Wine, Wine and More Wine, Please

We love wine. We love to see people sipping on a glass of wine, we love the color of wine, we love the smell of wine, and we most definitely love the taste of wine. And a trip to the Basque Country is not complete without having had at least one glass of wine. Be it red wine, white wine, rosé wine, or the sparkling kind… you will find all sorts of wine, for all tastes and interests, throughout the Basque Country. Try some Crianza red wine with a pintxo at a bar, a Reserva with your meal at any of the Michelin starred restaurants in San Sebastian, an exquisite Gran Reserva at a full-day adventure to the vineyards of La Rioja Alavesa, or a refreshing Txakoli white wine at a vineyard with an incredible view in Getaria.

There is no doubt in our minds though that one of our favorite wine escapades in the Basque Country is taking a trip down to La Rioja Alavesa. Some of the things we love about it are:

• The spectacular fields and fields of vineyards as far as the eyes can see.
• The views of the mountains that clearly outline the region.
• The juxtaposition of modern and ancient architecture spotted throughout its contemporary and traditional wineries.

• Its roads between endless vineyards that lead to a hard-to-find dolmen (or ancient burial site) that has been standing for about 5,000 years.

• The stunning medieval city of LaGuardia, walled and powerfully protected standing atop a hill.

However, the best part by far is getting to experience the full authentic gastronomic adventure of La Rioja Alavesa. The region has kept faithful to its roots, and blessed with a prodigious pantry of legumes, vegetables, and meats, it has maintained a legacy of exquisite mouth-watering dishes that are all paired perfectly with the wines of the area.

Sitting here just thinking about it, we can’t wait to take another trip down to Rioja Alavesa. We, at Go Basque, offer a number of enogastronomic adventures throughout the Basque Country, and you can find them all on our Wine Tours and Food Tours pages. If you are especially interested in going to La Rioja Region, we have a special full-day tour there. Or if you want to tailor your own adventure, don’t hesitate to write us and tell us all about it so that we can soon embark on a food and wine adventure together!