People come to Logroño to wander through its historic quarter, stroll along the beautiful Calle Portales until they reach the magnificent Co-Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda, discover its medieval past among the remains of the old city walls and lose track of time hopping from bar to bar for pinchos along the famous Calle Laurel. And, of course, no visit to Logroño would be complete without raising a glass of fine Rioja wine. Even better if you can do so at one of the wineries belonging to this renowned designation of origin.

It was in 1932 that Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño founded this winery, which you can visit in Haro’s Barrio de la Estación. For more than 90 years, they have been carefully tending vineyards where Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano grapes grow side by side, season after season, before becoming the wines you later enjoy so much.

To share their passion for wine, they created Espacio Torre Muga, which they describe as “a 360-degree wine tourism experience, a place to explore, discover, learn about and savour wine at its very best”. In practice, this means being able to sample their wines in the wine bar, use a dedicated tasting room to take your first steps towards becoming a true connoisseur, and join winery tours where you can learn about barrel-making, fining and even gravity-flow racking. They have also found original new ways for visitors to explore their vineyards.

Because yes, Bodegas Muga lets you wander among the vines. You can explore them on foot or by Segway, with a picnic along the way. And should that not sound alternative enough, they offer the ultimate wine experience: a hot-air balloon flight over La Rioja, followed by lunch in the vineyard.

Their reputation precedes them. Ramón Bilbao’s extensive and varied wine collection is the result of almost a century of expertise. Above all, it reflects the work carried out across more than 200 hectares of their own vineyards and the meticulous care devoted to every stage of the winemaking process.

Immersing yourself in the world of Ramón Bilbao is a must for any wine tourism experience in La Rioja. Their organised tours offer the chance to explore every corner of the winery, including the barrel room and bottle cellar, learn about their winemaking methods and discover all sorts of fascinating facts.

Some experiences focus on a single wine, such as Interpreting a Vintage, in which Mirto de Ramón Bilbao takes centre stage. Others get straight to the tasting: at weekends, visitors can sample three wines accompanied by tapas featuring Iberian cured meats and cheeses made in La Rioja. For those looking to broaden their horizons, there is also a guided tasting that teaches guests how to pair four of the winery’s wines with Belgian chocolates.

Ramón Bilbao also caters for experienced palates and inquisitive minds. Wine connoisseurs can enjoy the Battle of the Barrels Wine-Pairing Tour, which focuses on barrel ageing and the textures and aromas imparted to the wines by French and American oak. Meanwhile, curious visitors can take part in The Ramón Bilbao Game, an interactive wine quiz that puts to the test everything they have learnt during their tour of the winery.

A true celebration of wine means spending a day — or as many as you fancy — at Bodegas Lecea. A visit here takes you on a genuine journey back in time, to an era when grapes were trodden underfoot and wine was made in underground caves. Yes, even though it may be hard to imagine today, that time really did exist. Some wineries still preserve elements of those traditional practices and are eager to share them with you, before inviting you to sample wines that, among many other qualities, are bursting with personality.

Bodegas Lecea is located in the Las Cuevas district of San Asensio, home to more than 300 underground wine cellars dating back to the 16th century. Even today, they continue to serve their original purpose, keeping the wine at a constant temperature of around 13°C. One of the available tours takes you through the four galleries carved into the rock that the Lecea family still uses today, finishing with a tasting of three of their wines.

You can even tread the grapes barefoot here. You will need to keep an eye on the calendar, though, as it only happens during one weekend each year and the exact date depends on the grape harvest. As a rough guide, Bodegas Lecea usually holds its traditional grape-treading festival towards the end of October. The wine produced from the work carried out during those days is called Corazón de Lago. The festival also features activities such as grape treading for children, a craft market and tastings of local wines and regional products.

This close connection with the land, its work and its traditions is not limited to the festival or to a tour of the underground cellars. You can also explore the vineyard and accompany the experts as they prune the vines or harvest the grapes, depending on when you book the activity. The experience ends with an outdoor lunch of Spanish omelette, cured meats, cheeses, bread and Lecea wine.

For those who would rather simply sit back and take in the scenery, Lecea also offers tours of the vineyard by electric bike or open-top 4×4. What remains unchanged is the visit to the winery and the wine tasting afterwards.

It is said that Rioja wines were born here, back in 1852, when Luciano Murrieta made the first of them using the techniques he had learnt in Bordeaux. From this winery, located around 12 kilometres from Logroño, he began exporting them around the world. More than a century and a half later, wines that embody the distinctive character of this estate are still being produced in the magnificent Castillo de Ygay and its vast new winery: respect for tradition, while always looking to the future and embracing the innovation needed to keep pace with changing times and consumer tastes.

And today’s discerning wine lovers also appreciate fine food. Marqués de Murrieta has recognised this, which is why its wine tourism experiences place such importance on sitting down to enjoy a memorable meal. One of the options is the Winery tour and tasting with gourmet appetisers. The experience includes a tour of the winemaking facilities, views over the vineyards from the lookout point and a visit to Castillo de Ygay, the estate’s original 19th-century winery, now also a museum. It concludes with a guided tasting of between two and six wines—such as Capellanía, Marqués de Murrieta Reserva, Dalmau and Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial red—accompanied by appetisers prepared by the Marqués de Murrieta chef.

Equally tempting is the Winery tour with a fine-dining menu. The experience follows the same format as the winery tour and tasting with gourmet appetisers, except for the final part. Instead of appetisers, guests can enjoy a fine-dining menu created by the Marqués de Murrieta chef and paired with wines from the estate. The dishes include delicacies such as foie gras and sharp apple mille-feuille, eel with beurre blanc, seasonal vegetables from La Rioja’s kitchen gardens, and grilled Iberian Avileña beef tenderloin cooked over Mazuelo vine cuttings.