Wine & Tapa Tasting in Northern Spain

Wine & Tapa Tasting in Northern Spain

Wine & Tapa Tasting in Northern Spain

I have been dying to do some wine and tapa tasting in Northern Spain for over 10 years and recently I made a long overdue trip up to visit Haro, Logroño, La Guardia and surprisingly, San Sebastian. I absolutely LOVED this area of Spain.  I´ve been to almost every corner of the Iberian Peninsula over 23 years but La Rioja and the Basque Country were the last on my “Must Visit” list.

Day 1 – Haro & Logroño

Travelling with Spanish friends who used to spend endless summers in Haro (the” wine capital” of La Rioja) meant that this was going to be an excellent weekend. The first stop was, of course, a bodega. We had little time so the one that worked for us was Muga and it didn´t disappoint.  I discovered I really liked the Conde de Haro cava (Viura & Malvasía grapes) they produce (so bought a bottle!) Despite the hideous weather, the scenery was lovely as we drove from town to town and from bodega to bodega.

We went to Logroño for the evening and as it was a busy Friday night, the bars were packed.  The atmosphere was fab and as we were all here to sample food and drink, we got stuck right in. Calle Laurel was the place to go and an obligatory stop at Bar Ángel for some of their famous mushrooms – that´s all they served so, like it or lump it!

Day 2 – Town called La Guardia

We visted La Guardia the next day to, yes, you guessed it, sample more food and drink (we did do a bit of sightseeing too!) We ended up in a little bar called Biazteri and all loved it! Low-key and not too busy, perfect for more wine sipping and tapa tasting.

Day 3 – Surprise visit to San Sebastian

A visit to San Sebastian was not on the cards but because driving distances are relatively short, off we went to the coast from Haro on our last day for more wine and tapa tasting. The atmosphere was superb here, mainly because the sun finally came out to say “hello” and I have to admit, this was my favourite stop on our weekend getaway food-wise.  What can I say, I´m a “seaside and txakoli girl” at heart.

All in all I know I have to go back, it´s as simple as that.  I loved the whole wine and tapa tasting in Northern Spain experience and although it took over 10 years “wishing” to get here, I definitely won´t be waiting that long to go back again!