Ryoja's Essence

During our trip you will see the most interesting in this famous wine region, where traditions and advanced technologies create one of the most famous wines in the world, and the cultural and historical landscape of Rioja and the Way of Santiago, which runs through the Rioja Valley, are included in the UNESCO Heritage of Humanity.

You will see ancient villages, as if frozen in time, as well as modern architecture of the 21st century bodega, learn the features of the Rioja Valley, which allows you to grow excellent grapes and secrets of winemaking, which are already several thousand years old, discover how Rioja wines have come to worldwide success, touch the living history and culture of this region, see beautiful examples of ancient and modern architecture, enjoy the delightful natural landscapes of vineyards, the Ebro River and salt lagoons against the backdrop of the majestic mountain chains of Sierra Cantabria and Sierra Sierra de Provinda cuisine in Rioja, accompanied by the excellent DOC.

The first stop is in the town of LaGuardia - the wine capital of Rioja Alavesa. This fortified city-fortress on the top of the hill in former times was a guard on the border of the Kingdom of Navarre, which is reflected in its name. The city can be accessed through one of the 5 gates in the ancient fortress walls surrounding the settlement. A walk through the narrow streets of the city will take you to a medieval fairy tale. Along the way, we will explore the ancient houses with reliefs of family coats of arms, some of which are about 800 years old! On the main square of Plaza Mayor you will see two buildings of the City Hall – the old 16th century and the new 19th century, which is famous for its musical clock with dancing figures in national costumes. All the dungeon of the city is dug with tunnels of wine cellars, one of which, if desired, you can look (for an additional fee). We will visit the church of Santa Maria de los Reyes, which hides a real masterpiece of late Gothic - a grand portal with a polychrome painting of the 17th century. Then we will walk along the main street, where in the summer on the festival of San Juan run bulls and go to another wonderful church of the city of San Juan, the bell tower with loopholes and teeth which are silent witnesses to the former military glory of the city.

After a walk around Laguardia at will lunch (or dinner) at one of the local restaurants with the traditional Rioja Alavesa menu and DOC Rioja wines.

In the village of Elsiego, which is located 6 km from Laguardia, we will visit with you one of the oldest and unique wineries of Rioja - Bodega Valdelana. This winery (in Spanish - bodega), winner of the award Best of Tourism, keeps a real treasure. It was built in the XV-XVI centuries and consists of 6 underground galleries lined with stonework. This underground kingdom houses the original museum dedicated to the history of Rioja and winemaking in this region, collected from private finds in the cultivation of the vineyards of this bodega and the family collection of its owner. In the unusual tasting room of Bodega, located at a depth of 10 m, you can contemplate the endless panorama of the underground vineyard. In the Labyrinth of Sensations, equipped in old containers for fermentation and storage of wine, you will discover the secrets of wine, learn to recognize the color and smell of wine, ideal conditions for wine consumption, etc. After visiting the bodega museum, you will taste 4 brands of wine of this bodega and your own olive oil. In 2015, at the international competition Mundus Vini in Germany, the wines of this bodega Valdelana Reserva and Ladrón de Guevara Crianza received gold medals, and the brand Ladrón de Guevara Crianza was also selected in the category “Best wine of Rioja”.

In the same village you will see one of the most famous bodegas of Rioja - Marques de Riscal, which in 2006 radically renewed its image, building on its territory the so-called "City of Wine". Its fantastic shape was designed by the famous architect Frank Gehry, author of the famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Today it is the most avant-garde winery building in Spain. If you wish, visit the Bodega Bar Marquez de Riscal, where you can taste various brands of wine.

This tour, if desired, can be supplemented with the following options for rest (on pre-order and for an additional fee):

• Visit the archaeological site of the prehistoric settlement “Poblado de La Hoya”
• Visit the Rioja Balcony, an observation deck in the Sierra Cantabria Mountains, offering a delightful view of the entire Rioja Valley.
• Visit the Chapel of San Felices, located on the top of Mount Bilibio in the Conchas de Aro gorge. This place was chosen by the Spaniards themselves as “the best corner of Spain in 2014” according to the Repsol rating.