The Rioja region is a fascinating study of wine, culture and scenery. Its 600+ wineries, the result of a wine culture dating back 2,000 years, are backdropped by a gorgeous landscape of rolling green hills, crystal-clear rivers, limestone mountain cliffs and beautiful old villages—a dream come true for traveling wine lovers.

The word Rioja refers to the region itself and to the wine made there. Located in north central Spain, the region’s vineyards are huddled around the Ebro River within three distinct subregions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Orientale (formerly called Rioja Baja). The area’s winegrowing benefits from a confluence of two different climates, Atlantic and Mediterranean; cold in the winter and hot in the summer with plenty of sunlight year round. Additionally, its mosaic of soil types (calcareous-clay, ferrous clay and alluvial) and terrains (mountains, terraces and valleys) adds to the diversity of the wines.

Rioja is most famous for elegant, barrel-aged red wines made from Tempranillo, yet the region also produces reds from other grape varieties, such as Garnacha, as well as stunning whites and rosés that range from crisp and refreshing in style, to luscious and velvety.

With plenty of natural beauty, historical and cultural attractions and wines to suit all tastes, it’s no surprise that wine lovers everywhere have put Rioja at the top of their “must-visit” lists. The region is about an hour’s drive from Bilbao, home of the Franck Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum, and an hour from San Sebastian, considered by many to be the best food city in Europe.

Back on Track

Like other wine regions around the world, Rioja was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic when wineries and restaurants were closed down for months. Thankfully, this summer has seen a rebound in global wine tourism and the region is getting back on its feet. Rioja is welcoming with open arms visitors who have been antsy to travel after so much time cooped up at home.

And with the increase in eager travelers, wine producers in Rioja are ramping up their tourism offerings, from the vineyards to the cellars and beyond.

“We not only want to show visitors how we make wine, but also everything else in our region,” says Eduardo Muga, of Bodegas Muga, “the landscape, the vineyards, the mountains, the foods, the whole experience. People want to see where the wine comes from and why Rioja is a privileged area to produce wine. They can then understand the versatility of Rioja and why it’s called the Land of 1,000 wines because of the many different styles.”

A Wine Lover’s Playground

In Rioja you’ll never be bored. A typical day begins at sunrise in a hot air balloon taking in the spectacular views from above, followed by a wine tasting deep within decades-old cellars. Afterwards, a Segway tour around the vineyards will keep you busy until you plop down for a picnic lunch surrounded by vines.

In the evening, more choices abound: dining at wineries with vineyard views, feasting at Michelin-starred restaurants, or simply strolling from one casual tapas bar to the next in the vibrant city of Logroño. The next day, your itinerary can be completely different: museum visits, wine tasting classes, and horseback rides. You name it, the possibilities are infinite. And after all that activity, there’s plenty of time for an afternoon siesta without the risk of being late for dinner—in Rioja, no one eats before 9 PM!

**Get ready to hop on a Segway in Rioja’s vineyards.** *Photo: Lisa Denning*

Let’s Get Touring: Five Top Choices

Bodegas Muga, one of Rioja’s most prestigious wineries, is located in the historic town of Haro in the Train Station District. Here you can tour the inner workings of the cellar, including a lesson on cooperage (barrel-making)—the winery produces its own barrels, a family tradition since 1932.

“I grew up with my father and my uncle receiving visitors,” says Eduardo Muga. “It’s a part of our way of life. We like to show what we do, to share our family and winemaking traditions.”

While the cooperage and cellar tour will surely hold your interest, it is the the winery’s early morning hot air balloon ride that you’ll find the most exciting, and will give you memories that last a lifetime. And once you’re back on the ground, you don’t want to miss a tour of the vineyards that offers a taste of the region’s delicious cuisine.

“Rioja’s traditions revolve around its food,” says Muga. “You can’t really understand the wine and the region without experiencing the local food. We pour our rosé, for example, and serve barbecued chorizo with the wine. People will remember that.”

Muga’s attitude is that wine is not only a drink. “We want to show what is in our region, the landscape, the vineyards, the mountains, the foods, the whole experience,” he says. “For us, it is a great way to communicate with our customers, who will then leave as our brand ambassadors.”

The region of Rioja also hosts many festivals, and one of Muga’s favorites is the annual Train Station event, hosted by seven Haro wineries, including his, and which draws about 3,500 people.

“It’s outdoors and each winery offers one activity,” says Muga, “with Michelin-starred restaurants serving food. It’s like a tapas crawl, where people can move from one winery to another, and do an activity and try some local food with the wines.”

Bodegas Vivanco is a fourth generation winery that makes some of Spain’s best wines. The winery houses the spectacular Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture,with exhibits spanning 8,000 years. Thousands of artifacts and artwork and many interactive exhibits can be found here, including a noteworthy collection of over 10,000 corkscrews. Plan on spending at least two hours to take it all in, either on your own or with a guide. Afterwards, enjoy a wine tasting inside the winery, paired with a selection of tapas or a full lunch menu.

“Since the Pandemic, people are now excited to return to the winery and experience our tribute to wine in the museum and to taste our wines,” says Rafael Vivanco, second generation winemaker. “We offer many possibilities outside in the vineyards, as well as inside the winery and in our restaurants.”

***Inside Vivanco’s Museum of Wine Culture is a beam press, used to apply pressure to the grapes, from the Roman times.*** *Photo: Lisa Denning.*

Tours at Vivanco often include talking about the importance of sustainability practices. “Nowadays about 200 acres of our vineyards are certified organic and it will be doubled in two years time,” says Vivanco. “It’s important for us to leave the land in good condition for the next generations to follow.”

Vivanco says that when tourists come to Rioja, they see how authentic the region remains. “It’s not overexposed to tourism,” he says. “You can have real experiences all over the region in the different old towns, and you will feel as if you are a local. And, if people want to combine a trip, Rioja is also very close to other great cities like San Sebastian, and even Bordeaux which is only a 4-hour drive away.”

Vivanco proudly points out that the region is also becoming a top gastronomic destination. “Rioja has the highest density of Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain,” he says. “And apart from those, there are many casual restaurants and tapas bars that are a lot of fun to experience.”

Bodegas Campillo is located in the heart of Rioja Alavesa in the medieval town of Laguardia, at the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria mountains.

“When restaurants were closed, it was very sad and it was hard for us because we are used to being together outside in the streets,” says Elena Larrea Dueñas, Director of Marketing for Bodegas Campillo. “We have a tapas culture of being outside with family and friends; enjoying tapas and pinchos, which are little bites with toothpicks.”

Additionally, the loss of visitors to the winery was very difficult during the pandemic. Today, Bodegas Campillo is once again able to offer its indoor experiences with wine tastings, and there is a small art gallery where visitors can explore the relationship between art and wine. Yet Dueñas says that the outdoor experiences are the best way to learn about the winery.

“We have an amazing landscape in Rioja Alavesa and the experience of being in a vineyard and drinking the wine and learning the history of a place is important,” says Dueñas. “Sharing our time and story with visitors is the best way to show our work and our wines. People can have picnics in the vineyards, or they can have a Segway experience around the property, a spectacularly fun way to see the vineyards; to zip around the unusual places on a winery’s property.”

***Some of the delicious wine, cheese and Jamón you will find in rioja.*** *Photos: Lisa Denning*

Marqués de Cáceres is one of the region’s top producers with vineyards in Rioja Alavesa and in Rioja Alta where the winery is located. The winery offers touring experiences in the vineyards and tastings of the wines with a selection of local cheeses.

“Rioja continues to evolve,” says Cristina Forner, third-generation of this distinguished winery. “Wine tourism is quite active for us and I think that it’s important for consumers and professionals to visit the winery because it’s a way to feel the commitment to quality that we have, and to taste the wines and visit the art installations.”

In June the winery holds a wine festival, scattered with food trucks and wine tastings. “There is such a wide opportunity to see how rich our wine culture is,” says Forner. “These types of opportunities are bringing people closer to the wine experience and the emotions that wine brings. It’s not only a winery you are seeing but there are many experiences you can share with your family or friends. For a winery, wine tourism is a great opportunity to get enormous exposure.”

La Rioja Alta, situated in the Haro Train Station District, is one of the region’s oldest wineries. Founded in 1890, the winery’s 400 hectares of estate-owned vineyards are within the best terroirs of Rioja. La Rioja Alta wines are noted for their lively and pure expression of the Tempranillo grape.

Sixth-generation family member Guillermo de Aranzabal says that in Rioja you can find anything you’re looking for.

“You can find really small wineries doing great wines, and you can find really big wineries doing great wines. You can find many different styles of wines too,” says Aranzabal. “We host many visitors at the winery and are open every day of the week. We have a new wine bar where we are seeing many international and domestic tourists, and we are often fully booked.”

***Photo of Paella and La Rioja Alta wine courtesY of La Rioja Alta.***

Aranzabal believes that it’s very important to show people what Rioja, and in this case Rioja Alta, is all about. “Unless you come here and see the 100-year old wooden tanks, the manual racking by candlelight or the optical sorting machines we have, unless you really see and feel it, you can’t really know what Rioja is,” he says. “Therefore, we are very interested in investing in tourism. Right now the best we can do is welcome people to the winery.”

Aranzabal also points out that La Rioja Alta, and the region in general, is very lucky to be situated close to many other great places to visit. “From Rioja you can drive to Ribera del Duero, to Rias Baixas, and even Bordeaux is only a 4-hour drive away. We aren’t isolated and it’s easy for tourists to visit us all.”

Ready to book your flight to Rioja? If you’d like to visit this fall, don’t hesitate. The autumn weather in Rioja is warm and dry and is one of the most popular times for visitors who want to partake in the flurry of harvest activities.

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