Bilbao-Rioja
Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque Country, or
Euskadi, as this autonomous region of Spain is known locally. Its
population is around350,000, although when the surrounding urban areas are
included, it rises to about a million people. Art lovers know about
Bilbao, as do those with an interest in modern architecture.
Conference-goers know the city, so does anyone with a knowledge of the
steel and shipping industries. Food lovers have a very high regard for it;
wine connoisseurs know its relationship to Rioja.
Bilbao, one of the major ports in Spain, was founded in 1300 by Don Diego
López de Haro as a port. It was established on the site of an existing
small commercial port - far enough upstream on the Nervión River to be
safe from pirates. The city celebrates its founding day every year; in
fact, it's a great city for celebrations and public events throughout the
year.
Its exports were wool and wine, to begin. Its wealth has come from
fishing, shipping and from the iron industry, and through the 19th
century, a particularly strong trading relationship with Britain.
The city's modern strength lies in the ways in which it has outstripped
its traditional industries without forgetting them. The award-winning
conference centre and concert hall, for example, is called Euskalduna,
after the shipyard that was there until 1992. Frank Gehry's famed building
for the sinuous Guggenheim Museum appears to have references to ships in
its shape, and to fish in the distinctive scaly surface of the exterior.
The Guggenheim marks its 10th birthday in 2007, and is part of an ongoing
commitment to art, technology and architecture that has long been
inseparable from the life of the city and its wine country. This is a city
of remarkable buildings and bridges, of docklands that have had to meet
the challenges of bigger shipping over the centuries, of whole city areas
that have been built and rebuilt over time. The latest to be rebuilt will
be the old waterfront, which is to be redeveloped by the noted architect
Zaha Hadid.
This is a city for architects, as a whole series of modern buildings and
structures show. The architect who in 1893 designed the Puente Bizkaia,
(named Patrimony of Humanity by Unesco in 2006) one of only eight
transporter bridges left in the world, had worked with Gustav Eiffel. The
wonderful Arriaga Theatre, reputedly modelled on the Paris Opera, was
restored to its original 1890 glory after the disastrous floods of the
early 1980s. There are other notable art museums in Bilbao; just as there
are great modern buildings in the wine country of Rioja. Frank Gehry was
commissioned to design a hotel and winery; the Spanish architect Santiago
Calatrava, whose bridge across the Nervión near the Guggenheim is such a
feature of Bilbao, has also designed a winery. The commitment to the best
of art and technology is apparent in such developments as the Dinastia
Vivanco winery and its remarkable privately owned Wine Museum.
This is a city to explore, as it stretches downstream towards to the sea,
from the Casco Viejo (old city) to the green hills like guardians over the
city, to downstream Portugalete, the old port, with its mixture of
clustered houses and open spaces, its sculptures and restaurants. An
excellent modern transport system makes the exploration easy.
It is a city in which to find enjoyment: a city of song and sport, of
companionship, fiestas and saints' days, food and wine.
Basque country is generally regarded as the best region to eat in all of
Spain, which is high praise indeed. Seafood of all kinds is notable here:
look out in particular for bacalao (fresh, or dried, or dried and salted),
hake, tuna, anchovies and sardines, clams, prawns, as well as a range of
vegetables, lamb dishes, and Idiazabal, a Basque sheep's milk cheese, not
to mention a stunning range of desserts and pastries. All accompanied, of
course, by the wines of Rioja. Weekends are the best time for pintxos, as
tapas are called here. There's an enthusiastic habit of enjoying small
bites and shared plates before and perhaps instead of a meal.
Rioja is about a 90 minute drive from Bilbao, and many of its small towns
date from medieval times. Logrono is the capital. The pilgrimage route of
Santiago de Compostela was of great early importance to wine in the
region, since monasteries provided wine - and sometimes accommodation - to
pilgrims. Many of the former monasteries and convents have been turned
into award-winning hotels that combine historic buildings with all modern
facilities.
The wines
The province of La Rioja is one thing. The wine region of Rioja has
different boundaries. It is divided into Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa (in the
Alava region, part of the Basque country), and Rioja Baja. Wines have been
produced here for centuries, but Rioja became a recognised brand in 1925,
when a Designation of Origin was granted. In recognition of their quality,
in 1991, Rioja wines were granted the first Denominacion de Origen
Calificada in Spain. Regulations limit the production area, the permitted
grape varieties, yields, production, and ageing.
There are now nearly 60,000 hectares of vines, in which the predominant
grape variety is tempranillo, thought to be indigenous to the area. Three
ther red grapes are grown - red garnacha, mazuelo, and graciano. White
vrieties make up less than 10 per cent: viura, malvasia de Rioja, and
white garnacha.
The Cantabrian mountain range shelters Rioja from the worst weather the
Atlantic might bring, and the Ebro river creates a series of
microclimates. The vineyards are generally planted between 300 metres and
600 metres above sea level. The Rio Oja (Oja river) gives the region its
name.
There are four colours of numbered back labels for Rioja wines, denoting
categories and minimum ageing periods. Cosecha are those in their first or
second years; crianza wines have spent a minimum of one year in cask, and
some months in bottle. Reserva are selected from the best vintages, and
are at least three years old, with a minimum period of a year in cask.
Gran Reserva wines are from exceptional vintages, and have spent at least
two years in oak, and three years in the bottle. (The ageing periods are
slightly less for white wines.)
The red wines are rich but balanced, made in ways that recognise the long
historical traditions of winemaking while utilising modern knowledge and
technology to produce the best from the region and its grapes.
See: Bilbao-Rioja
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Contact: bilbaorioja@greatwinecapitals.com
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