Visiting wineries in La Rioja is an almost mandatory activity for all wine lovers, since this region is one of the most popular wine cradles in Spain and its products are exported all over the nation.
In fact, the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin is so wide that it is divided into three main areas: La Rioja Alta, La Rioja Alavesa, and La Rioja Oriental, all of them full of wineries worth visiting. If you want to discover some of the most beautiful wineries in La Rioja, you’ve come to the right place!
In this Taca de vi article we bring you a list of the best wineries to visit in this region. And if you’re looking to expand your wine journey to include more diverse experiences, consider joining our Barcelona wine tours for an exploration of the unique wine culture and exquisite vineyards of Barcelona.
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Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia
The R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia winery is located in the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, which is one of the most important wine centers in the region. This legendary winery was, in fact, the first to settle in the area in 1877.
If you want to visit wineries in La Rioja, you certainly cannot skip this stop. With more than 146 years of history and grapes of supreme quality, these wineries offer hundreds of wines aged in oak Bordeaux, which gives the drink exceptional nuances. Its long history and the quality of its vineyards make R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia one of the best wineries to visit in La Rioja.
Rioja Alta
Continuing with the important wineries in La Rioja, we cannot forget to mention Rioja Alta, which stands out for its classicism and love for tradition, since they try to maintain the essence of the French winemakers.
This winery was created in 1890 as a wine society formed by five families and, little by little, it evolved to become one of the most famous wineries in La Rioja, with more than 130 vintages and a profile of elegant and complex wines that have maintained their essence for several generations, helping to sustain the renown of La Rioja Alta.
Artadi
Leaving the Barrio del Haro and the more traditional wineries in the region, there are many innovative wineries that have managed to make a name for themselves in La Rioja, such as Artadi, the family winery of Juan Carlos López de Lacalle.
If you are interested in visiting charming wineries in La Rioja that can also surprise you and bring something new to your wine experience, you should definitely spend a day at Artadi. Its vineyards, which present a diverse geological and edaphological peculiarity, manage to give Artadi’s wines a lot of personality, with fresh grapes and fine tannins.
Although this winery is considered avant-garde because it gained recognition well past the year 2000, the truth is that it was born as a cooperative in 1985 and was acquired by the Lacalle family in 1992, who have been in charge of turning the winery into what it is today.
Bodega Contador
Benjamín Romeo founded Bodega Contador in 1995 near the castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, in a privileged location full of opportunities. It was there that he developed his first wine and began to buy vineyards, managing to produce his first vintage in 1999.
It is a modern, family-oriented and meticulous project that leaves no detail overlooked. In fact, Benjamín Romeo is part of the entire production process, overseeing everything from the care of the vines to the design of the labels.
Abel Mendoza
In the world of Rioja wineries there are not only traditional families and large vineyards, but we can also find wineries that belong to smaller and specialized manufacturers, as is the case of the Bodega de Abel Mendoza.
Spending a day in their vineyards is an ideal option to visit wineries in La Rioja that are dedicated to wood-fermented white wine, a type of beverage that has a low production and that, therefore, is difficult to taste in other wineries.
Although this is not the only wine they make, since they plant red varieties of tempranillo, graciano and garnacha.
Oliver Rivier
Oliver Rivier has been involved in the world of wine for years, being a versatile winemaker with great technical skills in all important areas: he has a good command of the terroir, understands the vineyard and knows how to interpret it. He has spent most of his life working in large wineries alongside renowned experts, until 2006 when he decided to open his own project.
Thanks to his love of wine and his extensive experience, the Oliver Rivier winery offers quality wines, honest and natural in the truest sense of the word, since no herbicides or chemical fertilizers are used in their production and the grapes are harvested by hand using traditional methods.
Which wineries to visit in La Rioja?
As you can see, there is a wide variety of options to choose from depending on your interests and tastes, so you can enjoy wine tourism in different styles.
If you value tradition more and want to visit the most historic wineries in the region, it is obvious that you should dedicate your time to discover all the wineries in the Barrio de Haro.
However, if you are interested in getting to know all the wine possibilities of La Rioja, the ideal is to divide your time in several different styles of wineries, such as the ones we have presented, and make the most of your trip.
