La Rioja

There’s no getting away from it. Wine is what makes La Rioja what it is. In the centre of the wine region, Haro, there’s even a huge free-for-all on the 29th June when everyone throws wine at each other – no doubt failing miserably to get out of the way!

The wine region centers on the town of Haro located some 35 kilometres NW of Logroño, the capital of La Rioja. It is a place full of flavours all designed to tantalize taste buds.

Here, most of the bars and cafes are filled with local produce and the many wines on offer will transport you from one fruity, suggestive flirtation to another deep, long-lasting memory.

There’s even a beautiful gothic church in which to meditate the aftertaste of the many and varied brands and styles.

The autonomous community of Rioja is a small community that is almost encapsulated in between two notable geographic features.

To the north in the valley and the river basin of the Ebro and to the south are the dying geomorphologic waves of the Iberian mountain chain. The terrain here is dominated by sharp escarpments and gently rolling hillsides across which meanders the smaller arterial rivers that feed into the mighty River Ebro to the north.

And it is this wel-watered country that give the community of La Rioja its quintessential character. Its privileged location has meant that many cultures have passed here and many feet from the Celts, Romans, the Moors and the French have tempered the land.

With the arrival of the Christian culture, many monasteries were established here and it was in these cloistered corridors and carefully cultivated fields that two of the fundamental identities of Spain were nurtured: the first steps towards formalization of Castilian as the dominant language, and the cultivation of the vine.

Today la Rioja is a modern region that is, without doubt, a reference point in the Iberian Peninsula for the quality of both its gastronomy and its wine. It is an ideal tourist destination with many options for relaxation and exploring from ancient monasteries to brooding castles to luxury rural cottages in which to base oneself.

More information: http://www.larioja.com/

Places Worth a Visit

Los monasteries de Yuso and of Suso are located in the heart of the green countryside of La Rioja. Surrounded by forests and mountains they are two buildings that form part of the monumental complex of San Millán de la Cogolla. Founded in 1053, the monastery of Yuso holds the first manuscript known to have been written in Castellano and a library replete with books written between the XI and the XV centuries.

Fiestas and Important Dates

Haro: 24th to the 29th of June are the fiestas of San Juan, San Felices and San Pedro. On the 29th June is the famous Battle of Wine.

Logroño. Fiestas de San Bernabé between the 7th and 13th June. The fiesta is in commemoration of the famous defense of the city from French troops during the Peninsula War. This festival is noted for its medieval market, street music and theatre and endless wine tastings.