La Rioja the land of wine

For producing wine the Rioja geography situation in the Valley of Ebro Rive is ideal, its climatic conditions and the constitution of ours soils make my land a privileged place for vine cultivation. Also, provide our wines an inimitable quality. Rioja´s culture can´t understand it without wine, it is the center or our culture. As an example there is an annual Wine Festival, in the town of Haro, that we know as Batalla del Vino where participants conduct a fight with wine. Wine is becoming a differentiator of Rioja´s region and makes its population specialists in this difficult art of wine cultivation. There are different varieties of grape of Rioja wine:

Tempranillo: It is considered to be autochthonous to La Rioja and its Spanish origin is internationally recognized. 31,046 hectares of vineyards are dedicated to growing the Tempranillo varietal.

Garnacha red: It is progressively decreasing in favour of the Tempranillo. Because of the product obtained depends on the circumstances environmental and cultivation.

Mazuelo: Its French origin is internationally recognised under the Carignan Noir designation. Its wines are rich in tannins and rough on the palate.

Graciano: It is considered to be autochthonous variety and minority; it is the most aromatic of all our varietals.

Viura: It is the primary white variety grown in La Rioja. Its wine is considered to be adequate for ageing in wood, which is the traditional way for making white wines in La Rioja.

Malvasía: It produces an interesting must, offering unctuousness and special aroma. Its possibilities in La Rioja are not well known due to the small surface area under cultivation.  

Garnacha white: Its Spanish origin is recognised and it may be the result of a mutation of Red Garnacha.

La Rioja is a land rich in festivals and traditions, a heritage from the past and one which also reflects the ready disposition of the Community’s inhabitants to hold festivals and celebrations.

All types of festivals are celebrated in La Rioja; whilst the majority are either cultural or religious there are also gastronomy and cattle-related fiestas and, of course, wine-related fiestas.

Some of these parties have been declared  of National tourist interest, such as the dancers of Anguiano, the battle of wine in Haro and the Rioja Harvest Festival in Logroño. 

The dancers of Anguiano

The battle of wine in Haro

The dancers of Anguiano

The battle of wine

The Rioja Harvest Festival in Logroño

La Rioja apart from providing the traveller with the opportunity to taste top quality wines, offers cuisines that are also works of art. This region is a paradise for those who like to enjoy good food and good drink.

La Rioja, as a crossroads, is a medley of different styles of art and cultures. Right from the Celtiberians up to the Christian civilisation, passing through the Visigoths, Romans, Arabs…La Rioja is a mix of traditions; all the cultures of the Spain are represented in our region.

The first marks of cultures in La Rioja date back from hundreds of years before the first humans lived on the earth, when the dinosaurs walked the planet. The dinosaur tracks could be found in the eastern areas and gave us an idea about how these fascinating animals lived.

Also, our lands are full of artistic treasures in its numerous monasteries, such as The Monastery of Suso and Yuso in San Millán de la Cogolla. They are birthplace of the first words written in Castilian and are World Heritage. That´s not all, the Way of St James it passes through our land. It was the leading European Cultural Route and a Heritage of Humanity.

Calahorra

One of the best things of La Rioja is meeting its people and experiencing the culture on its streets, squares and corners. Visiting the cities and villages in La Rioja, stop at the small towns and go to the bars in the city center. There, sharing wine with some Riojan, you will soak with our way of being. Probably, he or she will tell you where you could buy bread made in the old school way, a nice restaurant to eat in and how La Rioja produces one of the best wines in the world.