This professional event, promoted by the Association of the bodegas of the Haro Barrio de la Estación, will take place on Monday 19th May and will welcome Burgundy as the guest region, following in the steps of Piedmont and Bordeaux, invited regions at the previous editions.
This year, for the first time in its history, the BEIWE will put a limited number of tickets on sale and these will be available online from 10th March at www.barrioestacion.com.
Haro and Burgundy will be twinned on Monday 19th May at the Barrio de la Estación International Wine Encounters III: Burgundy. This professional event, which 600 people people are expected to attend, will be held from 10 am to 5.30 pm at various locations in Haro’s Barrio de la Estación quarter. On this occasion, C.V.N.E., Bodegas Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta, S.A., Bodegas Bilbaínas – Viña Pomal, Bodegas Muga and Bodegas RODA will be the hosts for the Burgundy houses Maison Albert-Bichot, Maison Olivier Leflaive, Ropiteau Frères, Maison Joseph Drouhin, Maison Louis Jadot and Domaine Laroche & Maison Champy.
The BEIWE event, promoted by the Asociación del Barrio de La Estación, is an outstanding example of the unwavering collaboration and shared international vision of the bodegas of the Barrio, as is shown by this link which they forge, one edition after another, with prestigious winemakers from the most important wine producing regions in the world, with whom they share a history, know-how and an ethical vision of wine growing.
The twinning of the bodegas of the Barrio de la Estación with Burgundy will show off the similarities which unite these two territories with an exceptional winemaking tradition, which have managed to preserve, through sustainable viticulture and artisanal production processes adapted to the present, the essence of a singular landscape and culture. With a unique diversity of terroirs, both regions are home to historic vineyards, unquestionably fortunate, blessed with the best natural conditions for the production of the world’s greatest wines.
“Year after year, the collaborative efforts in the Barrio de la Estación strengthen the worldwide prestige of our bodegas and wines. This year, our focus falls on Burgundy, cradle of excellence, where the terroir is faithfully represented in every wine. With this encounter between great winemaking regions, we reaffirm our role as ambassadors of the culture of wine: a way of life, working and giving expression to our vineyards, transmitting a legacy which has given meaning to our land for over a century”, explains Mayte Calvo de la Banda Salgado, oenologist at Bodegas Bilbaínas and current president of the Asociación del Barrio de la Estación. And she also points out that for all the bodegas, a day like this represents “a cultural encounter in which we can share knowledge and experiences with another benchmark international wine growing region”.
In addition, for the first time in its history, the BEIWE will put a limited number of tickets on sale for wine aficionados who want to be part of this exclusive experience. These will be available online from 10th March at www.barrioestacion.com
Thanks to the presence of Burgundy, this edition will consolidate the Riojan initiative as an unmissable date for professionals and great wine lovers, following on from the success of the two previous events, which focussed on the Italian region of Piedmont in 2023, with wine from Barolo and Barbaresco, with Bordeaux as the twinned region for the first edition in 2022.
Tickets on sale clicking here.
The twinned Burgundy cellars in the Barrio de la Estación
The six great wine houses which will travel to Haro and represent Burgundy at this event are: Maison Albert-Bichot, Maison Olivier Leflaive, Ropiteau Frères, Maison Joseph Drouhin, Maison Louis Jadot and Domaine Laroche & Maison Champy. All of these have a long history and track record which reflect the excellence of this wine growing region.
Maison Albert-Bichot, with a tradition dating back to the 14th century, was established definitively in Beaune in 1912. The latest generation brings a special concern for organic farming and adapting to new markets. Maison Olivier Leflaive also has a long history, producing the best expressions of chardonnay in the world for 18 generations. It has the Grands Crus Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Montrachet. Also from the Côte D’Or area, Ropiteau Frères, whose roots, as in the case of the bodegas of the Barrio de la Estación, were marked by the railway, are today synonymous with the great white wines of the Côte de Beaune.
Maison Joseph Drouhin produces wines ranging from Chablis to Mâconnais. Since its beginnings in 1880, it has maintained the family tradition of making fine wines based on respect for the diversity of the Burgundy vineyards. Then in the southern part of Burgundy, we find the Maison Louis Jadot, with prestigious vineyards in Fuissé and Beaujolais. And finally, Domaine Laroche & Maison Champy will be present, owned by the same proprietors. The former, intimately linked to the history of Chablis, has 3 Grands Crus and 12 Premiers Crus; and the latter, with 300 years of history, is the oldest in Burgundy and the only one that is still making all its wines in th historic centre of Beaune.
Together with the Burgundy wines, professional visitors will also be able to taste a selection of the most special and latest wines from the six bodegas from the bodegas of the Barrio present: CVNE, Bodegas Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta, S.A., Bodegas Bilbaínas – Viña Pomal, Bodegas Muga and Bodegas RODA.
Parallel activities in the Bodegas of the Barrio de la Estación
The day is complemented by an exceptional programme of activities held in each of these six Rioja bodegas. The BEIWE will involve vertical tastings, like the one offered by Bodegas Muga with their iconic Muga Selección Especial as the star. Undoubtedly a unique chance to discover the complexity and the evolution of the great Rioja wines, under the guidance of Isaac Muga, who has personally chosen the best vintages of this reference. Bodegas RODA have also opted for vertical tastings, with a journey through their CIRSION and RODA I Blanco, with the vintages from 2019, 2020 and 2021. A complete vision of the great white and red RODA with Agustín Santolaya as their unparallelled guide.
Under the title of “Great CVNE wines: discovering a new sensory universe”, CVNE will offer a unique preview experience of their new exhibition, installed in the bodega’s Nave 2, while a tasting of their great Haro wines with a commentary by their oenologist, Julio Sáenz will be provided by La Rioja Alta, S.A. with the current and new vintages of their three Gran Reservas, which will be released in 2025.
Bodegas Gómez Cruzado will present a tasting based around their Montes Obarenes wine and the grape varieties which make up its coupage, offering the chance to taste the main varieties at a moment before the definitive blend is made. And, finally, Bodegas Bilbaínas – Viña Pomal will reveal all the secrets and skill of manual disgorgement, with a demonstration of the hundred-year-old art whereby the yeast cells concentrated in the neck of the bottle of a sparkling wine are ejected.
This event, promoted by the Asociación del Barrio de la Estación, with the institutional collaboration of Haro Town Hall and the Government of La Rioja, is sponsored by Argraf, Berthomieu – Ermitage Tonnellerie, Cartonajes Santorromán, Cork Supply, Ramondín and RIEDEL Euroselecció In addition, there will be collaborations from Aceite de Oliva Virgen Extra Aubocassa, Agua 22, Audi – Rioja Motor, Bucher Vaslin + Enolviz, Café Baqué, Celebona, Embutidos Sobrón Martínez, Estuchería Vargas, Fusión Vínica and Quesos Los Cameros.
