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What to see and do in La Rioja
One of the things I love most about La Rioja wine region is that it is exactly what you picture when thinking of a a wine region, it is a classic landscape of green rolling hills and valleys striped with thousands upon thousands of rows of grape vines dotted with medieval villages piercing the country side. Wine is the obvious choice in La Rioja, the region is world famous for its quality selection of wines from over 500 vineyards. It is a wine tasters paradise and there is no escaping it. But as important as wine is to the area it gives me the sense that there is no one specific attraction to La Rioja, everything there works together creating a complete experience of La Rioja. This is all good news for those of you who do not drink wine as you will find plenty to do here.
At the cross roads of this experience is the capital, Logroño. Along the pilgrims route to Santiago Compostela (Way of St James) the city became a popular stop in the 11th century. The route passes through the very center of the city. To the north of town you will find some of the more important villages like the medieval LaGuardia (completely enclosed by perfectly preserved 13th century walls), artistic Haro overlooking the wine museum of Birones, and Elciego home to the unique Marques de Riscal hotel by Frank Gehry. To the southwest you can find San Millán de la Cogolla, site of the Suso and Yuso monasteries, birthplace of the written Spanish language, Castellano.Just a bit farther south the terrain changes as you enter the Sierra de Cebollera Nature Reserve or the Arnedillo Biosphere Reserves.
I will be honest, when I first got to Logroño I did not think of it as a stand alone destination, but as I mentioned earlier La Rioja is about the experience as a whole and Logroño is at the center. Since I was there with Spaniards and they knew a local I figured it cant be that bad and it certainly did not disappoint. My favorite part of the city is Call Laurel, a street that is filled back to back with little bars and restaurants. It is the social hub of Logroño. There are tourists of course but on a Saturday afternoon it is buzzing with locals. Each place has different specialties, one seemed to do only mushrooms, another had the best white asparagus with salt made from red wine of course and then my favorite, La Tavina. La Tavina has a fantastic wine list, you can get virtually everything by the glass here and you will find wines there that you cannot get back home. If you go you must try the “Careta Crujiente.”
Logroño city center does not have any great hotels, thats why I thinks its best to stay outside the city in one of the surrounding villages like Villabuena de Álava or Elciego. A must see is LaGuardia, a medieval town searched up on a hill over looking the valley. From here you can see San Vincente, Elciego and Haro. Completely enclosed in its walls the town takes you back to the 13th century. There is a bodega here called La Fabulista in the old tunnels underneath the Palace of Samaniegos, where Félix María de Samaniego was inspired to write his literary works. It is a great example of an old uncomplicated cellar. It makes for a great comparison to the modern bodegas like Ysios or Marques de Riscal. Walk from one end of town to the other and have some lunch afterwords.
Next stop is the Museo del Vino Dinastia Vivanco, the worlds largest wine museum. I did not think it would hold my attention but it is very well done. Chronologically laid out it take you from practically prehistoric wine production to today. It also has an excellent art collection that is of course all wine related. It is at the Vivanco vineyards so you can incorporate a wine tasting if you like and or eat there. Wide open views over the over the vineyards of Haro and San Vincente. (I had lunch there but skipped the bodega tour.) This also makes for a good first stop, it will set the stage for the rest of your stay in La Rioja.
If you stay more than one or two nights in the area and like to hike, I would try to walk a stretch of the Camino de Santiago. The French route section 8, south west heading out of Logroño. You could park at Navarrete and walk to Nájera, then just take a taxi back to your car.
Throughout the year there are some festivals worth noting. Haro plays host to the “wine battle” every June 29th. The grape harvest festival or Fiestas de Vendimia are celebrated on the middle Sunday in September every year. This coincides with San Mateo on the 21st. The town it is celebrated in rotates annually, this is is in Elciego, home of the famous Marques de Riscal vineyards and hotel.
Where to eat in La Rioja
Eating in La Rioja, as in most of the rest of Spain, is a total pleasure. Everywhere you go the Riojans take great care in providing the freshest ingredients. Everywhere where I ate had the taste of home made quality. In Logroño make sure you stop on Calle Laurel and try La Tavina, but don’t stop there there are dozens of great little spots along the route. In Haro Las Duelas is a great spot for a long lunch in the Hotel Los Agustinos. In Daroca be sure to stop and visit the Echapresto brothers at Venta Moncalvillo, some of the absolute best food in La Rioja.
Restaurant Las Duelas
in Hotel Los Agustinos
Calle San Agustín, 2, 26200 Haro
Tel:+34 941 31 13 08
Where to stay in La Rioja
There are a few great options in La Rioja for accommodations. Personally I am not too excited about any hotel in Logroño. Stay in one of the surrounding villages. In Villabuena de Alava there is Hotel Viura, a great 4 star with friendly service. From Viura you can walk to several bodegas, no driving necessary! Of course the popular Frank Gehry designed Marques de Riscal. A five star hotel owned by the Riscal vineyard, its worth stopping by to look at even if you are not staying there. If you want something a bit different try renting Casa Josephine, its a complete country house in Sorzano. If you really want to immerse yourself in the local culture this is the place to go.
Hotel Viura
Villabuena de Álava
http://www.best-in-spain.com/hotel-viura/
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