Rioja Private Wine Tour

Arrive at Bilbao airport, a beautiful, white geometric structure designed by famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, where your elegant driver-guide will collect you in a luxury Mercedes. You have an exciting day ahead! First, stop at the shimmering and undulating titanium waves of Frank Gehry’s masterpiece museum- the Guggenheim Bilbao. Enjoy a free morning to explore this exceptional contemporary museum. See prime examples of Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, and Arte Povera.

A phenomenal lunch will await you at the mythical gourmet Azurmendi restaurant, just a 20-minute transfer east of Bilbao. This three-Michelin-starred restaurant boasts the best example of signature cuisine in Biscay, and the building is another masterpiece, built into a hillside surrounded by vineyards and eco-friendly, prioritizing sustainability by including low-kilometer produce from nearby farmers’ markets on the menu. You will enjoy a wide variety of exquisite dishes on your personalized tasting menu, including Marine Turnip with Herbs emulsion; Oyster Tartar with Seaweed traces; Roasted Lobster; Iberian stew; Pigeon Duxelles; and Legume Flowers. The restaurant’s sommelier will help pair each dish with a glass of excellent local wine. Finish with divine petit fours for dessert, including Passion and Coconut or Black olive, Sheep milk, and Cocoa.

After lunch, drive south to the La Rioja wine region, stopping in the beautiful medieval village of Sajazarra. You will undoubtedly appreciate a stroll through this scenic medieval village, with ogival arches in its walls. Admire the exterior of Sajazarra’s restored 15th-century castle before visiting the Church of La Asunción, whose fabric dates from the 12th and 13th centuries.

It is a 15-minute transfer to Cuzcurrita, where you will check into your charming inn, Teatrisso. A 17th-century house that has been beautifully restored into a gorgeous boutique hotel. Each room is individually decorated, inspired by cinema, theatre, literature, and music; in the 20s and 30s, the house was used as a cinema and theatre. You will have a free evening to explore your original residence and beautiful surroundings. Bienvenidos!

After you have finished breakfast this morning, your chauffeur will collect you for a short drive to your first vineyard visit of the day – La Rioja Alta. Probably one of the most well-known Riojan wineries, situated in Haro’s historic Barrio de la Estación (station quarter). Family-run, the current chairman is the fifth generation to run the business. They proudly offer a great tasting experience, including their famed Viña Ardanza and Viña Arana, Gran Reserva 904, and Gran Reserva 890, enabling you to experience firsthand the magic of this wonderful Bodega.

Next is Roda, where a table will be set up for you beside the historic guardaviñas. A charming table will be set up for you in the vines next to their historic “guardaviñas,” and you can relax and soak up the wonderful views as you graze on local charcuterie and sip your aperitivo, which might include Roda’s Sela wine or perhaps Corimbo, from their sister estate in Ribera del Duero. Carry on for an interesting stroll through their state-of-the-art winery and adjacent 19th-century wine cave before sitting down to a professional tasting of their top wines, including Roda Reserva and Cirsion- very exclusive!

You will be pleased to know lunch is next, and you are in for a treat: a gourmet lunch with wines will be served at the breathtakingly beautiful Nublo. This one-Michelin-star restaurant occupies a 16th-century aristocratic palace in Haro. Chef Miguel Caño’s cooking centers on fire, wood, and Rioja’s ingredients and traditions. The cuisine provides a gastronomic tour of the La Rioja region, blending cutting-edge culinary techniques with traditional influences reflected in the wood-fired oven. The main dining area is connected directly to an open kitchen.

Dishes on your tasting menu may include Aged Beef Tartar with Red Tuna (Bluefin); Pork Strips and Sea Urchin; Crayfish cooked on Aged Vine Branches; White Asparagus and Almond; Artichokes with Cockles; Sea Bass with Spinach in Pil-Pil Sauce; and Sirloin Marinated in Blue Cheese. The restaurant’s sommelier expertly pairs each dish with top local wines.

After lunch, you will visit the Dinastia Vivanco Wine Museum in Briones, just a 15-minute drive away. This unique experience is well worth a couple of hours, as it captivates and beautifully presents the history of wine and man over 8,000 years. If you can manage a bit more walking, take a stroll around the idyllic medieval hamlet of Briones itself.

The evening is yours to relax and enjoy in your charming inn, Teatrisso, or explore lovely Cuzcurrita.

This morning, at about 10:30 a.m., once you have enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, your driver will collect you and take you a few miles east to the stunning Bodegas Hermanos Peciña in the heart of the La Rioja Alta wine region. Relatively new on the scene, the winery was built only in the 90s. However, the proud owners found the perfect spot to produce quintessential, velvety Rioja. After a tour with breathtaking views, you will taste some of their finest creations, including white Señorío de P. Peciña and red Señorío de P. Peciña.

Next, you will move on to Bodega Cupani in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, one of La Rioja’s most picturesque villages – dominated by a castle. This historic winery, with its vaulted stonework and ancient cellars dating back to the 16th century, produces artisan wines that are superb, smooth, modern-style, fruity, and elegant. After visiting the winery and vineyards, the owner will lead you to a private area where you will naturally dine together—a home-cooked lunch paired with their estate wines, an intimate, noncommercial experience filled with the aromas of the owner’s wife preparing lunch on the grill. The menu will likely include Patatas a la Riojana- Rioja-style potatoes, Chuletillas al Sarmiento con Ensalada Verde – baby Lamb Chops cooked over grapevines, followed by Flan de café, and washed down with Rielo, Cupani, Cupani Garnacha, and Sir Cupani.

In the mid-afternoon, following your delicious, unhurried lunch, your chauffeur will take you to the enchanting hilltop village of Laguardia. Once a best-kept secret, Laguardia has finally begun to receive foreign visitors as the word has spread about this little hamlet. You have the absolute best host to show you around- Javi, a charismatic local guide with an encyclopedic knowledge of the town.

On a private walking tour, he’ll share the stories that pepper Laguardia’s history, including local scandals that bring the past vividly to life.  Finally, you will end the tour by tasting some lesser-known local wines in Javi’s wine cave beneath his home. This cave dates back to the Middle Ages and will broaden your understanding of life in the town and its historical intersection with wine.

At the end of a supremely enjoyable visit, head to your nearby hotel, Palacio de Samaniego. Owned by Baroness Rothschild of Bordeaux fame, you will feel like you are staying at a wealthy friend’s house, very cozy and with superb luxury touches from Murano Glass to Grazalema wool blankets and priceless paintings adorning the stone walls.

The rest of the evening is at your leisure, and you’ll be pleased to discover that your hotel boasts an outstanding restaurant and a wine bar, offering a delectable selection of tapas for your enjoyment.

Eat a hearty breakfast, then lace up your comfy, sensible footwear as you go hiking in the vines this morning! Your charming local guide, Marina, will meet you at your hotel and transport you to the starting point for your trek through the vines. This circular trail starts and finishes in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, letting you walk amid the vineyards. On this wine trek, Marina will explain the local terroir and point out interesting artifacts like wine presses dug out of the limestone rock, remains of a burial ground dating back to the Middle Ages, and hermitages such as Santa María de la Piscina. Marina will drop you back to your hotel, and you will have time to freshen up before your next appointment.

Your next appointment is at Casa Primicia, Laguardia’s oldest building. After many years of restoration on the historic house and cellars, Casa Primicia proudly stands with all its medieval glory. Here, you will be greeted by the owners and will be blown away by the down-to-earth welcome you receive; your hosts will take you on a short tour of the winery and then accompany you for a fantastic wine barbecue lunch paired with their finest productions, including Blanco Fermentado en Barrica, Rosado Casa Primicia, Crianza Carravalseca (ecológico), and Julián Madrid Reserva de Familia.

After such an energetic day, you will enjoy a quieter afternoon visiting charming local villages, such as picturesque Abalos, a Neolithic dolmen, or the La Hoya Settlement Museum, which offers insights into the nearby Bronze Age archaeological site.

Tonight, you will dine at Venta Moncalvillo, the two-Michelin-starred restaurant run by brothers Ignacio and Carlos Echapresto. Ignacio, a self-taught chef, draws inspiration from his mother’s traditional cooking and the bounty of local produce sourced directly from the restaurant’s garden. With a cooking style that marries simplicity with ingenuity, Ignacio prioritizes preserving ingredients’ original flavors while introducing inventive textures. His culinary prowess has earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Ambassador of La Rioja Cuisine title.

As the front-of-house operations maestro, Carlos welcomes diners and ensures a seamless dining experience. As the house sommelier, Carlos oversees a meticulously curated wine cellar with an impressive collection of over 600 international wines. With his expertise, Carlos masterfully pairs each dish with the ideal wine, elevating the culinary journey to a sublime experience.

What a treat you have in store today for the finale of your La Rioja tour! Kick off your last day in Rioja at Remírez de Ganuza, just a few steps from your luxury manor in Samaniego. Founded in 1989, Remírez de Ganuza is a modern Rioja benchmark whose wines include the highly regarded Trasnocho. Plunging himself into the vanguard of modern winemaking, Fernando has crafted unrivaled wines of power and finesse where the fruit shines through. Enjoy their sublime wines made in a truly beautiful setting.

Your last wine experience of this trip is at Artadi. Located in a gorgeous spot right outside Laguardia, Artadi left the DOCa Rioja at the end of 2015, choosing to identify its wines through individual vineyards and sites rather than the appellation’s classification system. Your visit focuses on its single-vineyard wines. You explore their vineyard in the fun London “Black cab” and conclude the tour with a tasting in their bright tasting room with stellar views.

Lunch follows and is a fun, light-hearted affair- a tapas crawl on the famous Calle del Laurel, just a 15-minute drive away in central Logroño. The street is packed with little tapas bars. In the admirable communal spirit (avoiding any potential competition), each bar specializes in two or three dishes, making a “tapas crawl” a necessity to enjoy a wide variety. Delicacies that you might find include Chistorra (Chorizo with sweet Paprika and Garlic), Setas (wild Mushrooms cooked in Garlicky Butter), Navajas (Razor Clams) or Almejas (juicy Clams), and Txangurrito – a Fishcake of Crab and Shellfish with a creamy Béchamel.

After lunch, head to your luxurious design hotel at the Marques de Riscal winery. Designed by Frank Gehry, who also designed the iconic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Marques de Riscal Hotel is a masterpiece with facades adorned with titanium waves.

Your chauffeur will leave plenty of time to check in and explore this charming hotel and spa. The SPA Vinothérapie® Caudalie is a luxurious experience, blending natural vine and grape-based treatments with unique aromas and expert care.

Tonight, your farewell gastronomic dinner is at the hotel eatery. Executive Chef Francis Paniego oversees the restaurant. Paniego reworks traditional Riojan tapas and dishes into a contemporary tasting menu, paired with Marqués de Riscal wines. A real highlight of this tour!

After breakfast, your driver will collect you at the pre-arranged time for your private transfer to the departure airport confirmed in your itinerary. We hope you have enjoyed your time in Rioja and look forward to planning another journey with you. Safe travels.