- The initiative is proof of the commitment and collaboration of the prestigious bodegas CVNE, Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta S.A., Bodegas Bilbaínas -Viña Pomal, Muga and Bodegas RODA to create a destination and generate value for the territory
The Cata del Barrio de la Estación (Haro Station Wine Experience), the top date in the Spanish Wine Tourism calendar, has been awarded the Premio Verema 2023 for the ‘Best Wine Tourism project’, voted by both the professional sector and consumers and users of the Verema.com web site. CVNE, Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta S.A., Bodegas Bilbaínas -Viña Pomal, Muga and Bodegas RODA promote the Cata del Barrio de la Estación de Haro as a day for celebrating the culture of wine, an event which takes place every two years in this emblematic setting for Rioja wines, the largest concentration in the world of wine cellars with over a hundred years of history.
The technical director of Gómez Cruzado, Juan Bautista Sáenz, collected the prize at the award ceremony for the Premios Verema 2023, on behalf of the Asociación del Barrio de la Estación, the group made up of the six bodegas located in this historic enclave for Spanish wine. The ceremony was held in the Hotel Balneario Las Arenas, under the aegis of the Verema Valencia Experience. On this occasion, the number of participants was greater than the year before, with a record number of over 300,000 votes between the 18 categories, a clear sign of the growth and recognition of the Verema awards.
The Cata del Barrio de la Estación de Haro, which will be held for the fifth time on 15 June 2024, has established itself as an unmissable date for wine and food lovers to enjoy the legendary Spanish wine brands and the gastronomic surprises of Michelin-starred chefs. The event allows you to explore the wines, the surroundings and the gastronomy, as well as music and activities in each of the wine cellars.
A group project to create a destination and to spread the culture of wine
The initiative, whose first edition took place in 2015, is a prizewinning wine and wine tourism experience, proof of the commitment and collaboration of the prestigious bodegas CVNE, Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta S.A., Bodegas Bilbaínas -Viña Pomal, Muga and Bodegas RODA to create a destination, bringing together their diversity to serve a common goal: to establish the Haro “Station Quarter” as a quality wine tourism brand at international level through their vocation to spread the culture of wine. The joint efforts of the wineries from this historic enclave is a benchmark as a group wine tourism project to create a destination and generate value for the territory.
“This recognition shows, once again, that working closely together is key in the development of a destination. A prize which is shared by many hands. An award that shows we are on the right path and which underlines the message that the Barrio de la Estación transmits as a wine and gastronomy centre of international importance”, stresses Roberto Puras, coordinator of the Asociación del Barrio de la Estación.
The Verema prize for the ‘Best Wine Tourism experience’ is the latest on the list of distinctions the Cata del Barrio de la Estación has received since its first edition. The initiative has been recognised by ‘Best of Wine Tourism’ awards of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network in 2015; the ‘Best Wine Tourism Experience’ at the International Wine Challenge Awards Spain in 2016 and the ‘Premio Rioja Capital a la Iniciativa Singular’, awarded by the Government of La Rioja. The Cata del Barrio de la Estación was also named ‘Mejor Iniciativa Enoturística 2018’ by the Rutas del Vino de España and won the ‘Mass Vino’ prize as the best wine tourism experience of the year, which is bestowed by this association of wine journalists.