Relax in the Reality of Rioja

We know you appreciate delicious food and fine wines. A good wine gives you a flavour of the far off region where it was made, delivering a real sense of place and character. Good wine brings a piece of the vineyard into your own home. Imagine how much greater your appreciation and enjoyment would be if you could experience the sights, sounds and flavours of your favourite wine region first hand. There are dozens of wine tasting holiday packages available, ranging from commercial tourist traps where you are whisked through the terroir in air conditioned detachment to the more intimate, active holidays that give you the space and time to walk through a wine region, drinking in the atmosphere and sampling the local food as well as tasting the wines.

There’s no better holiday for wine fans than to visit the picturesque vineyards of La Rioja in Northern Spain, exploring a region that has produced some of the world’s best loved wines for hundreds of years. We prefer tailor made packages that feature not just the obvious “commercial wine areas”, but the smaller and often under appreciated regions of Spain and Latin America for example. Travelling with a small group and an experienced local guide will also add considerably to the experience and give you the intimate insight that will improve your appreciation of the wine you drink. Best to ignore the sterile, commercial, tourist treks where you’re removed from a real immersion in the place and that means looking at walking holidays.

The gateway to La Rioja is Bilbao, famous for Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum. The magnificent viewpoint of Mirador de Tolono is less than an hour away and gives magnificent views across the wine growing region nestled between mountains to the north and south. It’s this geography that gives La Rioja its unique micro-climate. You can combine walks through the vineyards and tastings under the guidance of local experts with exploring the stunning mountains and valleys, taking in the beautiful views and indulging in superb Basque meals at some of the region’s finest restaurants. Riojan cuisine is a unique combination of seafood from the northern coast, meats from the plains to the south and vegetables from the fertile valley of La Rioja itself. Expert chefs and sommeliers serve up the best traditional local foods in a dinner known as a “maridage” where each course is accompanied by its own wine selected specifically to complement the flavours of the food.

Visiting traditional wineries in the region can also give you an insight into how much love, care and attention goes into putting that bottle on your table. Muga is one the oldest established wineries in the region and it’s fascinating to see how this Bodega still insists on traditional methods. Everything is made from oak and they even have their own master coopers on-site making the barrels and casks, sealing them in the time honoured way over flames.

La Rioja offers the perfect active holiday for wine lovers everywhere, allowing you to immerse yourself in the culture and history of the region and experience the lifestyle behind the wines. Packages of varying lengths can be booked, but if nine days walking in the countryside doesn’t sound like your thing there are shorter weekend options that take in the main attractions and deliver a more intensive, but equally rewarding, experience.