ostatu, as a very familiar winery...El Fabulista in Laguardia, for a different type of winery; Heredad Ugarte and Torre de Oña...there are dozens...

kja

@ sssteve &
@ mikelg --

Thank you both so much! I'm reasonably committed to Heredia at this point, but OMG, there are SO many options! I look forward to exploring these recommendations before I finalize my plans.

And I appreciate the recommendations for how to make visiting a few wineries possible. Yes, spitting had slipped my mind -- it seems such a horrid thing to do with such special wines! ... except that, of course, it is the "obvious" solution, isn't it. ;-)

sssteve

KJA:

Just in case you need a brushup on the finer points of wine-spitting, check out this link.

http://winefolly.com/tutorial/how-to-spit-wine/

kja

Thanks, sssteve -- that's perfect! There must be a video how-to for just about everything these days.

tessietoes

sssteve, thanks so much for your report and photos! What a fun read...and so informative! Also thank you for everyone's info. So many places so little time. I feel like a kid in a candy store. I thought about starting a new thread on Rioja but yours is so much better so I hope you don't mind. Here goes..

We will be in San Sebastian in April then driving to Rioja for 2 days, leaving San Sebastian early Saturday. Some variety in scenery and location on both days would be nice.

The whole Saturday is open for visiting wineries, lunch, more wine tasting and hopefully to an interesting B&B/hotel nearby then dinner. Robert, I loved your Hotel Viura suggestion but thinking somewhere way closer to the last winery as I doubt we'll be spitting much if at all.

Some things we're considering are taking a winery tour at Vivanco & seeing the museum and maybe lunch at their restaurant?
Remelluri
Muga

Or head south to Echaurren in Ezcaray and stay in that hotel Sat night. El Portal looks amazing but interested in trying the other restaurant overseen by his mom, more traditional...anyone been? Are the roads leading to Echaurren awfully windy? or skip Eschaurren all together with so little time and stick with the above wineries and get lodging in Haro?

Then on Sunday, maybe lunch at Asador Alameda in Fuenmayor or perhaps this is when we visit Vivanco before heading to Riscal to stay & tour their winery?

Next day Monday, maybe another winery visit , lunch to sober up, then drive to Bilbao.

I would appreciate some help arranging the plan and logistics please! Just saw Muga also offers a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the vineyards...what a view that must be! We enjoy whites but prefer oaky full bodied reds. Thank you all...you guys are the experts!

mikelg

My favorite restaurant in the area is close to Labastida, in Rivas de Tereso, Asador Jose Mari. Real homemade food in a family owned restaurant (as many in Rioja and Basque Country), excellent roasted suckling lamb and other local delicacies...

For some reason, most of my US guests come saying that they prefer whites...funny to us, Rioja is a land of reds (although the viura grape white they make is fantastic). We love whites and txakoli at noon, while having pintxos with friends before lunch. And mostly whites in the evening and at night. You rarely see someone having white at a restaurant, less at night time. And in Rioja they prefer the year wine, of carbonic maceration, then the crianza (my favorite) and then the oaky reservas and gran reservas. We ask for wines in restaurants not by the grape (as you do in the US), but by the region (a Rioja, a Priorat, a Ribera...), and then the year (año, crianza, reserva...). Funny.

kja

"For some reason, most of my US guests come saying that they prefer whites...funny to us, Rioja is a land of reds"

I've known, and savored, Rioja reds for decades now! Maybe its because of the seafood in the area? Many Americans think that the "only" wines to have with seafood are white....

mikelg

I don´t really know...whenever we watch a US movie, we always see people drinking white at night, which is odd to us. White wine has to be served cold, it´s non-complex, light and refreshing, and we think it goes well with the appetizers and pintxos at noon. Of course, an oak matured white (as many in Rioja) is perfect at night.

As per seafood, we love white wines to go with it too. A Godello grape wine, or a Viura, even a Verdejo, go perfect with a nice lobster. But a young red, served cold, is also fine with seafood.