Tour Summary

LA RIOJA, GASTRONOMY, WINE AND CULTURE AT ITS BEST

This luxury tour focuses on the heart of the wine-growing and gastronomic centre of Rioja: Haro and Logroño. Both on the River Ebro, just 20 minutes apart by road yet the difference – the food, the wine, the culture, the landscapes – is fascinating: Less traveling time, more variety. The charm of picturesque Haro contrasts with the boulevards of Logroño. And then there’s romance of Laguardia,  a hilltop fortress set against the Sierra de Cantabria.
This gastronomic-wine tour will appeal to those with an insatiable appetite to learn more about the regional food and wine of Northern Spain.  Whilst the region is known worldwide for its wines, it hides a wealth of epicurean delights can only be experienced in person in the restaurants and bodegas of Rioja.

We visit an amazing range of wineries, all different with their own special features, from Chateaux-style and traditional wineries to boutique or avant-garde wineries all regarded as the current leaders in both the New Rioja and the Traditional Rioja.
Winemakers and winery owners will guide you through their prestigious estates explaining their unique wine-making methods and sampling their renowned wines with you.

Gastronomy plays an important role in our thrilling wine journey. You will experience delicious
gourmet meals in top wineries overlooking the vineyards,  and distinguished  traditional restaurants. Renowned cooks will entertain you with their typical regional meals and new innovative culinary creations.

For our accommodation you will be staying in a beautiful building founded as a convent, now its walls house a lovely hotel in which it is a true privilege to be a guest and a carefully selected boutique hotel, beautifully decorated with a truly impeccable service.

The visit to The Dinastia Vivanco Museum is a must on our tours. A privileged guided tour through the history and culture of wine not only in Spain but also in Europe. After visiting this astonishing temple of wine you will be delighted with a truly outstanding gourmet lunch.

We have also included a guided walking tour of two amazing cities and a unique medieval village full of wine history, landmarks, historic mansions, glorious views of the Cantabrian Mountains and surrounded by a valley of vineyards.

If you want to visit remarkable wineries, sample splendid wines, enjoy unforgettable meals in gorgeous surroundings, improve your knowledge about the history and culture of wine combined with striking medieval village tours, in one of the most tourist-free areas in Spain: La Rioja, this a journey that you must not miss.

PLACES: Modern Bilbao home of the Guggenheim Museum with its lustrous exterior and collection of modern art. Haro is a graceful town on the banks of the River Ebro. It has a lively old quarter where elegant wine mansions meet lively pavement cafés. Logroño, the region’s capital, has wide boulevards reminiscent of Bordeaux from where the émigré wine makers came. Laguardia is a  medieval hilltop city with encircling ramparts, towers and fortified gateways. Its narrow cobbled streets are flanked by bodegas and tapas bars.

FOOD: Just as the wines of Rioja have a unique character, so does the regional gastronomy. Some say the food here is more sophisticated and varied than anywhere else in Spain. So, as you dine in fine restaurants, tapas bars and the famous gastronomic societies of Rioja, it will dawn on you how Rioja’s food and wine really is a marriage made in heaven.

Itinerary

DAY ONE- Bilbao- Haro                                            

You are welcomed and escorted by our guide to our carefully selected hotel in La Rioja in our vehicle.
Evening free. Optional: Guggenheim museum visit in Bilbao Subject to arrival time

DAY TWO- Haro- Labastida- Haro                                      

Extraordinary guided tour of the world’s largest wine museum, experiencing the wine culture
of centuries. A unique experience learning the history of wine not only in Spain, but in Europe.

Visit to the fabulous Remelluri Estate. One of the most important wineries in Rioja for Its successful style of blending the modern technology with the wine-making traditional methods.
One of the few Chateaux-style wineries in Rioja, located in a peaceful setting, at the base of the Cantabrian Mountains. Superb typical lunch from the area, overlooking the vineyards and accompanied by the much acclaimed wines from Remelluri.

Private guided walking tour of Haro. The city of Haro is acknowledged as being the                                                                           centre of Rioja wine production

For the traditional tour we will visit Rioja Alta, one of the most reputable, traditional and oldest wineries in Rioja with very high quality wines. Lunch will take place at our historic hotel.
After the lunch we will visit the charming village of Briones and walking above the meander of the River Ebro surrounding the village with spectacular views.

 (Optional) Tutored wine tasting of a selection of the best wines of La Rioja conducted by a wine expert at a historic building. You will learn different techniques to taste wine as well as the unique  characteristics of the wines of Rioja wine region.

Free evening. Time to relax in your hotel or to enjoy the numerous bars and restaurants around the city

DAY THREE- Haro- Logroño

Spectacular guided tour to one of the best wineries in Rioja and Spain. Situated in a medieval village in Rioja Alavesa wine region. Tour of medieval winery (entirely made of stone) and walks around its vineyards. Wine tasting (exclusive tour)

Guided visit to one of the oldest and prettiest Wine Estates in Europe: Lopez de Heredia.
Tour conducted by one of the members of the Family. A visit to this traditional wine estate will  demonstrate more clearly than a thousand words or pictures just what tradition in the making of fine wines really means in the 21st century. Wine tasting

Traditional restaurant in La Rioja. One of the best to experience the art of combining  traditional and nouvelle cuisine. (exclusive tour) 

On the traditional tour will visit to one of the most prestigious wineries in Spain for its winemaking methods, their constant research in perfecting the Wines as well as experimenting with the
Grapes. They have mastered one of the best wines in Spain: Cirsion.
Wine tasting included (traditional tour)

Lunch at traditional restaurant in Haro. Charming little restaurant with a great variety of
dishes and products from Rioja Alta. (traditional tour)
                     
Guided tour of the old quarter of Logrono, capital of La Rioja, visiting Calle Laurel one of the most famous gastronomic streets in Spain. A unique guided tour seeing hundreds of small
bars, each one specialising in a different tapa (small portions of food, an authentic delicacy)

Free evening in Logrono, the capital of La Rioja. Bars and restaurants recommended

DAY FOUR- Logroño-Elciego-Laguardia-Logroño

Guided tour of the one and only Marques de Riscal, Pioneer in the Rioja wine region. Its wines have earned some of the most distinguished international awards including the amazing Hotel Marques De Riscal designed by world renowned architect Frank Ghery. Wine tasting

Private guided tour conducted by local expert of One of the most astonishing medieval towns in  Europe. Located on a hill, surrounded by a valley of vineyards, overlooking the back-drop of the Cantabrian Mountains.

Privileged visit to one of the best underground cellars in the medieval town of Laguardia. It is located under the Palace of the Samaniegos.

Gourmet lunch held at Posada Mayor De Migueloa in Laguardia. Palace hotel, wine cellar and restaurant providing superb dishes as fine examples of Basque and Riojan Cuisine,  based on fresh ingredients and excellent service. (exclusive tour)
Lunch at this renowned restaurant in Laguardia. A prized establishment (Plato de Oro de la
Gastronomía Española 1999), the restaurant offers innovative dishes based on the traditional, local cuisine and is a lovely vantage point fromwhich to admire the grapevines. There is also a gourmet shop where you can purchase the quality, local Riojas. (traditional itinerary)

Free  afternoon. Time to relax in the hotel or go shopping in Logrono

(Optional) Guided tapas tour of the best tapas of the area some of them never seen before. You will sample authentic fresh food from the North of Spain, while you mix with the locals.  Highly enjoyable.

DAY FIVE- Logroño- Bilbao

Private transfer back to the Airport

Optional:Private guided tour to The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (subject to flight times)

Prices & Dates

COST PERSON IN EUROS 4 Nights / 5 Days   TRADITIONAL RIOJA WINE TOUR

for 2 persons for 4 people for 6 people for 8 people 3 NIGHTS/4 DAYS 999.00 749.00 649.00 579.00

EXCLUSIVE GOURMET RIOJA WINE TOUR

for 2 persons for 4 people for 6 people for 8 people 3 NIGHTS/4 DAYS 1199.00 899.00 749.00 699.00

The difference between the traditional and the exclusive Rioja tour lies in the rating of accommodation, quality of meals, upmarket wineries and type of restaurants. Supplements 189.00 Euros single supplement   90.00 Euros per person supplement. Wine festival 15-23 September 2012 This tour operates every week from April to October. November to March on request. - For the scaled pricing system, the total number of people in the tour refers to how many are actually booked for the particular week, and not to how many people you must have in your party. For example if you call to book two people and we already have four people booked, you will be paying the price designated to six people, if at a later day we book two more clients you will eventually pay the price designated to eight people. This tour can also be arranged privately applying the above price of the number of people in the private party. We can also organize a similar tour subject to your requirements of number of people and days, budget etc, please e-mail us on info@theuniquetraveller.com. PRICE INCLUDES: - Transport for 3 full days - Transfers from and to Bilbao Airport - Personalised English/Spanish speaking expert guide throughout the tour - Four nights Accommodation based on double occupancy with private bath.   Two nights in a convent/conversion hotel and two nights in a boutique hotel and   three or four star for the traditional tour. - Four full breakfasts - Five exclusive wine estate visits. - Three premium wine tasting - Three gourmet lunches including wine - Visit to the world largest wine museum.   - Three towns and medieval villages guided walking tours. - All Taxes   WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED - Travel insurance - Flights (Bilbao or Vitoria airports) - Tips - Meals not specified - Personal expenses - Optional visits

 

Accommodation

 

IN LA RIOJA

Hotel LOS AGUSTINOS (Haro)

HISTORIC-BUILDING , 4 star

Location
This four star property is located right in the historic centre of Haro, centre of the wine production in Rioja, surrounded by a valley of vineyards and the Cantabrian Mountains. Walking distance you can experience numerous and excellent tapas.

General Facilities
Founded as a convent in 1373, Los Agustinos hotel is a beautiful and protected building, now its walls full of history play host to exceptionally comfortable facilities where it is a privilege to stay. It has an impressive courtyard where you can relax reading your favourite book or having a glass of Rioja.

Particular mention should be made of the Las Duelas Restaurant; the Bistrot de las Duelas; Bar-Cafeteria; 24-hour room service; and free WIFI throughout the Hotel.
They offer conventional, modern and regional cuisine based on fresh products from the area and also having an outstanding wine-list and everything in historic surroundings.

The rooms
There are 62 guestrooms, most of which are outward-facing, whilst the Hotel's most salient feature is the impressive, glass-domed cloisters, which are air-conditioned and enclosed. All rooms are decorated in a rustic style and enjoy all the modern comforts: satellite TV, wifi, private bathroom with hairdryer. Guests also have access to the hotel’s fitness center.

Hotel MARQUES DE VALLEJO (Logroño)
BOUTIQUE HOTEL -for the Exclusive tour, three or four star modern city hotel in the centre for the Traditional tour.

Location
This boutique hotel is located right in the centre, in the historic and cultural heart of Logroño, at a walking distance of the main gastronomic streets, where you can find the best pinchos and tapas in northern Spain, the old part with the cathedral and numerous churches and the outdoor dining area full of terraces where you can have delicious meals accompanied by excellent wines.

General Facilities
Built in 1911, was known popularly as Posada de las Animas (Inn of the souls).
In May 2004, Hotel Marques De Vallejo had a meticulous work of restoration, interior design and decoration, always with the aim of offering a more comfortable and pleasant stay to our guest. 
Nowadays they keep on working/betting on the innovation and the improvement of our services and facilities with the aim of satisfying each and every need of our guest.

The rooms
The 50 contemporary rooms at Hotel Marqués de Vallejo feature parquet floors and air conditioning. They contain an LCD TV, and the private bathrooms come with a hairdryer.
Wifi access, safe and temperature controller as well as mini bar, are also available in the rooms.

or

3  or 4 STAR CITY  HOTEL (Logroño)  in the centre for the Traditional tour.

Our selected 3 or 4 star hotels are located in the central business and leisure area of Logroño. Ideally situated for guests seeking a culturally-rich break in this great city. 

Discover the old quarter with the cathedral and numerous churches and the outdoor dining area full of terraces where you can have delicious meals accompanied by excellent wines. Enjoy the famous tapas’ area ‘The Elephants path’, which is situated just a few minutes walk from your hotel.

The furnishings throughout are of a good quality, the rooms are clean and the modern conveniences plentiful and state-of-the-art, including fully equipped bathrooms, air-conditioning, satellite TV and mini bar. n the well-appointed public areas of the hotels, guests are treated to friendly service and a range of excellent facilities.

Tour Pictures