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Bilbao
Rioja
Spain

Plan your wine tour

Plan your wine tour with Romotur and enjoy the diversity, tradition and innovative spirit of the Bilbao – Rioja region in Northern Spain, known as the “land of a thousand wines.”

Bilbao – Rioja offers visitors the chance to enjoy the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the futuristic architectural icon designed by Frank Gehry, as well as other internationally renowned architects such as Norman Foster, Cesar Pelli, Isosaki, Santiago Calatrava, and Zaha Hadid. For art lovers, Bilbao houses the best collection in Spain, after El Prado, in its Fine Arts Museum that can ideally be combined with the pleasures of the excellent opera season or the many performances that take place in the city year-round.

Romotur

Romotur is a Destination Management Company with 20 years of experience in business travel, specializing in incoming services in Spain. We are located in Bilbao, Basque Country and have developed world class wine and gastronomy tours throughout Spain.

Our team is able to curate the perfect experience for individual FIT clients or large groups for leisure purposes, or for incentives, business meetings, conventions, or conferences.

Romotur was the first agency to curate wine experiences in northern Spain, and our two decades of experience coupled with a highly qualified team of guides and wine experts will provide you with the trip of a lifetime. Contact us today to plan your wine tour.

Imagine discovering, in just one picturesque neighborhood, the highest concentration of centuries-old wineries in the world. That’s what you’ll find in Haro’s deliciously walkable, “Barrio de la Estación.” If you want to get to the heart of how tempranillo and tradition come together in Rioja’s top vintages, this is the place to begin.

There’s plenty to explore in Haro, from historic palaces to contemporary art, but we think the best part about being here is the “Barrio de la Estación.” This barrio, also known as the Golden Mile, is one swell neighborhood—home to seven superb wineries, and a place where tradition and innovation converge happily.

The district came into its own in the mid-1800s, when winemakers arrived from Bordeaux to buy Rioja wines. French vineyards had been devastated by phylloxera but their ideas had not—a fruitful exchange of ideas ensued. The railroad was a breakthrough, speeding Rioja’s wines to faraway tables, and the Station was the place to be.

The wineries around the station represent the best of Rioja’s elegant style. Yet each place has evolved, including architecturally, with daring additions by the likes of Zaha Hadid fitting in with aplomb.

Another contrast to love here: Haro is surrounded by rolling vineyard-covered hills, and ancient rural villages. A drive into the surrounding landscape is an essential part of a perfect stay here.

In June, the wineries host “La Cata del Barrio de la Estación,” the Haro Station Wine Experience, offering selected tastings and perfect pairings by top chefs. Of course, a low-key approach is absolutely do-able: the wine and food are wonderful here all year round. (215 words).

Haro and its Barrio de la Estación are only about an hour from the Basque city of Bilbao. RomoTur specializes in experiences in both the Basque region and the Rioja wine country.

 

Day 1.
  • Arriving to Bilbao international airport, we will transfer you the charming town of Haro where you can choose among some nice hotels. Our choice is Hotel Los Agustinos. The Hotel Los Agustinos, founded in 1373 as a convent, is a landmark building in the town of Haro. It then went on to be a military garrison, hospital, school and prison, and still conserves the inscriptions made by the prisoners on the columns of its beautiful cloisters.This listed building exudes history, whilst offering some comfortable, well-appointed facilities, making guests feel exceptionally privileged to stay at the Hotel.
  • After check – in some relax time to discover this small village where you can breath wine every where.
Day 2.
  • When you are ready to start your wine experience, walk down to visit the Barrio de la Estación. Seven wineries will wait for you.
  • Our choice for your first day are Muga and Goméz Cruzado.
  • Bodegas Muga are located in the historical Barrio de La Estación (railway station district) in Haro. The facilities are two centuries old, built mainly of stone and oak. Trip through the wine world is always a cause for surprise and a chance to learn. Discover the imposing wooden tanks, the calmness of the aging rooms, the heat and smell in the cooperage and take part in a unique experience.
    • Tour days: Monday to Saturday.
    • Prior reservation required.
    • Length: Approx. 60-90 minutes.
    • Tasting of 2 wines.
  • The origins of Bodegas y Viñedos GÓMEZ CRUZADO date back to 1886, when Ángel Gómez de Arteche, a nobleman related to the Duke of Moctezuma de Tultengo, decided to start making and bottling his own wine in Haro, in the heart of Rioja Alta. Thus, a century-old cellar was born which would go on to make history in Haro and Rioja during the late 19th century.
  • Premium visit:
    • Private seated tasting of our collection’s most exclusive wines: Gómez Cruzado Blanco, Reserva, Honorable and the Terroir Selection’s representatives Pancrudo, Cerro Las Cuevas and Montes Obarenes. The tasting is accompanied by Iberian ham, cheese and olive oil from Rioja’s designation of origin.
    • Our suggestion for Lunch is to try the traditional restaurant Terete, specialized in lamb chops grilled on old vine sticks.
    • During the afternoon you can go on trying some other wines in Barrio de la Estación as some of the wineries have wine bars just to taste some of their best harvest with no need of making a full visit.
Day 3.
  • This day you can try some other wineries in Haro, like Ramon Bilbao, although it is not located in Barrio de la Estación but offers a very interesting 360º virtual experience.
  • Or why not a tour around the wonderful landscapes of Rioja vineyards and admiring also the architecture of Ysios, Marqués de Riscal, Viña Real, etc..
  • We propose you to have lunch at Hospedería de los Parajes in Laguardia. After lunch enjoy a nice walking tour around this charming walled town with its well famous arcade:
    • The first piece of art we can see inside the church is the extraordinary front of “La Virgen de los Reyes” (The Kings’ Virgin) whose building, made of sculptured stone, dates from the end of the 14th century, although its polychromy belongs to the end of the 17th century.
    • It is made of stone and it consists of a double Gothic arch that is sharply pointed, forming five archivolts, all of them profusely decorated.
Day 4.
  • Check out and transfer to Bilbao.
  • You can leave the country without enjoying one of the most popular cities in the North of  Spain. A new city that has known how to reinvent It herself to become an attractive and modern city without losing its tradition. Enjoy the Guggenheim museum, El Casco Viejo with its popular Seven Streets (now there are more..) The walk along the  Abandoibarra, Ensanche quarter or Indautxu.
  • Don’t lose the opportunity to try some of the best restaurants in the world, like Azurmendi, Nerua, Etxanobe, or just try our pintxos in any of the bars you will find along your walking.


Ask for your customized trip, let us know your preferred dates, number of participants, if you are taking your own car, or if you  prefere a private car and driver, guide, etc.

Day 1. Bilbao – Haro
  • Mid day arrival at the Bilbao airport.
  • Transfer to Haro, the capital of Rioja Alta wines. The town is built around an arcaded square and has a collection of attractive noble houses dating from the 16th century.
  • 6:30 pm. After a brief tour of the picturesque town, we’ll be lead in a tasting of some of the famous local Rioja wines. We welcome you with a sumptuous dinner at the fine restaurant in the 4-star Hotel Los Agustinos, a restored monastery.
Day 2. Haro – Laguardia – Haro
  • 10:00 am. departure. We spend the morning learning about the wine making industry at the Rioja Wine Museum. You’ll understand how soils, climates, and vineyards come together to produce such a memorable taste – through both ancient and high-tech processes.
  • From there, its time to visit one of the famous wine bodegas. The bodega off Lopez de Heredia keeps the ancient traditions of wine making alive. We’ll tour the facility and cellar before tasting their wonderful product.
  • Lunch will be at Vieja Bodega, serving local specialties often grilled over the wood trimmed from the vines.
  • In the afternoon, we’ll transfer to the medieval city of Laguardia to explore the narrow cobbled streets within the city walls. Motor vehicles are not permitted because the ground below is tunneled with over 250 wine cellars. Besides serving as Rioja Alavesa’s key wine town, Laguardia is also home to a spectacularly painted 14th-century por- tal at the Gothic Santa Maria de los Reyes.
  • We’ll return to Haro where you will have dinner on your own.
Day 3. Haro – Samaniego – San Sebastián
  • 10:00 am. departure. Our day begins with a visit to the private bodega of Ramirez de Ganuza, in a splendid stone mansion on the edge of the tiny village of Samaniego. Careful hand-selection of grapes is one of the hallmarks of the bodega’s complex and elegant wines.
  • Your lunch will be at Restaurante Tubal, as we cross through the kingdom of Navarra on our way to San Sebastian.
  • A pleasant walking tour servers as aour orientation and reveals San Sebastian’s many charms. We explore the fascinating La Parte Vieja or Old Town, the stunning tree-lined boulevards and dramatic ocean views.
  • Dinner on your own.
Day 4. San Sebastián
  • 10:00 am. departure. Our morning walk takes us to the famous La Brecha market which hosts beautiful displays of vegetables, fish and meat. You’ll witness firsthand the Basque passion for fresh food when you marvel at the firm, colour-rich produce, the just-caught fish and perfectly aged beef… and observe the culinary experts inspect and vie for the very best examples. The aromas of farm-fresh peppers, leeks, lettuce and herbs in the air, priming your appetite for the gourmet lunch to come.
  • We will dine at world-famous Arzak (the highest Michelin-rated restaurant in the city; 3 stars). Chef Elena Arzak follows in the footsteps of her father and grandmother and is universally celebrated for her culinary creations.
  • Dinner on your own.
Day 5. San Sebastián
  • 7:30 pm. This evening we will have a private cooking lesson and dinner in one of the famed Gastronomic Societies. A male Basque chorus called an Otxote will serenade us with each course of the meal.
Day 6. Guernica – Bakio – Bilbao
  • 10:30 am. departure. Today, we head west for a visit to the famous oak in Guernica. This once-devastated village is famed for its “Tree of Guernica,” the symbol of Basque heritage, law, and freedom that inspired the haunting Picasso mas- terpiece of the same name. There will also be time to visit sculptural monuments by Henry Moore and Eduardo Chillida.
  • Our chef at Restaurante Zallo Barri will lead us through a sampling of delicious Basque cheeses. One type most associated with the region is Idiazabal, made from the milk of Latxa sheep who graze high in the green hills all the Spring and summer.
  • We continue along the coast to the town of Bakio, known for its fruity young wine called Txakoli.
  • We will tour one of the small bodegas before continuing on to Bilbao.
  • Dinner on your own.
Day 7. Bilbao
  • 10.00 am. departure. With almost a million inhabitants in the metropolitan area Bilbao is the dynamic engine that has fuelled Basque prosperity for the last century. In the new century, it has achieved an unsurpassed reputation for art and architecture, rebirth and renewal. We’ll have a walking tour of the Casco Viejo or Old City, home to the original Siete Calles or seven streets and the bountiful Riverside Market where the food stalls spill over with a bounty of the land and sea beneath stained glass windows.
  • After lunch on your own visit the architectural wonder of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a titanium sheated museum that lures the visitors around its sculptural form.
  • 8.30 pm. For our farewell banquet, we gather at Kate Zarra, an elegant setting high on a hill overlooking the city. This memorable setting come about with the dream of two brothers, architectural salvage of as many as 20 different Basque farmhouses, and luck in the New Years lottery.
Day 8. Departure
  • We transfer you to the airport and help you check your luggage and boarding passes for your flight home.

For more info and bookings click here.

Romotur

Gordoniz, 22 – 1º

48012 Bilbao (Bizkaia)

Spain

(34) 944 433 463