The Barrio de la Estación in Haro (La Rioja) will host the second edition of its festival, La Cata del Barrio de la Estación, on 17 September.
Thus, one of the most outstanding wine tourism destinations in the world will celebrate for the second consecutive year a unique wine festival in Spain, organised by seven of the most emblematic wineries in the wine world, concentrated in the same Barrio, the cradle of Rioja wine. These are López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, CVNE, Bodegas Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta S.A., Bodegas Bilbaínas, Bodegas Muga and Bodegas Roda.
The distinguishing feature of this emblematic district compared to other wine tourism destinations worldwide is that it has the largest concentration of century-old wineries in the world, as all of them are located in a small space, around the Haro Train Station, among stone and wood buildings built in the 19th century.
The 17th September, Saturday, is the only date of the year when the Barrio will be closed to traffic so that visitors can stroll peacefully through its streets and visit these seven wonderful wineries on the same day, enjoying activities related to the world of wine, animation and live music, as well as tasting their famous wines, accompanied by the best gastronomy of La Rioja and getting to know their facilities, together with the outstanding architecture that surrounds them.
In order for all wine and gastronomy lovers to enjoy this interesting day, travel packages will be on sale from the main Spanish capitals, which, in addition to participating in this outstanding event, will allow them to get to know the fantastic wine-growing landscapes that surround Haro and its region.
This is a meeting promoted by the Association for the Tourist Development of the Barrio de la Estación (ADT), a group made up of the seven wineries in Haro’s Barrio de la Estación, which was founded with the aim of promoting the development of tourism in the area through joint actions to consolidate this prestigious place as one of the main international wine tourism destinations.
The Haro Station District is a space that was born in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, around one of the first railway stations in Spain, with the aim of taking advantage of the advances of the 19th century and making wine reach more places. Currently the Barrio is made up of López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, CVNE, Bodegas Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta S.A., Bodegas Bilbaínas, Bodegas Muga and Bodegas Roda. All of them, world leaders in the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin, have invested heavily in the development of wine tourism and can be visited throughout the year, with more than 120,000 visitors in 2015.
