Day 15 – Rioja

Over the last week, we have experienced two amazing winery visits. Today we have our third and last tour scheduled in the town of Haro in Rioja Alta. The winery we are visiting is a legend in Rioja! Bodegas López de Heredia Viña Tondonia is one of the oldest in the region and adheres to the traditional way of making wines. They do not open to the public, do not have a wine tasting bar, and only rarely do they open their door for visitors. In fact, their web page states: “Visits to the cellars only for professionals and by appointment, except Harvest time.” Well, Tom is an avid consumer not a professional and it is harvest time, so the chances were slim to non-existent to get a tour. Once again, he wrote an email explaining why he wanted to visit and how important López de Heredia is to him and the wine consuming world. Shocked, he received a reply that there was an outside chance, but it was harvest time and they could not guarantee the visit. While we were in the Ribeira Sacra, we received a note saying we would be welcomed on Thursday the 20th at 10 am. That is today!

Arriving promptly at the scheduled time, we found another couple that would be touring with us. They were Canadian and she too had written an impassioned note to gain access to this once in a lifetime experience. We were greeted by Luis, who would guide us through the historical winery and tell the story of López de Heredia. Luis was fluent in English and had a great sense of humor.

We entered the shop to begin the tour, but it was not your ordinary wine sales area. The modern building was designed by Zaha Hadid, a renown Iraqi architect whose works are known around the world. The building had a specific purpose and that was to house a kiosk that was built for the Brussels World Expo in 1910. A very aggressive schedule to complete this handcrafted kiosk was done by Haro craftsman. When fully assembled, it was disassembled with each piece being numbered, shipped to Brussels, and reassembled. The workmanship was second to none and winning the Gran Prize of the Exposition, it was disassembled and returned to Haro.

The kiosk made its second appearance 125 years later in Barcelona. There was one hurdle that had to be jumped for it to be part of the Barcelona Food and Drink Fair and it was a big one. The crafted piece of woodwork did not fit in the building and definitely could not be placed outside. Enter the architect, Zaha Hadid, and like the Haro craftsman in the past, she created a building that would be assembled and disassembled onsite. After the fair was over, the entire building returned to Haro. Today, it serves as a wine shop and the kiosk now has a permanent home. Leaving the shop, we headed to the winery and the smell of wine was detected as we approached the large doors.

Before we entered, Luis stopped and said that we could take pictures, but López de Heredia requested that we do not publish any on social media and that no workers should be photographed. Because of their request, I will not publish any pictures taken inside the winery, the coopery, or the cellars that honeycomb deep underground the winery.

Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, the founder of López de Heredia, was far ahead of his time in the wine business and the design of Viña Tondonia reflects his savvy. In the 1870s, railroad tracks came to Haro and the winery is next to the rails that would take his wines around the world. The Txori Toki (Bird House) sits high above the winery and can be seen for miles. This glassed-in room allowed Don Rafael to check the weather conditions and his vineyards and serves as the trademark of López de Heredia.

What makes Viña Tondonia wines so unique is that the winery today has strict adherence to the classical Rioja style. There is very little that is automated in this facility. The fermentation tanks, made of oak, are over 100 years old. All the barrels are still made on site in their own coppery by craftsman. When we toured the cellars, there was no air conditioning or humidity control to keep the wine stable while it rests. The caves, which seemed to run for miles, were all hand dug by stonemasons in 1890s. The initial cave is over 700 feet long and as a guess 35 feet tall. 225-liter barrels are floor to ceiling and run the entire length of the tunnel. We walked to the far end of the tunnel where Luis opened a large door and we were outside on the banks of the Ebro River.

We walked to the river past some of the original carts that removed stone from the cellar and just enjoyed the beauty and peacefulness of the river.

Back inside we got to peek in the owner’s cellar and see some of the grand vintages laying there covered in cellar mold. This mold is unsightly, but not harmful to the wine. We also went through the coopery before exiting the winery. There is no doubt some of the tools and jigs they used for making the barrels were original. The coopers not only make the 225-liter barrels for wine, but also an odd shaped barrel for picking grapes. The tall and thin barrels, which balloon in the center, are still used today. This design will keep the grapes from breaking their skins during picking and transport to the winery.

What makes this wine so special? In a day of technology, the past remains alive in the wines of Viña Tondonia. The winemaker, Mercedes López de Heredia, is the great-granddaughter of Don Rafael the founder. Since its inception, the family has been hands on when it comes to vineyards, wine, and business. It is all about family! The wine they have made since the beginning and continue to make has stood the test of time. How they make wine is so different from current trends and yet it is still high in demand.

It starts in the vineyards. All the grapes used are from Viña Tondonia vineyard. They also have other vineyards, and the wine is bottled with that vineyard name. There is Viña Bosconia, Viña Cubillo, and white wine Viña Gravonia, but Viña Tondonia is king. Unlike almost every other winery, the López de Heredia barrels are filled with wine and stored until they become completely neutral and will not impart flavors to the future wine that will be stored in them. Once that occurs, the barrels are used, re-used, repaired and used again until they are retired. A barrel at this winery has a very long lifetime. Many wineries tout how they only use all new barrels, but not here. It is all about the grape juice inside. Another distinction is that Rioja regulations call for a Reserva wine to spend a minimum of 12 months in a barrel, 6 months in a bottle, and can only be released 3 years after the harvest. Viña Tondonia will sleep at the winery for 10 years before it is released to the marketplace! The current vintage on the market is 2010, which is just unheard of in the wine industry today. It now becomes clear and we understand why they have so many caves. Barrels upon barrels are awaiting their turn.

We passed by these barrels on our way back inside while traveling to a tasting room. Luis pointed out that they are the original barrels of the winery from the 1800s. The number 2 burned in the barrel was to signify the quality of the wine it held. This marking allowed distributors to know what quality wine they were selling.

Back inside, we entered a beautiful room with another piece of woodwork that has unbelievable craftsmanship. A smile came to our faces when we saw 5 glasses sitting on table waiting for us. We chatted and asked more questions as Luis poured a 2011 Viña Bosconia and 2010 Viña Tondonia. The wine bar was something Don Rafael had made for his store in Madrid. The store was located in a section of Madrid where visitors and the upper class of Spain would pass by daily. It did not take long before his wines were featured in the best restaurants and hotels of Madrid and began being exported around the world.

Both wines we tasted were excellent, but the 2010 Viña Tondonia was truly amazing. The 2010 vintage was a very good vintage and all of the traditions of López de Heredia can be tasted in each sip. The nice thing about both wines is that you do not have to keep them in a cellar for any additional time. A bottle of Viña Tondonia is ready to drink off the shelf. However, you do not need to rush opening either because most vintages will last for another 20 to 25 years if stored properly. We hated to go, but all good things must come to an end. We said our goodbyes and walked the streets of Haro.

Once again, we apologize for the lack of pictures inside the winery. It was like entering a time capsule and returning to the 1800s. It is our hope that the descriptions of what we saw in words can give one an idea of what we saw. However, I am not going to go against the wishes of López de Heredia and publish pictures.

Haro is divided by the river Ebro and has two unique sides of the town. One side is a town as you would suspect and the other like an industrial park. Except this industrial park is nothing but wineries. One will see and recognize the names of wines that sit on their store shelves on the sides of buildings where the wine was vinified and bottled.

We stopped at La Rioja Alta S.A., which is one of the big boys when it comes to Spanish wines. They have multiple Rioja houses as well as property in Galicia and Ribera del Duero. It was right across the street from Viña Tondonia, so we did not have to walk far for a glass of wine. 😉

As classic as Viña Tondonia architecture and vibe was, La Rioja Alta S.A. was the antithesis. Sleek and modern with a beautiful wine bar that welcomes all who like to enjoy a glass.

So we did! It was a wonderful Grand Reserva! Chatting with folks who were sitting around us, stories of each other’s adventures were exchanged. You meet some of the nicest people over a glass of wine! Time was getting away from us and there were still things to see and do.

Not far from Haro is a town called Briones. Briones sits on a hill and from a distance, it looks like the quintessential Rioja town with a large church surrounded by homes and grape vines. The town is also the home of the Rioja wine museum and that is where we headed.

When we arrived, we discovered it was much more than a museum. It is also a winery and has a lovely restaurant. Realizing that we had not eaten lunch, we thought it best to grab a bite before taking the tour. However, before we could get in the door Tom had to stop and chat with a man about our previous wine tour and what we had experienced in Haro. He listened carefully, but did not add to the conversation.

The restaurant in the museum was very high end and had a wonderful menu, but neither of us were up to “La Comida”. We kept it simple and sat at the bar. The views from the bar overlooked vineyards as far as one could see.

While eating lunch, we made the decision not to tour the museum. Having experienced three winery tours from modern to classic, our thought was we had seen enough about winemaking. The Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture would be skipped this time mainly because we just wanted to be outside. It was a beautiful day and the grounds of Vivanco are beautiful. Walking around the vineyard, Janet was extremely excited when she saw workers gathering the last grapes of the harvest. It was memorizing to watch how fast they moved down the rows, carefully cutting the fruit. Tom was looking at the soil and it was everything he had studied about. Loose stones covered the surface and it appeared to be calcareous. However, hints of red clay could also be seen if you looked closely. He was thrilled that book knowledge had become real in what he saw in front of him.

The wine museum will be on our list if, no, when, we return to Rioja. Tom said goodbye to his friend, and we were off again.

There was one more destination on our list of things to see before we left Rioja, the famous winery and hotel of the Marqués de Riscal. It was not the winery that was calling our name, but the famous design of the facility by the Canadian architect Frank Gehry. We will be seeing another of his creations when we visit Bilbao, the Guggenheim Museum.

Arriving at Marqués de Riscal, we parked and explored how to find the way to the front of the building, but with no luck. We went inside the wine shop and tasting room, but there were no secret entrances there either. A little frustrated, we got in the car and drove up to the entrance. We were quickly and politely turned away by the guard at the gate. We had no other choice but to drive around and try to get a shot from the road.

Oh well, this was the best we got ☹. Tom checked to see what a night stay at this luxury resort would cost. The cheapest rate he saw was 559 euros a night. Of course, it did include breakfast. The day was coming to an end, so we turned the car towards the apartment in Logroño.

In no real hurry, we took backroads that weaved through the vineyards. Arriving back in Logroño, the time had come to start packing up for tomorrow’s adventure in the Basque country. Neither of us were very hungry, but we took a walk back to Laurel Street to grab some pintxos and call it a meal. The nine o’clock hour was approaching and the street was a happening place.

The price of the tapas and pintxos are insane. What a deal - 4 sandwiches of country bread with grilled ham and tomato and a bottle of Rioja for 17.90 euros. That was a lot more than we wanted and we just grabbed something small. These two sleepy old people were ready to call it a day and had no desire to drink or eat anymore, at least not today. Retiring for the evening, we dreamed about the next adventure. Bilbao, here we come!

One final note – If you would like to see pictures inside Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia and read the whole story, I refer you to their web page. https://www.lopezdeheredia.com/