In the Fos cellars
Wine, architecture and design for a long weekend getaway, where you can enjoy good wine, delicious cuisine and relax surrounded by nature. Without rushing, letting ourselves be carried away and surprised, without a set plan. That is the best way to discover the Rioja Alavesa .
LAGUARDIA, STARTING POINT
A medieval village mountain range of Cantabria , surrounded by a wall and cobbled streets, its old town has three main streets: Pagans Kalea, Santa Engracia Kalea and Mayor Kalea where you will walk among a large number of stately homes.
Laguardia can be traveled quickly, but there are a couple of obligatory stops: the Gothic Church of Santa María de los Reyes, with its impressive polychrome Gothic door, and the Church of San Juan Bautista; from there you can also see the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Pilar.
We also recommend that you visit to the walk of the Col and, from there, contemplate incredible views of the surroundings; you can also visit a small temple dedicated to the fabulist Samaniego.
THE BLIND
With barely 1,000 inhabitants, their houses extend around the Plaza Mayor; there you will find several palace houses, which show their 17th century architecture.
The noble shields on the facades and their fittings stand out. But what is most impressive about the walk through Elciego is the Hermitage of the Virgin of the Plaza , from the 18th century and baroque style, and the interior of the la St. Andrew's Church , Baroque style and Renaissance decoration.
Church of San Andrés in Elciego
SLEEP BETWEEN VINEYARDS
Hosteria los Parajes
In the historic center of Laguardia is this inn that has two restaurants; but here the most recommended thing is to have tapas and drink some wines from the 15th century cellar located in some caves under the inn. The product is great, and you will be surrounded by stone and art.
Hosteria los Parajes
** Farm of the Arandinos **
We crossed the border and arrived in La Rioja to practice a truly special wine tourism. A hotel that is a winery, a winery that is a hotel. An avant-garde construction where much of the space was the original idea of designer David Delfin. But the best of all is being able to enjoy the closeness of nature.
sleep in absolute silence , surrounded by large extensions of vineyards, taste their wines and have appetizers made with local products, brought directly from the Rioja orchard, or enjoy their spa while night falls before your eyes. Here you don't come to sleep: you come to live experiences.
Farm Arandinos
THE ART OF TAPAS
We cannot talk about La Rioja without mentioning the famous Calle del Laurel de Logroño, where most of the bars and taverns (such as The Broken , for its famous broken egg sandwiches; the lorenzo bar , for its Moorish skewer with a sauce with spices that is incredible; or the angel bar , one of the most famous and that you certainly cannot miss, with its grilled fresh mushroom skewer with shrimp and its secret garlic sauce).
But there are a number of "borderline" restaurants, in this state of mind that is the Rioja winery (both La Rioja and La Alavesa) where it is advisable to make a stop and eat.
Hector Oribe in Paganos
It is a rustic-style restaurant with capacity for only 50 people; there you can taste seasonal cuisine (in fact, it has its own vegetable garden in the backyard of the restaurant). His specialty is beef tail swindled in red wine. a delight
Héctor Oribe, meat PLEASURE
** Amelibia, in Laguardia **
This family restaurant, with seasonal food of the highest quality and from its own land, enchants with how natural and delicious its dishes are. The ideal is to go and enjoy your recipes without haste , while contemplating the wonderful views of the vineyards and the Sierra de Cantabria.
** Hotel Viura, in Villabueva de Álava **
An avant-garde hotel with a truly peculiar architecture and decoration. Cubes that stand out from the earth, with large windows , perfect for relaxing from the outside scenery. The hotel is really surprising and its restaurant, perfect to get carried away by its Rioja and Basque cuisine, also made with seasonal and natural products.
Hotel Viura
OF WINERIES
Lordship of San Vicente and Páganos Vineyards
Two wineries with very different architecture: Señorío de San Vicente, the oldest, is located in the basement of the house of William Eguren , who considers himself, above all, a vineyard collector. Just by going down the first steps, the emotion overwhelms, instantly perceiving all his history and the love for the wine of this family.
Pagan Vineyards it is, simply, a spectacle: an entire mountain emptied from the inside and inside which they work the wine; at the top, a quarry where they have reused the natural stone of the mountain to build pavilions supported by impressive wooden beams. It's amazing that a family could build such an empire. Without a doubt, it will not leave you indifferent.
But not only its architecture impresses, their wines reach your soul, with so much personality and quality. Since 1870, through five generations of winegrowers with roots in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, who have dedicated themselves to the cultivation of vines and the production and aging of the best Rioja wines.
Its objective: achieve maximum soil and plant life, to obtain a healthy wine. For it, They work with maximum respect for nature. , taking into account the planets to do the best job in the field and create a very intimate relationship between the vineyard and the environment . They apply efficient management of the vineyard, with their own resources and respecting the natural balance.
They have two oenological jewels that reinterpret the Rioja classics: Amancio and San Vicente ; two masterpieces, The Granddaughter and the Puntido ; two others, called "the viticultural haute couture", El Bosque and Sierra Cantabria; and its noblest wine with character, power and elegance, taken from the old vines, The bull.
Pagan Vineyards
Fos Wineries
Surrounded by vineyards in Elciego, they have built a place of wood and large windows, work of the prestigious architect Enrique Muga . In 2006 Vicente Boluda He decided to bet on one of his passions and convert what was the old Palacios Sáez winery into a corner where he could enjoy a good wine.
The winery has made a great change, betting on a technological increase to improve the production and quality of the wines. But, in addition, its new facilities allow different wine tourism experiences : They have a shop with a large collection of wines, rooms for tastings and they even organize small parties with live music.
Fos Wineries
Cellar Counter
This building, located at the foot of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, is in the center of the territory occupied by the various vineyards owned by Benjamin Romeo and his partner Héctor Herrera . The structure of three floors and terraces of the winery reproduces the original slopes of the land and, at the same time, facilitates the handling of the grapes and the wine by means of gravity.
The terraces are covered with plants that are integrated with the native vegetation and the exposed concrete walls, impregnated with dust, end up being confused with the land from which it was born.
Inside, the production chain of its wines is exhibited along with a large number of works of art. Of its wines we highlight The preacher , of fresh fruit and oak; how beautiful cackled, a great white wine; red Preacher, it is a perfect balance between fruit and oak; and, without a doubt, The Accountant's Cave Y Counter , the latter being the maximum expression of their lands.
In the bowels of Contador
Wine Company of Northern Spain, CVNE
Located since 1879 in Haro , in the Barrio de la Estación, near the train tracks, which, previously, reached its interior to be able to transport the wine barrels and later the bottles. It is made up of 22 buildings and openwork arranged around a beautiful courtyard where tradition meets quality and innovation . It stands out for its size, as it is one of the largest wineries in our country, family-owned and, moreover, they have managed not to lose their essence.
The most interesting thing about the winery is the eiffel ship, of eight hundred square meters built in 1890, and the “historic cemetery” , some large caves located underground, where wines of all vintages since 1888 are kept. A dark and humid place, but with a lot of charm.
I continue
In Cotino (Laguardia) you will enjoy a perfect sunset along with a good wine, in large green gardens and surrounded by vineyards and flowers.
royal vineyard
The centennial CVNE launched the brand royal vineyard in the 1920s and became one of the pioneers in the production of wines aged in oak barrels. Here an impressive and very unique construction has been chosen, designed by the Philippe Maziéres architecture studio. Its main building is shaped like a tub.
If you need to breathe, escape from day to day, catch your breath, feed your body and your spirit, without rushing, this is the perfect destination for a getaway.
royal vineyard