Resting in Roija

I have told you that I enjoy a nice glass of wine, a good pint of beer and a nicely brewed cup of tea with no milk or sugar. Well this time it was the nice glass of wine.

We have just returned from a holiday in Rioja, yes it is a place. We based ourselves in Haro which is the capital of the Rioja region.

It is quite an excursion to get there. The nearest airport is Bilbao. We flew from Gatwick then caught a bus. There was a gap between the bus to Bilbao from the airport and the bus to Haro. A bit like the bus services in Harleston. But this left enough time for lunch. We found a little cafe and had a three course meal for £15 each. It included a bottle of wine!

Refuelled we boarded the bus for the 75 minutes drive. It is a long journey from door to door, but well worth the effort. We arrived just in time for a glass of wine and tapas in some bars. It set us up perfectly for the rest of the holiday.

Rioja is a region in Spain. Similar to Chianti in Italy, and Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, it is the region that people recognise as the wine and not what is in the wine. Just like Chianti, Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy, Rioja is not a grape. The main grape variety in Rioja red wine is Tempranillo.

Not all Tempranillo is Rioja, but all red Rioja contains Tempranillo. We enjoyed a lot of Tempranillo and all of it Rioja.

There are some fantastic restaurants. Our first meal was a ten course tasting menu with wine. Some of the food were works of art. Didn't know whether to eat it or just admire. We decided on eating it.

It was not all wine and food. We visited some museums and galleries.

A must see is the stunning Guggenheim Museum created by Frank Gehry. His buildings are famous throughout the world. His first UK building are the apartments in the Battersea Power station development.

I must admit that we have been to Haro before, the wine festival last year. All the wineries at the station open their doors. It is held every two years, look out for the next one next year. It is a ticketed event where each winery serves two glasses of wine and a tapa. Be quick, the tickets are limited. I will let you know when they go on sale, after we have bought ours.