Wine, Pintxos, Sleep, Rinse, Repeat. That’s pretty much the gist of this post and what 24 hours in Rioja may entail. Well, there was also plenty of architecture, old towns, cats, and pretty cool art. But all roads in Rioja lead to more wine, more Pintxos, and since the area hasnt been discovered like the neighbors to the north, all still quite cheap.
Since you’ll be saving on all that glorious food and wine, might as well splurge with Palacio de Samaniego, located in the village of, you guessed it, Samaniego. A restored 17th centaury palace consisting of 9 luxury suites, opened a few years ago by the Rothschild family. The personal project of Edmond de Rothschild Group CEO Ariane de Rothschild, adding her personal touch and private collection, particularly the vases. The entire place including your room looks like a museum.
Breakfast at the Palacio is superb, but dinner was a bit less so. Tierra y Vino is locally well regarded, praised by Macarfi, Michelin and more. Perhaps a series of sensational meals in French Basque and San Sebastian were a tough act to follow. Still, it gets great reviews, and your experience may differ. The beef cheeks and duck were the saving grace.
An alternative in the area would be to eat in the village of Ábalos, or at the popular meat temple SVGAR in Laguardia. All within 10 minute drive. You can also have a lighter meal at the Palacio after a bigger lunch elsewhere. During our meal, waiters were carrying some nifty looking burgers to the patrons sitting in the lobby.
Moving on to the area wineries. You are essentially within a short drive of some of the most impressive wineries in Europe. My advice is to see the grand and famous, but taste the small and personable. You got one of each within walking distance of the Palacio. You can pop inside Bodegas Baigorri for a quick peek or a tour. Followed by a tasting at Bodegas Ostatu across. Try the white Gran Reserva and red Gloria.
For lunch I recommend a pintxos crawl in Logroño, Rioja’s bustling capital. This is the cultural and historic jewel of the region, especially for food lovers. Once you discover the action on Calle Laurel, the epicenter of the old town, you’ll plan to come back on the way to the car for more, only to discover that it just go busier. Meaning, come as early as you can. The bonus is that after San Sebastián or Bilbao, this will be a major relief on the wallet. Here are some of the highlights for your crawl.
Bar Soriano – Start with the legend that makes one item. Grilled Cremini mushroom tower with shrimp on top and bread. Sounds kinda meh but its so satisfyingly garlicky and buttery. Even chief mushroom hater Mrs Z liked it. Places all over town trying to mimic this but you’ll want to try it here.
Bar Lorenzo “Agus Tio” – Next to Soriano you got very tasty Bocadillos, mini pork skewer sandwiches that come nicely sauced. Light and delicious.
Torres Gastrobar – For the finish, Kobe Beef cutlets with fries and green peppers. Supremely flavorful, and popular for a reason. I actually came for the squid sandwiches (solid as well), but got distracted when these cutlets were parading all over.
Its wine o’clock again, and time to finish our wine tour with two obligatory stops. Bodegas Ysios and Marqués de Riscal, in that order if you pressed for time. Ysios is an absolute stunner, maybe the most beautiful winery I’ve seen, and the building is quite accessible for your all important selfie. But you need an appointment to get inside. Marqués de Riscal isnt as accessible without booking a tour
Spend the next morning in another atmospheric old town, LaGuardia. Though dont come too early, as the town just begins to wake up at around 11. One unexpected aspect was the art, including the tree art outside the walls, and Sara Luna’s window art displayed on several shops. Along with Logroño, this is reason enough to come to Rioja.
The order here obviously depends on your schedule. Be mindful of opening/closing times of the wineries. Another winery I planned on visiting but had to cancel days prior is Bodegas Tritium for their 15th-century caves.
Eating With Ziggy 