20. ​ La Rioja wine bliss

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Hitting the road in our little Audi A1 out of Barcelona we were amazed just how quickly the landscape changed. It was so dry and sandy, almost desert like. For some reason I had imagined the Spanish wine regions to look like Tuscany, but on reflection had no idea where that idea had come from.

View from the Apartment

We had two nights booked at an Air BnB apartment in Logrono, the middle of the La Rioja wine region. The next couple of days were going to be all about wine! After 5 1/2 hours on the road we arrived to find we were only two blocks from Plaza del Mercato, the town's centre and that the apartment was above the wine culture museum and old cellar tunnels. We had emailed via Google translate back and forwards and while the apartment wasn't officially wheelchair accessible we had been assured there was a lift and the bathroom could be accessed. Caro the host had done a good job making it work for us and while it wasn't perfect it was certainly better than some of the hotels we had stayed in. She had remembered a shower chair at least and had placed a cane arm chair in the bathroom! Dickey was showering like a king!

Logrono was a gorgeous old town with bucket loads of history, almost all to do with wine. Beneath the town a series of wine tunnels or cellars had been built so that the temperature could be better controlled and in the 16th century noise and car traffic restrictions existed in the streets above the tunnels as there was a belief that the wine would be of the utmost flavor and aroma if the temperature, stability, vibration and noise was controlled while the wine was in its barrels! In the 18th Century vines in France were affected by disease so the La Rioja wines began to be exported north into Bordeaux. Today La Rioja wines are world famous and exported as far as Cuba, Mexico and thankfully Australia!

Logrono

We loved how quiet and lovely the village was, and we were huge fans of Laurel Street. It was just brilliant and lined with wine and Pinxtos bars. We had a blast there sampling MANY of the wines varieties and the different Pinxtos specialities. Logrono is also on the Camino de Santiago with the trail coming directly through the town over the still in-tact 12th Century stone bridge. The old guard houses apparently doubled as pay booths as every walker who used the path had to pay taxes to enter the city.

The surrounding winery's are world famous and the first on our list to explore was 'Vina Real' otherwise known as 'C.V.N.E'. A whole eight minutes out of Logrono our time there definitely rated in the top five of all things we had done on our trip! The building looked like half a wine barrel stuck in the hill and being newly built was completely wheelchair accessible. By pure coincidence we arrived in time to join the 1pm tour. True to form we had ignored the suggestion to book ahead, but we were in luck on this occasion. We learnt that the architect, who was a total genius, had come from a wine making family and helped to create a winery that allowed for old processes to perfectly fit with new. The circular barrel room is not just a stunning feature, it is also designed for functionality. The system is set up using a traditional gravity feed system using newly designed tanks and after the grapes are pressed they are transferred to the chosen tank, pulled into position over the tank allowed to feed through in their own time. From the tanks the wine is placed into Hungarian, American or French Oak barrels depending on the aim of the maker and then they are stored in one of the wine tunnels. The tunnels were another incredible feature and we were blown away by their size and construction. Over a period of four years the tunnels had been dug out by hand as the ground was to unstable for machinery to be used. They were then sealed, except for the natural vent sites created in the roof by the soil and water. At 120 meters long and 56 meters wide x two of them, they were mind blowing! In one tunnel there was 20,000 barrels of Criamza, let alone all the barrels of other varieties. The 2nd tunnel was full from floor to ceiling of bottles! We had read about Vina Real in a Lonely planet review that had described it as "winery meets Bond Villan Lair" and this was so very accurate!

If you love a good wine tour, then add Vina Real to the list as it was the most informative and exciting tour we have done. At 10 Euro each it is also great value, especially given the 5 very generous tastings we were given! We certainly mustn't be the only ones who loved the CVNE wine as they are producing in excess of 2.5 million bottles a year and their Reserva, made using hand picked grapes from 90 year old vines being one of their most famed wines. Next time, or for anyone planning to visit Vina Real, grab a cab as the wine is too good to sample lightly. Apparently the rule in Spain is actually zero blood alcohol while driving. we found this out later in the week, oops!

Leaving Vina Real we continued on our wine adventure heading west and spotted the little walled
town of La Guarelia perched on the hill. Inside it was only 5 blocks wide and the perfect stop off for lunch with a view. From here we could see the Ysio's winery which could have easily been mistaken for an illusion! It is off the charts incredible with its wave like architecture and from our research it seems the fact that the roof leaks and the design are more famous than the wine itself. Arriving at the door it was closed and there were no cellar door openings for the next few days. To see it up close and get some photos were enough though.

Ysios

 

Marques de Riscal was the next stop and we were excited to see the ribbon sculpture and architecture as well as try the wine we were seeing most often in Spanish bars. While the wine wasn't to our taste the building design sure was and we were again viewing an amazing Frank Ghery design. If this was simply a winery I couldn't wait to see his most famous piece, the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Words won't describe the blend of old stone buildings into the titanium ribbons so enjoy the pictures. With the Suns reflections and the mountains behind it really is stunning.

Our final stop on our drive through the region was Contino, a branch of the C.V.N.E group. Also closed it was a beautiful old homestead set in a gorgeous cottage garden and overlooking the River Ebro. It was so nice to wander the garden and enjoy the sinking sun, even if the glass of wine was missing!

Our final night in Logrono ended with a bang and we spent it on Laurel Street enjoying the St Bernabie festival. The streets were packed with as many locals as there were tourist and we joined the hoards wandering from bar to bar enjoying many wines and pinxtos. Rosada's are super popular in Spain so I was in my element and even had Dickey converted to them in the warmer weather. We had taken many photos of wine labels with the hope we would find them available back home. 

Logrono had been a great place for a few days but it was time to go north through the hills to San Sebastián ready for a week of sunshine, culture and beaches. 

Logrono 6/6 - 8/6/2016