Semi-Private Rioja Tour of 3 Premium Wineries from Bilbao
Description
Discover what makes Rioja Spain's premier winemaking region on this vineyard and winery tour from Bilbao. Visit 3 top wineries to taste the bold, fruity red blends that put Rioja on the wine lover’s map, and admire the architectural styles of other estates, including one designed by Frank Gehry. Stroll inside the city walls of the medieval Basque town of Laguardia on a guided walking tour, and enjoy the stunning scenery found in the region. A visit to 3 historic and emblematic wineries is included to highlight the absolute pinnacle and prestige of the La Rioja winemaking. These estates produce wine that rates in the top 100 of Rioja wines with more than 90 Parker Points. There will be tastings of both red and white wines so you will have a thorough overview of the La Rioja wine region.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will visit a spectacular subterranean winery beneath a centuries old village in the beautiful Ebro Valley of the La Rioja wine country. This winery will include a 1 hour tour and 3 subsequent tastings of their premium wines only available to clients who visit this special winery.
Our next visits will be tasting experiences at boutique family-run wineries. We will have tastings of the most premium wines from their oldest vines. You will also get to sample their limited-quantity olive oil with fresh bread, cheese and chorizo.
We will then head to the 10th century village of Laguardia for lunch at a local restaurant or pintxo/tapas bar depending on your preference and appetite. After lunch, we will take a leisurely stroll through the beautiful town pointing out sites of interest. There is also amazing photo opportunities of the entirety of the beautiful Ebro Valley.
We will take you to see the Frank Gehry designed Hotel Marques de Riscal for photos and a walk through the vineyards.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please let us know your hotel and we can pick you up there.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark
Reviews(134)
Absolutely amazing experience! The host Zach was super accommodating and let me join the group last minute. Everything could not have been easier. They picked me up directly outside of my hotel. Each winery was carefully selected clearly with a lot of thought and intention put into where they took us. We had a chance to learn a lot about the history and culture of the region as well as taste so many amazing wines. I’ve been on many wine tastings where you get a small sip of two three wines and then you’re quickly rushed to the next location. This is not that experience. Each winery allowed us to try several wines with generous pours and delicious snacks and made the experience feel very personal and enjoyable. We also got to see some really cool history and architecture of the region and sample pinxtos in a bar in a village from the 1300s, which was an added bonus in addition to tasting all the delicious wine!! at the end, I was dropped off directly at my hotel and given recommendations on what else to do in the area. this was definitely a five star experience. next time I’m in the region, would be happy to book with Zach again.
Great tour the best we have done!! The ride there was short, we learned a lot about basque history and culture. Our guide Olaia very friendly and fun knows a lot about history and of course wine, respectful, on time, great guide The wineries excellent great small batch (“parcela” wines) that you don’t find in stores or restaurants Overall a GREAT tour!!!
We had the best day in Rioja with the absolute best guide, Olaia! We stopped at 3 incredible wineries where the wines were outstanding and the hospitality and information were top notch. We also enjoyed the delightful town of Laguardia. The views there and at the stops we made along the way were so beautiful. And we truly can’t say enough about Olaia. We’ve done many tours in different countries and she was the best guide we have ever had! She is so kind, thoughtful, considerate and goes above and beyond to make sure you have the best possible experiences. She is wonderful! The booking process was seamless and easy. The owners are responsive and helpful. Do not miss your chance to book with Best of Basque — for this or any other tours!!
We had the most amazing time in La Rioja with Irene — honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Every winery we visited was exceptional, each one with its own charm and incredible wines. And the final stop for pintxos was the perfect ending — we absolutely loved it. It was such a thoughtful, well-curated experience from start to finish. We’d 100% do it all over again and hope to be back soon!
Our driver and guide Olaia was lively, knowledgeable and interesting and drove us to the Rioja Lavesa wine region ( from Bilbao). We visited 3 wineries. The first included a tour of the 15th century hand hewn cellars below the building. The wines of all 3 bodegas visited was of the highest quality and on the way back Olaia took us to the walled town of LaGuardia for some pinxtos. It was a long day starting at 8:30am and she dropped us back at our hotel 8 hours later. Overall a great experience
We had an amazing day visiting 3 wineries (one full tour plus 2 tastings) and a final stop at La Guardia). Our guide Olaia was so warm and knowledgeable, we loved hearing about the history of Basque Country and Rioja comunity. Everyone in wineries was very welcoming and provided us with a great experience.
We had a private tour with Zach of 3 wineries in the beautiful La Rioja region. Highly recommend this tour. We were picked up from our hotel in Bilbao and dropped off there as well. All 3 boutique wineries were lovely, but our favorite was Bodegas Amaren. So many wine tastings and food/snacks that we were full before we even got to lunch. We were lucky enough to catch the Fall colors on the vines and it was spectacular. Thank you Zach for a great tour!
Spent the day in Rioja visiting 3 lovely wineries. Our guide Zach picked us up in a central location in Bilbao and we drove 1.25 hrs to the beautiful wine country. Wineries were excellent as were the food and wines offered. I loved them so much I bought 6 bottle of red to be shipped home and I don’t even like red wine! We also stopped and toured the charming town of LaGuardia where our group stopped for some pinxtos and more wine. A few photo stops along the way and our day was perfect! We had a group of 5 people so it was a stress free day! Highly recommend Zach and this wonderful tour of Rioja!!
Fabulous tour of three Rioja wineries and the town of Larguardia. Oliai was such a fun, cute tour guide who made the day really enjoyable. All three wineries on our tour were interesting and provided great wines for tasting. Add this tour to your Bilbao itinerary.
Zac was an amazing guide and host for the day. Took us to three premium wineries that showcased wines the Rioja region. Would thoroughly recommend if you are a lover of fine wines
