 Rioja Roundup
The past and future of Spanish wine
If there's a wine that embodies Spain, it's Rioja. Intense, earthy, and seductive, it's been prized ever since the Middle
Ages, when medieval pilgrims drank it en route to Santiago de Compostela, then spread word about this fantastic wine near
the Rio Oja. In recent years, Rioja has enjoyed a full-blown renaissance, and today there's a multitude of styles: historic
Rioja, classic Rioja, modern Rioja, and alta expresion tempranillo-based wine. Rioja Roundup will sort through
the differences while visiting top Rioja wineries -- innovators and classicists, large and boutique. The tour also goes to
Ribera del Duero, a nearby region making some of Spain's most coveted wines.
2008 dates: [6 days/5 nights] Cost: $2,795. Single supplement $350
This region is hot, hot, hot! Not like southern Spain, with its 90+ temperatures, but more like a wine region that gets 90+ ratings in the wine magazines. We'll see why critics are clamoring. After a mid-morning pick-up in Valladolid, we'll head to our first winery, Abadia Retuerta, mavericks who grow varietals like syrah and petit verdot and emphasize single-vineyard cru. We'll enjoy lunch at the Emina winery, part of the Matorremera Group, which offers award-winning wines, plus a wine museum. In the afternoon, we'll head to Emilio Moro, a family-run operation, now in its third generation, that's been a critical darling among wine authorities, with good reason. Here's will meet the tempranillo grape, among the most important red grapes of Spain. Then we'll go to the town of Pe–afiel for the night, staying in an old monastery. Dinner will feature slow-roasted lamb, a specialty of the region. | ||||
 Day 2 - Burgos Before leaving Ribero del Duero, we'll have one more tasting, at either Pesquera, a family-owned estate in the eponymous village, or at Perez Pascuas. Then it's on to Rioja. En route, we'll stop for lunch and sightseeing in Burgos, a city with a beautiful historic center and one of Spain's largest medieval cathedrals, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We'll arrive in Rioja in the late afternoon, in time for a tasting at Lopez di Heredia. This introduces the historic style of Rioja--one meant for decades of aging, with a slight, sherry-like oxidation. We'll sample wines going back the 1980s, then settle into our hotel, a beautifully renovated convent in the town of Haro. | ||||
Today features the new generation of Rioja winemakers who make modern-style Rioja with traditional grapes. There's no better place to start than Roda. This top-notch bodega cultivates 28 small vineyard plots. We'll hop in their jeep to visit some, including their experimental vineyards planted with several dozen tempranillo clones. Then we'll taste their prized portfolio--beautiful wines that combine finesse and intensity. After lunch, we'll head to the tiny town of Samaniego (pop. 400) to visit another New Wave bodega: Remirez de Ganuza, which is also experimenting with ways to make a modern Rioja while maintaining its Riojan character. Dinner is at La Vieja Bodega, a countryside restaurant that's a favorite among local winemakers. 
Day 4 - Bilboa An hour north of Rioja is the coastal city of Bilbao. Long a sleepy port town, it underwent a wholesale revitalization after the construction of the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenhem Museum. We'll spend the morning in Bilbao, with time on your own to visit the museum or take in the city sights and have lunch. In the afternoon, we return to Rioja and head to Briones, a charming old town on the River Ebro, where we'll visit Miguel Merino, a boutique producer (perhaps the smallest in Rioja). The affable and pleasantly didactic Miguel will show us around his property and walk us through his stellar wines. Dinner is on your own in Haro.
Contino established the "chateaux" concept in Rioja in the 1970s--wineries that grow all their own grapes. Situated in a unique microclimate on a bend in the Ebro River, this is one of the few bodegas that also produce a pure graciano wine (normally a blending grape). After a stroll through the vineyards to see a Roman bridge over the river, we'll taste their mouth-watering Rioja Riserves. Then it's on to Laguardia for lunch, a beautiful hilltop town that was once the capital of the Rioja region. Our afternoon tasting takes us to Marques de Riscal. Founded in 1862, the winery was the first to bottle Rioja for commercial sale and is key in the history of Rioja wine. Today it's just as famous for its modern architecture, once again designed by Frank Gehry. Our farewell dinner at the hotel restaurant, one of the best in the area.  Day 6 - Hasta luego! Our final Rioja tasting is at Muga. Uniquely, this bodega uses oak throughout every stage of the process, following a traditional approach. We'll see their in-house cooperage during our tour, where four barrel-makers are employed, and gawk at some of the largest oak barrels in Spain. Despite the old technology, their wines are fresh and modern. Then we'll head back to Madrid and say adios! (Drop-off is at the Madrid airport, which is on the city's subway line.) For more tour photos, click here | ||||
Copyright © 2007 - La Dolce Vita Wine Tours, Inc. - All rights reserved.
Website Design & Programming: Canfield Design Studios, Inc.