Whilst the wines from Rioja are known throughout the world, the wine region itself is relatively underrated compared to other regions with such a famous name. This is a real plus because in addition to the spectacular views along the mountain ridge-line and the oh-so-pretty small villages perched on top of the various rocky-outcrops, you don’t tend to get the huge hoards of fellow tourists you normally associate with such regions . . . nor the prices.
I only spent a very short time in the Rioja Wine Region, so I won’t go into much detail for tips, except:
Tip #1 – visit the Eguren Ugarte winery. Both the winery itself and its surroundings that look over the valley are simply stunning. They do wine tours and tastings and really reasonable overnight staying options.
Tip #2 – try to stay in the wine region itself. We stayed in Burgos which, although it was nice and had the UNESCO World Heritage Cathedral, felt a bit too far away from . . . well . . . any sign of vineyards!