The event was a resounding success with both critics and the public in its first edition: more than 500 people attended the professional day, including specialised journalists and professionals from the wine sector, and more than 5,000 people attended the day dedicated to the end consumer.
Last weekend, 18 and 19 September, the first edition of La Cata del Barrio de la Estación took place, an event promoted by the 7 wineries in this neighbourhood of Haro, united for the first time with the aim of turning the area into a worldwide wine tourism reference and making the event one of the best wine tastings in the world.
The attendees, who came from all over Spain (the Basque Country, Navarre, Madrid and Catalonia, above all) as well as from several European countries and even the USA, were able to enjoy a wide range of activities.
The first (professional) day began with a historical tasting introduced by the Riojan anthropologist Luis Vicente Elías and directed by the Master of Wine Tim Atkin; 14 wines from the 20th and 21st centuries were tasted. After which the hundred or so specialised journalists and more than 400 professionals from the wine sector (sommeliers, distributors, owners of wine shops, restaurants and bars, etc.) were able to visit the Barrio wineries to learn from their winemakers and oenologists about the new vintages that will be on the market in the near future.
The day of Saturday 19 (final consumer) was planned in a more entertaining way: tasting of wines from the 7 wineries (up to 21 different wines) and tapas made with top quality Riojan products, street entertainment, live music, exhibitions of photographs, sculptures, etc., demonstrations of barrel taming and racking and visits to several centenary wine cellars. In total, more than 5,000 people enjoyed the day, as more than 4,500 tickets were sold, almost 50% of them VIP, and more than half a thousand people who did not want to miss the atmosphere of the Barrio and came to taste the Riojan products served in the gastronomic marquee.
It is also worth highlighting the great reception given to the special train connecting Logroño and Haro, which allowed more than 1,200 people to get directly to the centre of the event without having to worry about driving.
Likewise, the application developed to, among other things, find out the level of occupancy of the different wineries and to be able to better plan the route on the day for the general public, was downloaded by almost a thousand people.
The event, which is intended to continue, is promoted by the Association for the Tourist Development of the Barrio de la Estación, made up of the seven wineries in the Barrio: López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, La Rioja Alta S.A., Cvne, Muga, Roda, Bilbaínas and Gómez Cruzado. This first event has also received great support from institutional sponsors (La Rioja Capital, La Rioja Turismo and Haro City Council) and private companies (Banco Santander, Rioja Motor Audi, Mapfre, Ramondín, Verallia, Argraf, Víctor Amorim, Tonelería Berthomieu, Schott Zwiessel and 22 Artesian Water). It has also had the collaboration of associations and companies such as Accira, Ruta del Vino Rioja Alta, Estuchería Vargas, Emesa, Queso los Cameros, Verema and Vinoselección.
