Food & Wine
Rioja wine region: bodegas, Calle Laurel and where to stay
Rioja is Spain’s most famous wine region, with hilltop wine villages, bodegas in every style and the tapas street Calle Laurel in Logroño. Here is our guide to a wine trip in Rioja, with the hotels we would stay in.
From the road you see it shimmer before you understand what it is: waves of titanium in pink, gold and silver, rising between the vines in the little village of Elciego. It is the Marqués de Riscal hotel, designed by Frank Gehry, and it says a lot about Rioja. Here old bodegas meet modern architecture, and tradition is as strong as curiosity.
Rioja is in northern Spain, a couple of hours by car from San Sebastián and Bilbao. The region is known for tempranillo and for wines aged a long time before release. Here is how to plan your trip.
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How to plan a wine trip to Rioja
Logroño: the regional capital, home to the tapas street Calle Laurel.
Haro: the station district with many classic bodegas side by side.
Rioja Alavesa: Laguardia, Elciego and small hilltop wine villages.
Learn the labels: crianza, reserva and gran reserva tell you how long the wine has been aged.
Book your visits: many bodegas require booking ahead.
Rioja Alavesa: Elciego and Laguardia
The Basque part of Rioja has some of the region’s most beautiful villages. Laguardia is a medieval hilltop town with old wine cellars beneath its streets. Elciego is known for Marqués de Riscal and its spectacular hotel.
Hotel Marqués de Riscal: Gehry among the vines
The hotel stands by the Marqués de Riscal bodega, with Frank Gehry’s colourful titanium waves above a 19th century winery. The spa offers wine treatments and the restaurant serves the house wines.
A hotel for experiencing Rioja with an architectural exclamation mark.
Book your wine trip: See rooms at Hotel Marqués de Riscal
Hotel Viura
Modern design in Villabuena
Hotel Viura: modern design in a wine village
Viura is in the village of Villabuena de Álava, its modern cube architecture contrasting with the church and stone houses around it. The roof terrace looks out over the vineyards.
A design hotel for a quiet village stay in the heart of wine country.
Book your wine trip: See rooms at Hotel Viura
Logroño and Calle Laurel
Logroño is the regional capital, and Calle Laurel is one of Spain’s most famous tapas streets. Every bar has its speciality, from grilled mushrooms to little skewers, and you move from bar to bar with a glass of Rioja in hand.
Sercotel Calle Mayor: in Logroño’s old town
Calle Mayor is in a restored palace in Logroño’s old town, a short walk from Calle Laurel and the cathedral. The rooms are bright and modern.
The perfect place to stay if you want to walk to the tapas bars and leave the car behind.
Book your wine trip: See rooms at Sercotel Calle Mayor
Haro: the bodegas by the station
Haro has its own district by the railway station, the Barrio de la Estación, where several of Rioja’s best known bodegas stand close together. You can visit several in one day. At the end of June the town holds its famous wine battle, when locals drench each other in red wine.
When is the best time to visit Rioja?
The Rioja harvest usually takes place in September and October, when the villages are full of life. Spring is green and lovely, and summer is hot. Combine your trip with San Sebastián or Bilbao.
When should you book your hotel?
Harvest time in autumn: popular, so book early.
Weekends: the wine hotels have few rooms.
Flexible rates: choose a cancellable room if you are planning far ahead.
Frequently asked questions about the Rioja wine region
Where is the Rioja wine region?
Rioja is in northern Spain along the Ebro river, covering parts of La Rioja, the Basque Country and Navarre. It is a couple of hours by car from San Sebastián and Bilbao.
What do crianza, reserva and gran reserva mean?
The terms tell you how long the wine was aged before release. Crianza is aged the shortest, reserva longer and gran reserva the longest, in both barrel and bottle.
What is Calle Laurel?
Calle Laurel is a street in Logroño’s old town lined with tapas bars. Each bar has its own speciality, and it is normal to move from bar to bar.
Do you need to book bodega visits in Rioja?
Most bodegas require booking ahead for tours and tastings. Book before you travel, especially for weekends.
Where should you stay in Rioja?
Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Elciego and Hotel Viura in Villabuena are right among the vineyards, and Sercotel Calle Mayor is in Logroño’s old town, close to the tapas bars.