Wine tasting in Rioja

Say “Spanish wine” and most people will think Rioja. And until we started planning a trip there I didn’t really know more than that; renowned reds and some good whites. So. La Rioja is a northern region of Spain, just inland from the Basque country around Bilbao and overlapping with it a little. It is essentially a great big east-west valley of sun-baked soils sandwiched between two ranges of green mountains. You can easily explore the whole region from a central base like Logrono, the largest town in the area with a fine historic centre.

Rioja isn’t like France or California, where wineries range from industrial monsters down to tiny cellar-door outfits. There basically doesn’t seem to be anything at the small scale, wineries are either quite big or really big. We also found that the articles we read online were backed-up by the advice in the tourist information and at the front desk of hotels: “you have to book to visit a winery, and visits are only at certain times”.

This isn’t quite true.

You have to book if you want a tour of the winery, and it seems to be assumed this is what all visitors want! But if you patiently explain that you only want to taste the wine, maybe buy some, then it magically transpires that most of the large or famous wineries have a bar and shop where you can drop in at any time, and that arrangements for a tasting can be made by phone with some smaller wineries (it goes without saying that you should probably buy some bottles, unless it’s really yucky, as you may have put them out of their way).

So we visited a few of the biggies. Ysios: has the most jaw-dropping architecture, and a very corporate tasting from a nice PR girl. Marques de Murrieta: classy and traditional, with a shop and bar where you can buy various tastings from an enomatic dispenser. Baigorri: thoroughly modern hilltop winery, we took the very interesting tour & tasting but they also have a bar/shop where you can taste. Marques de Riscal: with a slick shop and bar/cafe, and a double-jaw-dropping Gehry architected hotel/winery that you’re not allowed to actually see unless you pay for a tour. Vina Tondonia: slightly bonkers modern tasting room, very reasonable price for the wines on tasting. In all of these we were looked after by very charming PR girls or bar staff.

And which were the best wines? Ah, that would spoil the fun, and besides everyone’s tastes vary. But I will say that these were all makers of excellent quality Rioja, both white and red. You’ll just have to come over and try for yourself. One little tip: if, like us, you are disappointed that you can’t see Gehry’s hotel at Marques de Riscal, turn immediately left out of the car park and wend your way uphill on the tiny road through the vineyards. Look back – you get a great view of the hotel and the village. ; )

Of course, it wouldn’t be a successful wine trip if we didn’t accidentally find one cool local winery with a friendly proprietor. This time the accident was a bottle of 2001 Urbina Reserva we had with our Michelin 2-star meal at Echaurren. It was bloody lovely (so was the meal). So on a whim we asked at reception whether they knew if the winery had a bar or a shop (“just for tasting, not for a visit, yes we know visits are only 11am on weekdays and cost 5 Euros, we just want to taste and maybe buy some”) and they phoned up and arranged something for 5pm-ish the next day. When we got there, we were met by an old chap with a limp and zero English who talked us through his wines. Another difference between Rioja and almost anywhere else we’ve gone wine tasting is that they keep hold of their wines for a few years before selling them, rather than flogging ’em young and telling you they’ll be better with a few years “in your cellar” (pffff!). Even so, we were staggered to find he was selling the 2001 Reserva, alongside 1997 and 1994 Gran Reservas! For 14 Euros!

So that was a nice end to a great wine trip. It helps that the villages and towns are beautiful, with medieval churches and more warm golden stone than the Cotswolds. And that the food is absolutely splendid no matter where you go or what you pay; the narrow lanes of old Logrono packed with tapas bars are particularly good fun. And if you want to splurge, I can totally recommend Echaurren!