La Rioja Alta, heart of Rioja

One of the most famous and enigmatic areas of Rioja is La Rioja Alta. This area goes from Logroño, capital of La Rioja, to Haro, close the region of Álava, in the south reaches the town of San Millan de la Cogolla (where the monasteries of Suso and Yuso are located; world heritage sites and the place where the first words in Spanish were written).

Fuente: http://www.amigosdelarioja.com/tierra_riojana/index_riojaalta.htm

Cities full of history, culture, life and especially vineyards and wineries, many of them are from the 19th century and even older.

Vineyards located in San Asensio (La Rioja Alta)

All the cities and villages deserve to be named and admired, but first I will start with Haro, capital of La Rioja Alta, and very well-known worldwide. The town of Haro was founded in the tenth century; after several historical disputes, in the late nineteenth century, Queen Maria Cristina awarded Haro with the title of "city"; after this the "Teatro El Breton de los Herreros", the Bullring and Wine Research Centre were created. 

In the mid-nineteenth century the disease phylloxera arrived in France, damaging its vineyards and forcing their owners to move to other areas looking for better vineyards. Thus the French arrived in the area of Rioja. This moment marked the history of Rioja; progress and improvements to produce wines recognized worldwide. From this moment, the production and marketing were improved, using the train as a mode of distribution; that is the reason why we find the "Haro Station District", home of the largest concentration of ancient cellars in Europe.

Photo of the city of Haro from the Haro Station District

A lot of wineries are located in the city of Haro, the most well-known are: Bodegas Bilbaínas, Bodegas CVNE (Compañía vinícola del norte de España), Bodeas Carlos Serres, Bodegas Federico Paternina, Bodegas Gómez Cruzado, Bodegas La Rioja Alta, Bodegas López de Heredia, Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta, Bodegas Ramón Bilbao and Bodegas RODA.

In the next posts we will know more about this amazing wineries.

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