Wine tourism - arabaturismo
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Wine tourism
The Rioja Protected Designation of Origin (Rioja DOC) is one of the oldest Designations of Origin in Spain, having existed for more than ninety years, and is considered one of the eight best in the world due to its ability to maintain a high quality of its wines over an extended period of time. Rioja Alavesa forms part of the Rioja DOC with about 300 wineries and 12,934 hectares of vineyard.
VILLA-LUCÍA WINE THEMATIC CENTRE
Carretera de Logroño s/n
01300 Laguardia
A number of circumstances come together in Rioja Alavesa to give the wines of this region their international prestige, these circumstances are the geographical location, the climate, the soils and the types of grapes.
Moreover, Rioja Alavesa is known for its artisanal production, the love and care that the winemakers put into the ageing process and limited production. International recognition of this region’s wines is based on the quality of its red wines, created with Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano varieties of grape, although new and reintroduced white wines can also be found, especially from the Macabeo grape variety.
The tradition of growing and handling the grape to produce the best wines has remained the same for centuries, consequently village life, the landscape and the customs have also been preserved. The result is an authentic tourist attraction, full of experiences that many choose to repeat.
The municipalities of Alava, whose wineries form part of Rioja DOC are Baños de Ebro, Cripán, Elciego, Elvillar, Labastida, Laguardia, Lanciego, Lapuebla de Labarca, Leza, Morada de Álava, Navaridas, Oyón, Samaniego, Villabuena de Álava and Yécora
The Wine Route
The Rioja Alavesa Wine Route offers an itinerary full of activities throughout the whole year based on a new concept for tourism: Wine tourism, or Enotourism.
So in addition to experiencing the vineyards and wineries, plus the beautiful landscape, are festivities, popular festivals, vintage car exhibitions, sports marathons or personalised excursions for a complete wine tourism package.
Inns, country houses and hotels, welcoming places full of charm and offering accommodation for the night, along with a cuisine that is true to its roots blessed with a prodigious pantry of pulses, vegetables, cured porks, meats and sweets, with some of its best dishes becoming part of traditional cooking to complete the offer. Tempting, isn’t it?
In reality, when we talk about Rioja Alavesa we are talking about wine. The colour of its landscapes, its history, the life of its people, everything is inextricably linked to wine.
For this reason, we really have to mention some of the attractions that may be of interest to those who come discover this land where wine and history have gone hand in hand since time immemorial.
Villa-Lucía Wine Thematic Centre
The Villa Lucía Wine Thematic Centre, located in Laguardia, offers the visitor a museum space that combines tradition and the latest audiovisual technology to journey through the history and rituals of wine and its production in an enjoyable, practical and effective way.
This journey employs innovative projections in 4D, virtual tastings of aromas, smells and colours; information panels; nostalgic corners to represent the associated trades; models, utensils, holograms, and interactive aids for the more curious visitors.
There are also gardens to enjoy a stroll through the old recreational estate of the family of the fable writer Samaniego.
This is the only wine museum in Rioja Alavesa.