RIOJA WINE TOUR

Bilbao or San Sebastian → Rioja → Bilbao or San Sebastian

☾ 2 Nights

TRIP OVERVIEW

RIOJA WINE TOUR

WHERE YOU’LL STAY

Hotel Palacio de los Ángeles

Located in the heart of wine capital Haro’s old town, Palacio de los Ángeles is a true 5-star getaway in Rioja. A grand converted palace has been outfitted with luxury and taste. The rooms are luminous and showcase the historic stone walls of the building. You have everything you need here: cosy public areas, an on-site restaurant run by the team from two Michelin star Venta Moncalvillo, an outdoor pool area and a luxurious spa. The wineries and restaurants of Haro are just a few minutes away, making this a perfect base for exploring Rioja.

WHERE YOU’LL GO

RIOJA

Rioja feels a world apart from the nearby Basque Country. The towns and villages are dominated by ancient castles, churches and monasteries, but most of all by wineries. Vineyards are everywhere, but the wineries have always been in town in the Rioja. In honorary wine capital Haro, the Station Quarter is full of them, their famous names and tasting rooms beckoning. The mountains protecting Rioja to the North and the South make this region a wine sanctuary. Great wine is everywhere: at the pintxos bars of Haro and Logroño, the traditional restaurants in Laguardia and Casalarreina, and the cavernous cellars of Michelin-star restaurants. The food ranges from rustic to refined, but is consistently local, seasonal, and high-quality. Above all, Rioja is beautiful. Perfectly preserved medieval villages, rolling hills covered in vines whose leaves paint them in jewel tones every fall, sprawling old wineries full of ancient barrels next to psychedelic new complexes. You could come here just to look at it all, but thankfully the wine is as spectacular and diverse as the country itself.

THE WINES OF RIOJA

There is a well-established style of classic Rioja: savory, age-worthy reds dominated by Tempranillo but nearly always with small amounts of Graciano, Mazuelo, Garnacha, or even white Viura. These wines eschew single plots, instead opting to blend vineyards and even bring specific varieties from far-flung corners of the Rioja. Old American oak is often preferred to French. Many Riojas carry age certifications instead of varieties or vineyards. Crianzas are entry-level barrel-aged wines that can be very serious and great value. Reservas must have more bottle-aging than crianzas, and often age longer in oak as well. The reserva category includes some of the greatest wines in Rioja, for more is not always better when it comes to oak. Finally, the gran reservas spend at least two years in oak, often much, much more. These are the top of the classic categories, and many producers reserve their best plots for gran reservas and only produce them in exceptional vintages. Most classic Riojas can age for years, but gran reservas are built for the long haul, and the best examples will likely outlive the winemaker and the buyer.

Many quality Rioja producers have moved away from this aging-based system or changed their methods to produce a different sort of wine. Starting in the 1990s, French oak, often new, became popular among the top winemakers in Rioja. Producers like Remírez de Ganuza, Artadi, and Contador showed that French oak can make Riojas that match or even surpass those made in the old way. Single-plot wines have risen with the fortunes of new producers, many of them varietal wines of Tempranillo. New regulations allowing subregion and village labelling have firmly split Rioja producers: some have stuck with the old ways, while others have done their best Burgundy impression, producing separate wines from each distinct plot and aiming for pure terroir expression rather than consistent blends. The good news for wine lovers is that Rioja now has more diversity of fine reds than at any time in recent memory.

No wine region in Spain stands still these days, and Rioja has its own rebels and innovators pushing the boundaries. Small producers have found plots of old vines all over the Rioja, from the foot of the mountains in the Northwest to Rioja Oriental in the far east. These often contain field blends, and some producers are even taking advantage of quality Graciano, Mazuelo, and Garnacha vineyards to make varietal wines. In garage wineries you’ll see French oak, but also massive oak foudres, cement vats and amphoras. In Rioja Alavesa producers are returning to the tradition of carbonic maceration of whole bunches, the Riojan version of Beaujolais nouveau. Clarete can even be found, a full-bodied rosé style made from a blend of red and white grapes. Innovation is all around, and should continue to bring great new wines onto the market in the years to come.

Rioja means red to many people, but white Rioja is far from an afterthought. There is a classic style of white Rioja that once had many examples but today is mostly synonymous with one name: Viña Tondonia. Stubbornly traditional producer López de Heredia ages this white wine for years in American oak and years more in bottle before release: the Gran Reserva release can be over 20 years old before it appears on shelves. This kind of white Rioja is a strong contender for the most age-worthy dry white wine in the world: bottles over 40 years old can be not only drinkable, but still feel young!

Viura, the main white Rioja grape, can produce wonderfully subtle wines when treated with care. Many wineries new and old have begun to focus on white wines as well-made examples have led the way. Some are made to be drunk young, while others follow the footsteps of Tondonia and age for years. Other grapes are appearing as well, with Garnacha Blanca, Malvasia, and recent mutation Tempranillo Blanco showing up in blends and varietal wines. One small producer makes no fewer than six different white Riojas! This is a category to watch.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• 2 nights hotel, double occupancy, breakfast daily, expert private guides, private tours, premium tastings at wineries, restaurant concierge service and all reservations, private luxury transport

NOT INCLUDED

• flights to/from Spain or Portugal, gratuities to guides and drivers, travel insurance (recommended)

EPICUREAN WAYS ADVANTAGE

We pride ourselves on our discerning taste in hotels, a concierge approach to restaurants for you, and our long experience in the world of wine enabling us to select wineries worth visiting and arrange premium tastings at each winery.

You will be accompanied by a driver-guide during your wine touring. Your visits and tastings will be private and with the winemaker, a family member or an expert who knows the winery and the wines well. We work with the wineries to make sure that you taste the best and most representative wines during each visit. It is sometimes possible to arrange extended tastings that include old vintages or rare wines. We have an extensive group of wineries whose owners we know and with whom we work regularly, so we can guarantee high-level visits even if a winery has to be substituted. If you have an interest in visiting a particular producer please let us know.

We include restaurant concierge service as part of your trip. Note that our restaurant suggestions are just that–suggestions. Places we love, places to go back to time after time. We recommend these places after years of experience eating in Spain and Portugal together with frequent research and input from our local partners. We aspire to guide your choices with information on the styles of cuisine and restaurants; the choice on where to eat is yours based on your preferences and desires.

We have extensive experience with hotels ranging from 5-star luxury properties to private boutique hotels. Let us know your preferences and we will tailor the hotel choices for you.

All tours, experiences and hotels are subject to availability and will be confirmed upon booking the trip.

TRIP PRICES

Note that we can customize this trip for you. Add days in your arrival or departure city or in other locations or make changes to the experiences, winery visits, restaurants, or hotels included in the trip. Whatever it is, we’re here to work with you. Once you’re happy with the trip plan and have some idea of your dates we will send you the price.