Winery in Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa
Talk about Rioja is synonymous with talking about wines and wine tourism.
But you may not know that Rioja, thewine designation of origin perhaps with more prestige in Spain and beyond our borders, it is not synonymous with The Rioja As an autonomous community.
Quite the contrary, said designation of origin covers the lands of the Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja Y Rioja Alavesa.
That is, it extends mainly through the aforementioned autonomous community, but also through areas of Navarra, Alava and even a small enclave in the province of Burgos.
From these lands some time ago I had the opportunity to visitHaro, historic city considered as the capital of Rioja.
But recently I also had the opportunity to visit the region of Rioja Alavesa, which has a special idiosyncrasy as part of Basque Country, but also be closely linked to the Rioja.
It is a small territory located between the Sierra de Cantabria and the Ebro river which extends for 320 square kilometers, with 15 municipalities and just 12,000 inhabitants.
What is considered as the historical capital of the region is the medieval village of Laguardia,
Of course, it is not about the town that has the largest population, where Oyón occupies, where an industrial estate is located and is considered as the economic capital of the region of Rioja Alavesa.
Ysios Wineries in Rioja Alavesa
What to see in Rioja Alavesa
A wine tourism trip for this region of Rioja Alavesa It involves seeing landscapes of vineyards and visiting wineries with very different characteristics.
But also stroll through small medieval villages seated on hills and with walls and emblazoned houses.
From my point of view, without doubt the best time to enjoy these landscapes is autumn.
If, for example, we clearly have the image of the Jerte Valley inEstremadura to the white landscapes of the cherry blossoms during spring in Rioja Alavesa you will see amazing reddish autumn landscapes flying large flocks of starlings.
Hotel de Bodegas Marqués de Riscal in Elciego in Rioja Alavesa
Since the vineyards occupy about 13,000 hectares, this reddish color becomes totally predominant in these places.
Red of the red grape vines of the reds, with some brushstrokes of yellow of the white grapes of the white ones, very minor wines in the production of Rioja.
The special characteristics of the soil and the weather conditioned by the Sierra de Cantabria propitiates the Rioja Alavesa wine Have your own personality.
Wineries in Rioja Alavesa
The wineries become the main protagonists of your wine tourism trip through Rioja Alavesa.
In the region there are about 400 wineries, of which 56 currently have wine tourism activities, within the framework of the promoter Rioja Alavesa Wine Route.
Polychrome portico of the Laguardia church in Rioja Alavesa
The vast majority of wineries are familiar, and virtually every building you can see in the countryside is a winery.
But you will find two very different worlds.
On the one hand there are the large wineries of the best known brands of Rioja Alavesa, in which the architecture of its buildings acquires a great prominence.
In some cases these wineries incorporate a hotel establishment designed to accommodate both business visitors and those who are going to enjoy wine tourism.
That is the case of the famous hotel designed in The blind by the prestigious Canadian architect Frank Gehry for the Marqués de Riscal Wineries, the oldest in Rioja, with its titanium and steel roof in voluptuous shapes.
Jilabá winery in Rioja Alavesa
Or the spectacular building of the Ysios Wineries, of cedar wood and aluminum cover.
The visit of these great wineries offers you a great diversity of attractions.
So, for example, you can see the beautiful panoramic views of vineyard landscapes from the hotel of the Eguren Ugarte Wineries, or the impressive tunnels drilled in the mountain of Viña Real Wineries, of the group Cradle.
But, on the other hand, you can also visit small family wineries in Rioja Alavesa.
That would be the case ofJilabá Wineries. with facilities with a charming decoration typical of a house typechateau French, where you will be surprised to see a chapel among the wine barrels.
Casa Primicia Wineries in Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa
And you can also enter a different world by visiting the historic cellars in caves,
These caves are called openwork, and in them still not only the wine ages, but in some cases it is also made.
That is the case of Primicia Wineries Y Wineries El Fabulista, in Laguardia, or González Teso Wineries in Labastida.
Medieval villages in Rioja Alavesa
Now a trip to the region of Rioja Alavesa It must also have a cultural aspect.
I remind you that it is a border area of those who were kingdoms of Navarra and Castile, and the best sample of it you find in the town ofThe guard.
Panoramic views of vineyards from Bodegas Eguren Ugarte hotel
It is a small medieval town surrounded by a wall, where you will walk through pedestrian streets where cars have never circulated.
The reason is that under these streets there are more than 300 caves built in the Middle Ages in order to protect the inhabitants from the frequent attacks.
Then these caves started to house wineries given their good conditions for aging wine.
In addition to the stately homes with emblazoned facades that you can see on your walk through the town, the Portico of the church of Laguardia, Saint Mary of the Kings, It is a true hidden jewel, with its spectacular 17th-century original polychrome stone.
Church of San Andrés in Elciego in Rioja Alavesa
Other medieval towns that you should also visit are The blindwith his Main Square typical of the Basque villages and the baroque altarpiece of the St. Andrew's Church.
Wave Labastida, the town they say has more emblazoned facades in the area, and in whose church of the assumption You can also see another imposing baroque altarpiece.
WINE TOURS TO RIOJA with RIOJA in STYLE
To organize your wine tourism trip to Rioja, you can contact directly with RIOJA in STYLE, and Maria Eugenia will propose a route tailored to your tastes and preferences. Here we tell you how it went our very good experience.
Do not forget to say that you write on behalf of Travel Guides!
Other outstanding corners of the region are the megalithic dolmens that you can see near Elvillar and Leza, or the castro de la Iron Age near Navaridas.
And finally, if you want to make your visit in a special way, you can sign up for aEnobus tour, which will allow you to take a guided tour of one of the medieval villages of the region and one of its wineries.
Labastida City Council in Rioja Alavesa
