Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

La Rioja is the oldest wine producing area of Spain. It sits in the Ebro River valley below the Cantabrian Mountains.

The countryside is stunning, even when driving through on a dull day.

 

The vineyards surround the old town of Haro. It is the historic wine capital and has underground cellars and major foundational wineries. We visited a few.

The first was Bodegas Ysios with its spectacular building. There grape varieties are Tempranillo, Viura, Graciano Garnacha and other native species. Some of the vines are 100 years old. Their signature wine is Ysios Finca Les Naves. The winery is open for visits and guided tastings.

The interior is amazing as well. There are small tasting rooms and it is possible to do short tours of the winery.

The next one was Bodega Vivanco. The Vivanco family produced their first wine in 1915. The town looked great driving in.

 

The view from the winery is excellent in all directions.

 

Bodega Vivanco’s fourth generation winemaker, Rafa Vivanco Saenz, makes red, white, rose and sparkling. There is a shop, cafe and museum at the winery.

 

Next stop Bodegas Marques de Riscal. It has been named the world’s best winery in 2024.

The adjacent hotel designed by Frank Gehry was opened in 2003. This is not my photo. It is difficult to see the whole building when you are close. The best view was on the road driving away, but there was nowhere to stop to get a photos.

The company was founded by Camilo Hurtado de Amezaga, 6th Marques of Riscsl in 1858. The estate produces iconic Rioja and Rueda wines. Its cellar holds every vintage since 1862.

The grounds of the winery are beautiful and there are quiet places to sit.

The shop and tasting rooms are excellent.

 

There were some dramatic skies driving between wineries.

On another day we visited Bodega Marques de Murrieta. The winery was founded in 1852 by Peruvian born Luciano de Murrieta y Garcia-Lemoine. It was the first estate to export its wines.

It is in the most magnificent setting with beautiful gardens and stunning views over the area.

 

The sales and tasting rooms are beautifully presented and the young woman who looked after us was particularly charming. In fact all of the people we met in the Rioja wineries were delightful and knew their products well.

 

Lopez de Heredia has a striking tasting pavilion designed by Zahar Hadid. It was created to celebrate the winery’s 125 th anniversary. It is shaped like a wine decanter.

 

There is a great outdoor space for warmer weather.

Bodegas Muga is a family owned winery founded in 1932. It is one of the olny wineries in Spain with its own on-site master coopers, handcrafting all of its own oak barrels.

 

 

The changing weather on our way out of the region made for some great views from the car.

Rioja is a stunning region. The landscape is breathtaking. We were there in early spring when everything  was turning green. I think it is probably the best time to visit. I am not particularly interested in wine, but Jim liked the wines he tried and a few bottles made their way into the car for the drive back to Italy.