This blog post is by Katie Rice, Manager at Barcelona Atlanta
We left beautiful San Sebastian around 10am to head into Rioja, following winding mountain roads in the dryer, less mountainous terrain. We arrived in Haro, one of the first towns to start making commercial wines and the third town to get electricity in Europe. Our tour began with Rioja Alta, which was founded in 1890.
We toured through the facility, which has been continuously making wine since its inception. The original fermentation tanks still exist although all fermenting takes place off site. Wine in barrel and bottle are aged here and we got a chance to tour the massive barrel rooms where workers rack barrels to control quality and sediment.
They use techniques similar to those originally used. All La Rioja Alta wines are aged longer than most Rioja producers in barrel and bottle.
After the tour we were led to an enormous tasting and reception area that houses the oldest wine club in Spain, which started at La Rioja Alta. With our host, the group tasted all wines made by the winery including wines from Rias Baixas and Ribera del Duero.
We then enjoyed an amazing lunch of chicken croquetas, a traditional hearty soup of potatoes and chorizo, and lamb cooked over coals from grape vines cooked in the traditional dining room. We finished with a taste of the Orujo de Galicia (Spanish Grappa).
Our second winery was across the street at R. Lopez de Heredia vina Tondonia. A winery founded 1877 that still does things as they always have, R. Lopez still uses the same presses, fermentation tanks and underground cellars that are indescribable. They make all barrels on site and let nature do the work. They don’t try to fix what isn’t broken.
The interior of the aging rooms and cellars are covered in a thick, black, spongy mold. There are ancient cobwebs in every corner. The place teems with life and energy. Barrels are everywhere, with unlabeled bottles covered in mold tucked into every available space.
We ventured into the graveyard, the family’s private tasting area and through a labyrinth of tunnels filled with wine. We caught a brief glimpse of the vineyards across the river from the winery while we followed the path of the grapes. After the tour we were able to taste through all of the R. Lopez wines with our fabulous hostess Alvera. She shared a bottle of 1981 Tondonia, which was the highlight wine of the trip.
The tours were a truly memorable experience. After Haro, we drove to Logrono, a town mentioned everyday throughout the trip. After a brief siesta, we toured through the town stopping at tapas bars and enjoying traditional bites while sipping vermouth, canas of beer and wine.