The Most Spectacular Wineries in Spain and a Wine Harvest Festival

Being the daughter of a winemaker, my life has always been linked to wine. Our vacations consisted of visiting the main wineries in Bordeaux, the Champagne region, Porto or Napa and Sonoma. Now, even though I'm not a big fan of alcoholic drinks I've always regarded the whole process of wine making as art.

So today I want to tell you about a really fun experience especially if you are a fan of wine. Did you know that you can take part in the process by being at a wine harvest for a day? Some Spanish wineries organize this type of event. It's a great way to spend the day outdoors with family and friends.

It all starts by picking as many bunches as you can...

Once the boxes are full of grapes they need to be taken to the winery. Now it's time for grape-stomping! This is part of the method of maceration used in traditional winemaking. Rather than using a wine press or other mechanized method (as they do nowadays), grapes were crushed by foot in vats to release their juices and begin fermentation.

After that a well-deserved rest and a copious meal are in order. Despite being hard work, you end the day feeling fulfilled and accomplished!

If you love wine but you want to avoid the fuss of wine harvesting you can always visit some wineries and do some wine tasting. Here's a round-up of some of the most spectacular bodegas in Spain which are located in La Rioja.

Muga

Bodegas Muga is located in Haro. The facilities are two centuries old, built mainly of stone and oak.

Lopez de Heredia

Also located in Haro and founded in 1877, Lopez de Heredia is known as one of Rioja's more traditional winemakers.

To become a wine connoisseur you need to stop by Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture (below). 4,000 square meters devoted to valuing the relationship between man and wine over 8,000 years of history. All with a single goal: to educate, teach, spread and interact with wine.

Marques de Riscal Hotel

In the heart of the Rioja Alavesa region in Spain opened its doors the 1st of September 2006. Designed and built by Frank O. Gehry, one of the world’s most renowned architects and author of works of art like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao,The Hotel Marques de Riscal, A Luxury Collection Hotel merges deep rooted wine-growing tradition with twenty-first century avant-garde design.

CVNE - Viña Real

CVNE, Compañía Vinícola del Norte del España (the Northern Spanish Wine Company), was founded in 1879 in the town of Haro in Rioja. CVNE was founded by two brothers and today is still controlled by the direct descendants of the founding family. Since its inception, CVNE has been focused on the production and aging of wines and now comprises of four wineries: CVNE, Imperial, Viña Real and Contino. Designed by French architect Philippe Maziéres, the winery has the shape of a barrel.

Ysios

The Ysios Winery building is a masterpiece from Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It’s an amazing building in an equally amazing setting. This pixel-looking landmark opened its doors in 2001. This extremely long building can be seen from kilometers away. Gigantic bars of aluminum form the wavy roof, which mirrors the mountains in the background and fits seamlessly into the surrounding. The body of the building is made out of copper stained cedar, bearing resemblance to that of giant wine barrels.

Now, who feels like having a glass of wine? 

Cristina xo