The best wineries you should visit in Rioja, from traditional to modern

When considering a wine tourism trip to a wine region such as RiojaIt's not easy to decide What are the wineries you are going to visit?.

Of course, a trip of these characteristics should not be limited to visit wineries, but the important thing is to delve deeper into the culture of the region and its wine-growing aspect.

El wine tourism trip through this area of north of Spain must run through the natural region of Rioja, which is a natural greenhouse that is protected by two walls.

What is the natural region of Rioja like?

One to the south, the Saw of Demand that protects it from the hot winds of the Sahara, and another wall to the north, the Sierra of Cantabria and Obaren Mountains that protect it from the Atlantic winds.

In this way in the Ebro Depression a is created Mediterranean climate which is not logical due to the geographical location in which it is located, and that is why it is a region where there is wildlife.

From a geopolitical point of view, this wine region It has its greatest extension in the aforementioned Community of La Rioja, but also in the Basque province of Álava, an area known as Rioja Alavesa, as well as in adjacent areas of Navarra and the Burgos province.

Wine tourism trip through Rioja

That is why you should also visit historic towns such as Laguardia o Haro, and cultural heritage, such as cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and church of Santa María de San Vicente de Sonsierra.

And in this regard, the polychrome portico of Santa María en Laguardia.

At all times I am referring to the Rioja wine territory, which transcends the demarcation of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja.

Best wineries to visit in Rioja

When it comes to the wineries you can visit, the variety of options available is so vast that you can consider several different approaches, just as we did on our recent trip through this wine-producing region.

One of these approaches is to delve into the history and culture of Rioja wine, which was one of the objectives of said wine tourism trip through Rioja, and in this regard there are many options you have focused on the visit of a traditional winery.

But the most modern architecture has also taken a great role in Rioja in the last decades.

This allows you to visit wineries with spectacular buildings like the one in Ysios Wineries, Santiago Calatrava, a Laguardia, or that of the Marqués de Riscal Winery, Frank Gehry, a The blind.

Where to visit a traditional winery in Rioja

Regarding the traditional wineries, the aforementioned town of Laguardia is a great example.

Visit traditional wineries in Laguardia

With a walled historic center that has been prohibited from vehicle access for decades, given that it is completely holed by more than 300 openwork (that's what the caves are called in Rioja) that have served as wineries for centuries.

In this regard you can visit Casa Scoop Wineries and El Fabulista Winery.

Lecea, a traditional winery in San Asensio

But a highly recommended way to approach the Rioja wine culture is to visit Lecea Wineries In the town of san asensio.

This is an example of a farmer who is dedicated to planting vineyards and founding his own winery.

It is located in a winery neighborhood which began to develop about 500 years ago, and where there were more than 300 small wineries.

As he tells us Luis Alberto Lecea During our visit, a traditional winery how are you from san asensio and many others that were born in all the towns of the Rioja territory, the farmer made the wine for his own consumption and to sell it.

For this purpose he kept it underground in small caves that we know as wineries, which led to the winery neighborhoods, but the wine ended up spoiling.

About 150 years ago, a new era began in Rioja when companies appeared that were dedicated to producing wine by purchasing grapes from farmers.

For their part, these began to group into Cooperatives.

At visit of Bodegas Lecea Above all, a 16th century Rioja press stands out with two uses of wood, which some time later became made of iron.

An ideal time to visit this winery on a wine tourism trip is during the harvest, when on a weekend they celebrate the Grape Stomping Festival.

El price of the standard visit to Bodegas Leces It is 15 euros. which lasts one hour and includes a commented tasting of three wines.

Visit century-old wineries in the Haro Station District

An essential visit in your wine tourism trip to Rioja is the Haro Station Neighborhood, where the largest concentration of century-old wine cellars in the world.

Its seven wineries that combine architecture, art, tradition and very good Rioja wines.

Its origin dates back to the 19th century when the French arrived in Rioja looking for a type of wine similar to the one they produced in the Bordeaux region, where they were suffering from the phylloxera plague.

From there, great fortunes are concentrated around the Haro railway station who see the great profitability of the wine trade with France.

Visit CVNE Wineries in Haro

One of these wineries is CVNE, founded in 1879 by the brothers Royal of Asua in Bilbao.

Its most prestigious brand is Imperial, which was awarded in 2013 as the Best Wine in the World, and is made in the facilities of CVNE at the Station neighborhood.

The company is currently run by the fifth generation of the family, and its wines are characterized by a mix of quality and tradition.

During the visit of Bodegas CVNE you will see french oak tubs handmade.

Now, its iconic corner is known as Eiffel ship, a work designed at the end of the 19th century by the studio of the famous French engineer Gustave Eiffel.

With a roof with wooden beams and metal trusses that carry the tension to the walls, the warehouse functions as a wine aging cellar even though it is not located underground, as the temperature is maintained and its quality is ensured.

The second fermentation and aging of the CVNE wines It is carried out in French and American oak barrels.

During the visit you will also be able to access the wineries located in caves.

Here you have all the information about the features, schedules and prices for visits and wine tastings at Bodegas CVNE at the Haro Station Neighborhood, which you must reserve in advance.

Visit Muga Wineries in Haro

Another of the great and most prestigious wineries that you can visit in Haro is Bodegas Muga, which was founded in 1932 and is now run by the third generation of the Muga family.

Master cooper and coopers in Muga

It should be noted that it is the the only winery in Spain with a master cuber and three of their own coopers, an aspect that is very highlighted during the visit since you will pass through the coopers' area and you will see how they work.

These facilities are where the tradition of this craft so closely linked to the culture of wine is maintained, and they manufacture not only barrels, but also large vats and vats.

Each year the master cooper of Muga He goes to French forests to select the oaks whose wood he will then use to make the vats and barrels.

At visit to Bodegas Muga It is also possible that you see how the wine racking between different barrels, so that in this way it is filtered and the dregs remain in the lower part of the barrels.

How to clarify wine

A curious work that we were able to see during our visit is the wine clarification, which is made only with the white of the eggs, with a prior process of separating the yolk.

More than 500 yolks are added to each wine tank, in a process that takes two to three days of work, among other tasks, breaking eggs.

As a curiosity, to use the leftover yolks, Bodegas Muga It has an agreement with a local baker to make yolk sweets that you can buy in the winery's own store.

Here you have all the information about the different visits and wine tourism activities offered by Bodegas Muga.

Visit Bodegas Roda in Haro

Another optional visit that you have in the Haro Station Neighborhood Its the Bodegas Roda, the youngest in this historic Rioja wine neighborhood.

Founded in 1987, the building Station neighborhood It was not completed until 2001.

Bodegas Roda Currently it has a production of 350.000 bottles per year

A highlight of this winery is that the grapes used to make their wines come only from old vines and are picked by hand.

Aging takes place in French oak barrels, and a place that will surely catch your attention during your visit is the malolactic room heated by underfloor heating and cooling, the only one of these characteristics that exists in Rioja.

Bodegas Roda It also has two large underground caves used for aging wines, the most notable being known as The Draft, which when it was founded was purchased from the neighboring winery Gomez Cuadrado.

This cave has a balcony towards the Ebro river that runs through said area near Haro.

Here you have information for the visit and wine tasting at Bodegas Roda in Haro.

Where to visit a modern winery in Rioja

To close the cycle of history of wine in Rioja, and also know the more industrial aspect of its production, it is worth visiting a modern winery ´most iconic neighborhoods, Old field.

Campo Viejo Wineries in Logroño

Located near the city of Logroño, Campo Viejo Winery It is located in a building built in 2000 by the architect Ignacio Quemada of San Sebastian.

This is the winery that sells the most Rioja wine throughout the world, because with the brands Old field y Azpilicueta It exports 70 percent of its production to more than 70 countries.

Old field currently belongs to a multinational Pernaud Richard.

During your visit, I can tell you that you will be impressed by the modern building, which was built mostly underground.

This allows for the creation of the most ideal space for winemaking and aging, with an atmosphere typical of traditional wineries.

La large fermentation warehouse with aluminum tanks It is really impressive, and during the visit you will also see another large warehouse occupied by aging barrels, and another warehouse used for preserving bottles.

Here you have all the information about the various options of visits to Bodegas Campo Viejo, with its characteristics and prices for visits and wine tastings.