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‘Visiting La Rioja’
Lovely area, small, varied and lots to do. You don't have to be a vineyard addict to enjoy the area. If all you want to do is go from winery to winery then get a chauffeur and get quietly soaked. For my money, after a couple, wineries really are not all that. I'd recommend Muga because it does everything by hand, in wood - they still have coopers on site. The newer and undoubtedly beautiful looking wineries are so efficient that there is no atmosphere. I was in one recently where I worked out that each employee had 1,500 square metres of floorspace. It's like wandering through an empty factory. Call me a philistine by all means but there's more to do....
I would say, mix it up. Go see a couple of vineyards, visit the wine museum at Dinastico Vivanco (it really is quite interesting), if you can, book in for a wine tasting course (just a couple of hours). Combine this with walking - there are some lovely walks in the Ebro Valley, amidst the vines. Or go to the south of the area where the mountains rise up and the scenery becomes really quite dramatic - fantastic for full day walks.
Head back down to a small hotel (Rioja does small/boutique very well) for a shower and then head out to eat. Now this is where I think the real enjoyment of wine is. La Rioja has some of the best food in Spain. The valley itself produces fantastic vegetables. To the north you have the fish & seafood of the coast and to the south you have the delicious meats of the plains. These 3 elements all come together in the cuisine of La Rioja. Wine tastes best with food. The food here is every bit a match for the wine.
So there you go, save the sozzling for the evening with supper. Spend your days out and about. It's a wonderful area.
4 / 5
Review by member  Thomas Power
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La Rioja Wine Region
