Riding the Rioja, Haro Spain
September 22, 2023 - by Muriel Dassen
The Rioja is an unprecedentedly famous Spanish red wine. The name stands for the region where the wine comes from, La Rioja. So it is not a type of grape but a type of wine. And therefore, unlike for example a Chardonnay or a Merlot, Rioja wine can only come from Spain and specifically from this region. Besides the red wines with their special, soft taste, you can also find white and rosé Rioja’s. The Rioja is located in the Northern part of Spain and consists of three regions: Rioja Baja, Alavesa and Alta. The whole Rioja region is supplied with water by the river Ebro, running through the centre of the region with several branches that supply the region with water. The Rioja Baja is the Southern part of the region where temperatures can be the highest, therefor producing the most robust wines. The Rioja Alavesa, the smallest part, is located in the north of the region and is a bit higher than the other regions and therefor has a somewhat cooler climate. As a result, mainly lighter wines are produced in the Rioja Alavesa. Rioja Alta is situated in the middle of the Rioja region. Because it is surrounded by mountains, the cold wind that blows in from the sea has little chance and the temperatures in the region can be high.
Haro is the centre of the Rioja alta and as it is also a very nice city, the central point for our Riding the Rioja tour!
Of course you can download the GPX / ITN files and full e-books of the 2 rides we have in this tour via our roadtrip planner but you can already find the info in this blogpost.
In the 2nd half of the 19th century, wine transport switched from horse-drawn carriages to railcars and because of the phylloxera epidemic in their own country French winemakers from the Bourgogne came to Haro. And a lot of wineries were established near the station, in the North of Haro. Nowadays you will still find the highest concentration of ancient bodegas in the world here. The wine trade between Rioja and France, through the Tudela-Bilbao line passing through Haro was inaugurated in 1863, generating the birth of the Barrio de la Estación. The founder of Vina Tondonia, Don Rafael López de Heredia, an enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed the French negociants on their search for alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine. He fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing wine that would eventually become world famous. Around 1877 he began the design and construction of the complex that is today the oldest bodega in Haro.
We visited the Bodega Gomez Cruzado, founded in 1886 and claiming to be the boutique winery of the Barrio de la Estacion, for a tasting. Although they have a team of young wine-makers, they are still dedicated to the traditional Riojan style of fine wines. Rioja has 4 official categories: Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Grand-Reserva all depending on how long the wine has riped and wineries use their best grapes for the Reserva’s and Gran Reserva’s.
So history was made in the Barrio de La Estacion and Haro was one of the first cities in Spain to benefit from the modern new technology that came to Spain via the railway. The booming wine trade brought great wealth to the town.
But also in the old centre of the unofficial Rioja capital, everything seems to revolve around wine. You can enjoy a Rioja wine in one of the numerous cafés or wine cellars in the atmospheric old town, surrounding Haro's lively centre: the Plaza de la Paz. In this modest central square, there are several lively cafés, mainly populated by locals, old and young. There are numerous restaurants, wine bars and cellars in the side streets of this historic quarter. So do wonder around. And with doing so, you most probably will come across some of the beautiful 17th and 18th century facades of the palacios in town.
And on June 29th Haro celebrates St. Peter's Day with the Batalla de vino – the battle of the wine battle – as its climax. It is a real spectacle with about 10,000 people attending each year! It already starts with music and big crowds partying in the streets of Haro on the night of June 28th. On the big day itself, a parade of horsemen leads everyone the 7 km up to the Hermitage of San Felices de Bilibio, where a flag is ceremonially placed and a mass celebrated. Then, the battle commences.
Most people wear white at the beginning of the fight and everyone has containers such as jugs, bottles, buckets, water pistols, hose pipes – anything, really, and soon the whole world seems to turn completely pink. Don’t expect to stand back and watch: everyone is a target, so prepare! After that there are more festivities in the centre of Haro. A very special fiesta to witness! And there are free busses going up and down from and to the campsite in Haro, but you will have to walk the last mile or so.
Recommended hotels:
Rating on Booking.com: Superb 9.3
With parking garage nearby (watch video) - fee applicable
With bar
In city centre Haro
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.5
With parking garage nearby (watch video) – fee applicable
With bar
In city centre Haro
Rating on Booking.com: Good 7.7
With free on site parking – not covered
With bar and restaurant
25 minute walk in to centre Haro
Rating on Booking.com: Good 7.1
With free on site private parking - not covered
With swimming pool
With bar and restaurant
25 minute walk to city centre Haro
Rating on Booking.com: Exceptional 9.6
With swimming pool
With bar
With free on site private parking – not covered
5 km / 3 miles from city centre Haro, in the village of Briñas (with a few restaurants)
Rating on Booking.com: Fabulous 8.7
With free private parking garage
With bar and restaurant
5km / 3 miles outside of Haro, in the village of Briñas (with a few restaurants)
Ride 1
Ride 1 of Riding the Rioja tour is going North and North West of Haro into the Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta, giving you a lot of nice views on the Rioja vineyards. Of course we have some nice stops planned! And coming back to Haro we will be following the Rio Ebro through the Parc Natural Montes Obarenes. The total ride is 210 km / 130 miles.
We added the parking at the Balcon de La Rioja in the ride, offering a beautiful view om a large part of the Rioja as this is the far North part of the Rioja region. So to
the South and South West you get a view on the Rioja Alavesa first and than the Rioja Alta. More South East is the Rioja Baja.
In the village of Villanañe in the so called Valdegovia you can find the Torre de los Varona, the Tower of Varona. A hidden jewel in this small village. The origin of this palace and tower dates back to the 14th century, restored by the Provincial Council of Álava. The tower stands out on one side of the complex. The whole building is defended by a walls with arrow slits, as well as a wide moat filled with water.
The name Varona, meaning female, comes from the story that there was a battle regarding the property. Maria, the women of the house, dressed up as a knight and went to go dual for the ownership of the property. She won the dual and she was told "Show your face, Varon/boy". When she took of her helmet she replied: "No soy varon, soy varona " I’m not a man. I’m women. And ever since the property is called Varona!
We also added the Bar de Villanañe in the ride for coffee and an alternative if this bar is closed.
Frias is the smallest town in Castila y Léon, the region where we are in at this part of the ride. The town is declared one of the three most beautiful towns in Spain. So
a good reason to check it out and have something to drink or maybe, like we did, have a late lunch. The view coming up to Frias is already beautiful, as it is built on a
rock.
The most striking building if Frias is its castle. It is on a beautiful location giving you some amazing views on the surroundings. Besides Mondays and Tuesdays you should be able to visit the castle, against payment. But with typical opening Spanish opening hours as it is closed during the siesta! Open or closed, the castle
is a good starting point for a walk through Frias.
From the castle you can walk back to the San Vicente church, also on a beautiful location with magnificent views, and then descend again through the medieval streets. In the part below the castle, you will also find souvenir shops and restaurants. But it is also worth to walk the few stairs up to the viewpoint (follow the road to the other side of Frias than we're you're parked) as you will get a goo view on the other highlight of Frias, the "Casas Colgadas". They seem to look normal from the street where you just descended, but from the view you can see that the houses hang partly over the rock: the hanging houses.
Before we are ending this ride in Haro, maybe with a nice glass of Rioja, we have one last quick stop at another Balcon with a view over the Rioja and the rio Ebro in the village of Ircio.
Ride 2
Ride 2 will take us South of Haro for 200 km / 125 miles. And although we will be leaving the Rioja region at the end of this ride to go into Basque country, we’re definitely not leaving the Rioja area, as we will be visiting the capital of the Rioja Alavesa there. On the maps it looks like we will be cruising to some nice mountainous areas!
For the first stop of this ride we are taking a look at this very secluded Monasterio de Valvanera, located in this almost gorge like area that the Valvanera river
created. It is an area of great natural beauty, surrounded by extensive forests and sheltered by the peaks of the Sierra de San Lorenzo, with some splendid views of
the valley and the surrounding peaks. The Valvanera Sanctuary is open to all visitors from early morning to late night with free access to the old church and the Chapel of Our Lady, which is the goal of all pilgrimages coming here. The bar was closed when we were there, as was the restaurant. But they did offer us to have coffee in the hall of the restaurant as they were making preparations for lunch. So go and ask if you fancy a coffee!
In the South part of the Rioja where we are at lunch time there are not a lot of bars and restaurants on our route. So we grabbed a sandwich to have a picnic and stopped in the little park of Pradillo as we did found a bar/restaurant in Pradillo if you don't want to picnic. From Pradillo the route will go North on the N111, following the river Iregua andgoing through the Iregua valley, giving you some amazing views!
It will sound a bit strange, but as soon as you hit all the vineyards you officially left the region of Rioja to enter into the Basque country. It is still the Rioja area and
the town of Laguardia is the capital of the Rioja Alavesa, where we added a bike parking for a last stop. It is a medieval hill town with ramparts, towers and
fortified gates that can be seen from afar and from outside the walls you will get some nice views on the surrounding vineyards. And after going through one of the gates, you will get to steep, narrow streets of Laguardia, again with many bodegas. Definitely worth a little stroll and maybe we can have a drink or even an ice cream!
The ride back to Haro is still some 30 km / 19 miles from Laguardia through those vineyards.
Go on your own QUAZY RIDE
You can download the GPX / ITN files of the rides and the full e-books via our roadtrip planner and then we hope you will enjoy the rides you will be doing in this Quazy Rides Riding the Rioja tour and your stay in Haro.
If you are posting on social media, don't forget to tag Quazy Rides or use the #QuazyRides, because we LOVE to see you having fun with our rides.
