Rioja's Topwijnen proeverij privétour

We visited 2 very different wineries (one with modern, new methods. The other more traditional in winemaking style. Both were standouts in quality.) we took lots of pictures of the gorgeous Rioja valley (& Laguardia) and enjoyed a grand Spanish feast to end the day. Our guide Daniel was incredibly knowledgeable, kind and kept us on track without being a “taskmaster.” He answered all of our many questions and his stories over meals entertained us endlessly. Our transportation was very clean, comfortable and reliable.

We had an incredible experience with Iker! From the moment we met at the airport to our last meal in La Rioja, Iker was knowledgable, fun, flexible and always smiling. Most impressive was definitely his knowledge of the region. We were given private tours several wineries and were able to meet the wine makers in almost ever scenario. We even were able to try a 1984 bottle at Conde de Los Andes...what a treat! The foodie aspect was OUTSTANDING! Each place better than the next. Word of advice always get whatever Iker tells you is the speciality. I tried ordering off the norm and regretted it (the meal was still wonderful but I was jealous of the other dishes LOL). From lunch at local favs to pinchos, the food was more delicious than words can describe. My favorite part was definitely pinchos night in Logrono. OMG! Love love loved it. Sightseeing was also a stellar experience. From visiting middle-evil towns like Laguardia to Logrono and finally Labastida, each unique and beautiful with incredible history and the kindest people. I can't image going to Spain and La Rioja, specifically without Iker. Thank you for helping make our trip so memorable!

+7

So you want to find the perfect guide to make sure your Rioja wine tasting trip is awesome? Good thing you're reading this review. Iker is your guy. He's smart, knowledgeable, funny and passionate but also takes the pulse of the group to design the tour so everyone is happy. Pretty hard to pull that off. The private tours and lunch he set up for us were off the charts. The delicious home cooked meal made us feel like we had a Basque grandmother looking after us and was such a great change of pace from the pintxos. Thank you Iker and BasqueGuides!

Iker was an amazing host! It had been snowing in Rioja so the previous tour we booked was canceled due to the road conditions. We found Basque Guides online and decided to call to see if they would be willing to do the tour. Straight away Iker answered the phone and offered us the option to wait to see how the roads would hold up. When he let me know he could do the tour we were very excited with the options he had available. He suggested the option with 3 wineries and thats what we went with. He picked us up on time from our Airbnb in Bilbao and we enjoyed all the bodegas we visited. We let him know that we enjoyed Abuela style food so he took us to nice local place that had amazing food. We had LOTS of wine at the 3 bodegas so I encourage you if you go to eat big breakfast before going. I highly recommend booking with Iker it’s pricey but definitely worth the experience especially because he tailors the tour for whatever you’re looking for. I would definitely book with him again!

Iker was a fantastic tour guide; he completely personalised the experience for us which was so greatly appreciated. He was punctual, informative (he provided us with a lot of details and information on the region and wines which we could not have discovered any other way), and very friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Iker and would highly recommend him and any of his tours. Thank you, Iker!