EUROPE BLOG May 20th, 2023 - RIOJA WINE REGION

 

5/20/23- Today marks the halfway point of my trip with Kelvin, and the beginning of my 8th week overall. I’m not going to lie, it’s been challenging to get going every day, but the finish line is fast approaching so making the most of it.

I have a rental car reserved by the bus station to drive to the Rioja region for wine tasting. It takes us 15 minutes to walk from our hotel and another 10 minutes to find Budget Rental Car before realizing it’s underground in the bus terminal (which is another unique looking building).

 

Shortly after 10am, we begin our drive of an hour to get to the first winery of R. Lopez de Heredia. The road is fairly easy to navigate, although I have to get used to driving on the correct side again. Once here, we park our car and look for the entrance only to find that they do not do tastings. We think about coming in for a glass (as they have an interesting coat hanger design), but decide to continue to the next winery.

Another 25 minutes pass before we get to Bodegas Ysios, and already I’m in love with the pixilated looking building. Inside, we enjoy a tasting for 45 Euros (seems expensive but they include 6 half glasses of wine, crackers and cheese). Their tasting room is also full of barrels and quiet at first, before a big group comes in. We’re not a big fan of their mostly dry, red wines (especially the last one with a price tag of 170 Euros for the bottle).

The next place on our list is Bodegas Marques de Riscal. Their wines (which include a flight of 3 reds and 3 whites) are very smooth and much to our liking. They even have tapas for cheap as I get the ham and cheese croquette and Kelvin the Spanish omelet. Afterwards, we try to mosey around to find a good spot to take a picture of their building, but apparently they’re having a wedding today and no one is allowed any closer than the tasting room. I’m still able to get a decent shot from the road on the way out.

We decide to hit up one more place called Bodegas Campo Viejo, which is on a hilltop allowing for some nice views of their vineyards. We enjoy the tasting and they even throw in a simi-sweet one at the end (which Kelvin loves). He asks how much and we’re floored when they say only 5 Euros for the full bottle. He jumps on it like he stole something and left before they could change their mind.

It’s now after 4pm and time to drive back to Bilbao. I opt to skip the toll road (which was 12.5 Euros on the way down) so it takes 2 hours to return, unfortunately we can’t locate a gas station anywhere near the bus station. Driving through the city is not fun by any means but we manage to find one, fill up the tank and return the rental before walking back to our hotel.

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