We love wine so of course, our northern Spain trip would have to include a stop in Rioja to do some wine tasting. We based ourselves in Haro since it is surrounded by many of the wineries.
We have done many wine and winery tours so this time we were looking for something different. We only booked one tour ahead of time; Bodegas Conde de Los Andes. We chose this winery because the tour went through their wine caves. For the rest of our time we planned to just find one or two more wineries where we could just taste or have a glass of wine and relax.
The tour at Bodegas Conde de Los Andes was very different than most wine tours we have been on. Typically you go through the vineyard and the winery and are educated on the winemaking process, then you end with your tasting. At Bodegas Conde de Los Andes you immediately go down into their wine caves and actually spend most of your tour in the caves. You are given education about the history of the caves and the wine in them as well as some education about their more modern-day wines. We were super excited that about halfway through the tour we stopped at a beautiful cave and actually got to taste a bottle of their 2005 vintage that had been aging. Our small group was just us and one other couple along with our guide. The five of us shared this entire bottle and then the tour continued through the caves. We thought that was the tasting and we were really happy with the wine. But then the tour continued on through the caves and concluded in the modern part of their winery with a tasting of two newer bottles. This tasting was accompanied by snacks (almonds, Iberico ham, chocolate) to pair with the wines. Our guide explained a little about each wine we were tasting and then gave us time to enjoy the wine and the food on our own. We would highly recommend this tour to winos or anyone else visiting the area. The caves are a bit chilly so we would recommend bringing a light jacket or sweatshirt with you. If you don’t have a jacket or sweater the staff will offer you a vest to help you stay warm in the caves. There are some narrow hallways where only one person can walk through at a time but other than that none of the caves are super small or claustrophobic.
Visit their website to book your tour: http://www.bodegasollauri.com/en/
We also stopped at Bodegas Muga which has a modern tasting room where you can taste their wines without having to do an entire tour. The tasting room was full of tourists from all over while we were there. Here they had a set flight so you tasted four of their reds and the fifth wine you could choose from two of their roses or a white. We really enjoyed all of the wines we tasted here. Our last stop was CVNE, here we chose to taste two different reds which again we really enjoyed both. They have multiple tasting options if you wanted to taste more than we did. For a quick lunch near the wineries, we would recommend Asador Cerveceria Tirondoa. This place is nothing fancy but they had great fried chicken!
Haro is a small city that is very walkable. There is a central square where you will find lots of places to sit and enjoy a glass of wine and a tapa or small snack. There are also several wine shops in the city where you can find a great variety of Spanish wines. Our last night in the city we had dinner at Restaurante Arrope and would highly recommend it.
There are plenty of other wineries in Rioja to explore as well. We spent our time in Haro but have heard that Logrono is also a great place to base yourself for exploring Rioja. Either way, you are sure to have some really wonderful wines!
Let us know your favorite Rioja or Spanish wines, leave us a comment below!
