Last week I was in Rioja with Wine Stylist club for which I’ve been working in Italy for a few years. WineStylist is a travel club of wine and culture that organizes sophisticated and educative events in the lands of wine for a Russian and English speaking audience.
For the first time I was invited to join Wine Stylist events in Rioja, north of Spain, and I had a blast.
I liked very much the area of Rioja Alvesa that is situated in the South of Alava between the River Ebro and the imposing Cantabria Mountain Range. Here vines have been grown since the Roman times. La Rioja, the whole wine region, benefits of three climate conditions such as the Continental, Mediterranean, and Atlantic. In the area there are 700 wine cellars that produce wines for million bottles.
Everything was perfectly organized and I’ve enjoyed every single day traveling through attractive landscapes, visiting tremendous architecture wineries and,eating delicious food everywhere! From the most traditional dishes to the delicacies of miniature cuisine.
In regard to the wines, unfortunately, those were not my taste, I’ve found them covered from the excessive use of the wood (American and French), heavy and not lively as I like to drink. Most wines in Rioja belong to modern winemaking which distinguished itself for those overripe, oaked Tempranillo and Garnacha, high alcohol content that are not the wines I drink.
Eventually, on the last day, I’ve found some natural wines, organically-produced, fruity driven, fresh-tasting and with a limited use of sulfites added, for which I’ve written a post apart.
Our guide Jenny Siddall @tasterioja did a wonderful job and made our experience memorable with a highlight of a visit at Vivanco, Museum of the Culture of wine, extraordinary! Whoever wants to explore the culture, food and wines of Rioja I recommend to get in touch with Jenny at TasteRioja.
My huge Thank goes to Wine Stylist for inviting me, giving me days of carelessness, enthusiasm and pure enjoyment.
Barbara