Haro, Rioja: 27-29th Aug

We knew that we had arrived in the province of Rioja by the endless rolling hills of vineyards. We chose to stay in Haro as it is known to be the centre of the region's wine production! But it was much more than that. It is a picturesque ancient town, and like many in Spain, perched on a rocky crag. We had inadvertently strayed into Spanish time, by not having 'lunch' until after 3, but our stomachs were objecting! So, as soon as we had found an appropriate shady spot for Cassie, we hot-footed it into town. We chose one of the many cafes in the town's main plaza, and I asked for 'algun bocadillas' (sandwiches) keen to practice my new language skills. However the camarero assured us it was tapas time so I said 'todos' (all). Nick was a bit concerned as there were about 50 varieties, but he brought us a selection, and we happily stuffed ourselves!
The next day, ever the optimists, we set off early to try and book a tour of one of the wineries. The guide books say that the tours have to be booked at least a week in advance, but hey, it seemed quite quiet everywhere. We managed to book one for the following morning at Heredia, the oldest winery still in existence in Rioja. Then we wandered back into town to check out the 'wine museum' We duly paid our 10 euros and were directed to the 2nd and 3rd floors. The 2nd floor had paintings, so we browsed through them and then went to the 3rd floor in anticipation of all things wine related - only to find ....... more paintings! 'Donde esta el museo del vino?' I asked the curator. 'No aqui' she replied. I guess having a 3 year old guide book wasn't such a good idea! But to be fair to us, the bronze statue of someone swigging from a leather flask, and lots of barrels, was a bit mis-leading. But hey, Nick likes to support the arts!

 

 

 

While wandering around the camp-site, which incidentally had a lovely pool! We found a climbing wall! Well maybe it was more of a bouldering wall, but I thought I would try it out, just to show Cam, that I haven't forgotten how to do it!

 

 

 

We also saw this amazing van where they had pasted photos of all their travels on to it! What a great idea, wonder if Cassie would approve?

 

 

 

After we arrived, lots of people left! And Nick started to get a little bit paranoid! But it meant we had lots of space, hehe!

 

 

 

 



 

The winery tour was amazing! I think that they must have heard that I am just a little bit obsessive about being 'green'! The business has been owned by the same family since its inception. The current manager is the great grand-daughter of the founder, and most processes are still done the same! They even use cuttings from the vines, bound together as filters! Nothing is wasted1 :-)

Vina Tondonia is their main vineyard.

 

 

This is the modern entrance which has been modelled in the shape of a Spanish wine carafe.

 

This is the vine filters

 

Look at the size of these barrels, they are 120 years old! Still with the same yeast growing in them!

 

 

Some of these vintage wines date back 100 years.

 

It takes a minimum of 6 years to produce a bottle of these wines as they are all cask matured and then the reserve wines are stored in their bottles for several years more.

 

 

That is one heck of a lot of vino!

 

 

And then of course, we just had to taste them! They gave us a white rioja that was just amazing, as the lady said, 'it makes you think!' It made the red they gave us afterwards, taste light! So of course we bought a couple of bottles - for a very special occasion!. The chair I am sat on had a little niche cut into the arm rest, for holding the stem of a wine glass! What a life!