Vitoria-Gasteiz

The Wine Route in Rioja Alavesa

Anyone who is familiar with the Basque Country will know that you can eat and drink extremely well in Euskadi.

bodega cab01

That is why this tourist suggestion is the Wine Route – the perfect excuse to head inland away from the coast.

Txakoli is made on the coast – a young white wine of fine quality – and inland, in Rioja Alavesa, you can taste young wines – crianzas, reservas and gran reservas – that continue to enhance the reputation of this region.

The “City of Wine” opened to the public in September in the Alava town of Elciego. This is a wine cellar designed by the architect, Frank Gerhy, the designer of the Guggenheim Museum. And it’s not the only one – a true spectacle along the route is the wine cellar also designed by Santiago Calatrava, in Laguardia, together with others that feature innovative architecture.

If you would like to delve into the world of wine, we suggest you take advantage of the long bank holiday weekend between 5th and 8th December to visit Vitoria-Gasteiz, which plays host to the ARDOARABA wine festival. This is a must for wine lovers and attracted around 200,000 people last year.

A fine txakoli, a fine wine… and, of course, fine dining. Not in vain does Euskadi now boast 21 Michelin stars. The cuisine on offer ranges from cod a la vizcaína (cod cooked with tomatoes and red peppers) to the famous pintxos (bar snacks), not to mention scrambled egg with perretxikos (forest mushrooms), the typical cider house menu or something as splendid as a meal in a gastronomic society or in a txoko (Basque club).