On Saturday 16 June, the seven wineries that make up this emblematic space will offer their most Premium wines alongside the most renowned gastronomy of La Rioja, headed by Francis Paniego and the Echapresto brothers.
The day for the professional public will be held on Monday 18 June and will feature Sarah Jane Evans MW as Winemaker of the Year 2018, a renowned Master of Wine expert in Spanish wines.
The day for the professional public will be held on Monday 18 June and will feature Sarah Jane Evans MW as Winemaker of the Year 2018, a renowned Master of Wine expert in Spanish wines.
The Barrio de la Estación Tasting is preparing its most exclusive and gourmet edition, which will take place on Saturday 16 June in Haro. An essential event for all wine and food lovers around the world.
A day of celebration in which the seven wineries that make up the Barrio de la Estación will open their doors so that attendees can enjoy their most premium wines accompanied by a gastronomic offer of the highest quality, led by the Riojan Michelin-starred chefs Francis Paniego, who has three Michelin stars -two of them at El Portal de Echaurren- and the Echapresto brothers -one Michelin star at Venta Moncalvillo.
This prestigious wine event, now in its third edition, is organised by the most emblematic historic wineries on the Spanish wine scene: López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, CVNE, Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta, S.A., Viña Pomal Bodegas Bilbaínas, Muga and Bodegas RODA. Located within walking distance of each other, they will welcome thousands of visitors to show them first-hand their history and know-how on a day when the streets of the Barrio de la Estación will be closed to traffic and filled with music.
The day for the professional public will be held on Monday 18 June and will bring together the best wine and gastronomy professionals in Spain. Among the events planned is a Master Class led by the renowned Master of Wine expert in Spanish wines Sarah Jane Evans MW, who has been elected Maquinista of the Year 2018, taking over from Tim Atkin MW and Pedro Ballesteros MW. In this way, the wineries of Barrio de la Estación project internationally the philosophy, culture, tradition and renowned quality of the wines made in this place that contributed decisively to the evolution of Rioja wine.
In its first two successful editions, the Barrio de la Estación Tasting brought together more than 10,000 wine and food lovers from all over the world and received the “Rioja Capital Award for Outstanding Initiative Linked to Agri-Food Resources” 2016 from the Government of La Rioja, the “Award for the Best Wine Tourism Experience” 2016 at the International Wine Challenge Awards Spain and the “Best of the Best Wine Tourism Initiative” 2015, awarded by the Great Wine Capitals International Network of Great Wine Cities.
Haro’s Barrio de la Estación is an economic, agricultural, tourist and cultural driving force at national and international level and celebrates this festival with the aim of showing the world the potential of Rioja wines and the beauty of its destination.
Haro’s Barrio de la Estación, the cradle of Rioja wine and a unique destination in the world
There is a unique place in the world, located in the heart of Haro (La Rioja, Spain), where the largest number of century-old wineries in the world are concentrated. A district built around a central axis, the railway station, which is a magical enclave for its main protagonist: wine.
The Barrio de la Estación de Haro, the birthplace of Rioja wine, began to take shape in the second half of the 19th century, in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, as a result of the replacement of horse-drawn carriages as the traditional means of transporting wine by the new railway. A fact that determined the name of the place, the birth of the wineries and the successful marketing of its wines all over the world.
It is a district without equal for several reasons. In addition to being home to the aforementioned largest concentration of century-old wineries of international prestige, its architecture stands out, combining historic buildings from the 19th century with other avant-garde buildings, such as those designed by Zaha Hadid or Gustave Eiffel, and a privileged setting, surrounded by historic vineyards, which make it one of the main wine tourism destinations in the world.
Of the wineries currently located in this enclave, the first to be established was R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia in 1877, followed by Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE) in 1879, Gómez Cruzado in 1886, La Rioja Alta, S.A. in 1890 and Viña Pomal BodegasBilbaínas in 1901. Bodegas Muga (founded in 1932) moved its headquarters to the neighbourhood in 1970 and Bodegas RODA moved in 1987, building the winery on an old cellar.
All of them are world benchmarks for the D.O.Ca. Rioja and stand out not only for their internationally recognised and award-winning wines, but also for their innovative wine tourism proposals, which are an unquestionable means of development and promotion for an enclave -in 2017 there were more than 120,000 visitors- open to the public all year round.