2026 Rioja Tour du Vin

It was a delight to return for the much awaited Tour du Vin to Rioja for our second wine tour in this iconic region (the last visit was in 2019!).

With 16 tourists in toe, and a brilliant mixture of very experienced, medium experienced and first time tourists, we had three very memorable days exploring some of the most famous estates in the world.

First up was Bodegas Muga in Haro. A winery we are very familiar with – and we were treated to a super tour of their estate. For the first session on the trip – it is great to remind ourselves of the wine making processes, have a look at the barrels, have a look their barrel making facilities, understand Muga’s very traditional technique of how they fine their wines, and of course, try some of their really excellent wines.

We had an extensive flight including their Rosado, Blanco, Flor de Muga Rosado, Tinto Reserva, Seleccion Especial, Prado Enea, Torre Muga and also both of their cavas, the Brut and Brut Rose.

Following this very interesting and informative masterclass, we were invited to join the Muga team for lunch, where alongside an excellent meal, we enjoyed Flor de Muga Blanco, Seleccion Especial 2016 and then a very special Prado Enea 2001. Amazing.

Following lunch, we stretched our legs and made the long and arduous voyage 100 yards up the hill to La Rioja Alta. Another excellent walk around their incredible smart facility, before a tasting with head wine maker at their Aster estate in Ribera del Duero. Again, we were lucky to tick off a number of big names here – including Lagar de Cervera Albarino from their Rias Baixas estate, Finca Martelo from one of their other Rioja estates, Aster Reserva from their Ribera del Duero estate, Vina Alberdi Seleccion Especial Reserva, which was brilliant, before signing off with the ever consistent Vina Ardanza 2020 and then the stunningly impressive La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 2016. Superb.

We jumped back into the fun buses for a short trip to Bodegas Tobelos, where we then drove out to see one of their single vineyard plots. Rustic, unkept, clearly with plenty of old vines surrounded by a Hermitage, that the tourists affectionately referred to as the graveyard vineyard. We had a very interesting tasting with the head wine maker, Adriana and Sales Director, Alvaro.

The logistics of Rioja worked particularly well – and we were fortunate to be able to stay in the same hotel for all three nights. The Hotel Santa Maria Briones was brilliant and would highly recommend it.

Day two of tasting saw us head to Bodegas Urbina on the outskirts of Haro in Rioja Alta – where we had a fantastic morning with Angel Urbina, assisted by his brother Pedro. This was one of the most interesting tastings in recent Tour du Vins – as the background on the family is fascinating. The Urbina’s are a fourth generation wine making family and strictly follow a philosophy of traditional elegance, focusing on long-aging, terroir-driven wines with harmony and balance. They could easily charge a lot more for the quality of the wines that they produce – so this was undoubtedly the find of the tour for many of the tourists.

Next up was Ramon Bilbao – an incredibly smart set up with very informative visitor experience centre. If you wanted to get your head around the geography of Rioja, as well as the sights and smells of the grapes and vineyards – then this is certainly somewhere to add to your trip to Rioja. We also had an excellent lunch here with he onsite catering team – trying a selection of their wines from across Spain.

For the last tasting on tour, we visited Marques de Murrieta in Logrono. Following a tour of their extensive estate, cellars and very advanced wine making facilities, we sat down for a simply stunning flight of wines – that included Pazo Barrantes and La Comtesse from Rias Baixas, then Marques de Murrieta Reserva, Capellania, Dalmau and the iconic Castillo Ygay. A fine way to end the trip.

Our final dinner on tour was at Lumbre, that opened especially for us and treated us to an extensive taster menu – a fine way to end the trip before the tourists went on their separate ways.

One of the great tours – and we look forward to the next edition when we head to Piedmont in October for the next sell out trip.