We want to spend about 5 days at a vineyard with accommodations in La Rioja. We will be in Spain in October and are seeking to R&R in a country like setting for awhile. Please recommend a winery if you have experienced this sort of stay.
Posted by
la rioja
593 posts
DB, I think that October is the best time to see La Rioja. The vendimia is finished and the vineyards are on fire with color.
You didn't say if you will have a car or not. Without a car you might want to stay in Haro. Or maybe Laguardia. Lots of wineries, but regular buses to other towns.
If you have a car, I suggest looking into Abalos or San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Two places to start are La Rioja Turismo and the DOC Rioja pages. They have good info about wineries and tourism.
There are two events in October that are fun to visit. The first is in the winery [Bodegas Lecea][3]. They have a type of open house. They have a "lago" where they press the grapes manually. It is interesting to watch. They have also had classical duets and trios playing there, and they do a tour of the calados with a tasting at the end. The other event is the Feria de Ganado en Ojacastro. It is a livestock fair, but there is more to do than see the animals, the town and valley are nice to visit, and they usually roast a calf and for about 2.5€ you get a big chunk of meat some bread and some wine. They don't have the dates published yet but the Feria is usually the weekend of the Pilar and the Lecea is after that.
Posted by
OP
DeLand, Florida, USA
9 posts
Thank you for the reply. I will go to the links that you provided to learn more about the area, but I sense that the wineries in that area do not have accommodations. I will open up to a regular hotel instead. Take care.
Posted by
la rioja
593 posts
DB you might look in to Briones, an official Pueblo con Encanto. Right next to it is the winery Dinastia Vivancos which is a wonderful wine museum with tasting. This weekend they are opening an exhibition of Picasso works related to wine.
And I forgot, there is always Marques de Riscal, with Gehry's hotel and winery.
Posted by
Honolulu, HI
33 posts
We too are interested in spending a few days in the Rioja region for the wine festivals next year 2019. There are 7 of us in our group. If we do not have a car, can we depend on public transportation, or is a car a must? Without a car, which town would be the best place to stay for 2-3 days? Thank you!