One day in La Rioja

The world-famous La Rioja wine-growing region and its peculiar microclimate are only 90 minutes away from Bilbao. Once there, we will visit a renowned winery in the town of Haro, the town locally known as “the wine capital of the world”. The area we’ll be visiting – the Station District (Barrio de la Estación) – is a landmark in the town of Haro because it boasts the highest concentration of centuries-old wineries in the world, all built around a central point (the railway station) – hence its name. That is also the reason why it is often referred to “the golden mile of Rioja wine”. And all this is located a mere 80 km from Bilbao! In Haro, we can either visit a couple of wineries and centuries-old vineyards or visit the Vivanco Wine Museum, a thoroughly-interesting, interactive museum where you’ll probably discover a lot of things you didn’t previously know about wine and the way it’s made.

We could also visit some medieval towns of great historical interest such as Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an essential stop-over-point for pilgrims travelling along the Way of St. James (or El Camino, as it’s called in Spanish) and San Millán de la Cogolla, recently declared to be of great World Heritage.

And, of course, we’ll also make a stop at one of the restaurants of the area and perhaps relish tender lamb chops grilled over vine shoots, one of the typical dishes of the region.

I’m not sure if you’ve perhaps already noticed the deep love I have for this region in which my family roots go back several generations, have you?? lol