The Basque Country & Northern Spain

Rioja

The Wine Country of Spain

Spain’s most important wine region is Rioja, which has three three zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Oriental and Rioja Alavesa. Rioja Alta is on the western side of the area; Rioja Oriental is on the eastern side, and Rioja Altavesa is on the northern side, in Basque Country. Many Rioja wines have traditionally blended fruit from all three regions.

We made two trips to the region, the first on a tour with Alliance Schlumberger to the medieval town of Laguardia in Rioja Alvesa in the Basque Country. Another day we went on our own to Haro, a town well-known as a “wine city" in the Rio Alta zone in La Rioja.

Laguardia’s present construction dates from the 12th century. It is on a hilltop and surrounded by a wall that King Sancho the Strong ordered to be built. From villasmedievales.com: "Laguardia has the typical street plan of a medieval town; three long, narrow main streets running from north to south are traversed by numerous lanes and squares, while the whole town is encircled by a stone wall. The town is full of renaissance and baroque buildings with stunning family coats of arms on their façades. The most important monument is the church of Santa María de los Reyes and its 14th-century stone portico, still bearing the same colours with which it was painted in the 17th century. Underneath the town is a maze of family-owned wine cellars.”

Haro is a very pleasant town to visit. It’s clean (like all the others we were in), good food (also like many others), seemingly prosperous, and it has a nice blend of modern with old architecture. From Wikipedia: "Since the early 19th century Haro has established a worldwide reputation for being the most important wine town in the Rioja wine region and remains so today. The key focus of this reputation is at the Barrio Estación where 7 of the best Rioja Bodegas are located."