La Rioja & Laguardia: Wine Tasting Day Trip from Bilbao

4.92

(119 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest, I thought I knew Rioja wines before this day trip from Bilbao — but standing in that cool cellar, the air thick with oak and something sweetly earthy, I realized I’d only scratched the surface. Our guide, Ane, grew up nearby and had this easy way of explaining things without making it feel like a lesson. She let us touch the barrels (they’re rougher than you’d think), and laughed when my friend tried to guess the tasting notes — “vanilla?” he said, way too confidently. Ane just grinned and poured another glass.

The drive out from Bilbao was misty at first, then suddenly the hills opened up and there were vineyards everywhere. At the first winery — family-run, small — we met Marta who showed us how her grandfather still checks the fermentation by hand. It smelled sharp but warm inside, like fruit skins and old wood. The second stop was bigger, more polished, but honestly both felt personal in their own ways. I liked comparing them side by side; you start to notice things you wouldn’t if you just went to one.

Laguardia surprised me most. The streets are so narrow our van barely squeezed through (Ane joked she’s done it a hundred times but always holds her breath). Lunch was pintxos with a glass of something red and peppery — vegetarian options too, which I appreciated because my partner doesn’t eat meat. We ate outside under these crooked old balconies while locals wandered past speaking Basque and Spanish mixed together. There’s an underground cellar beneath every other house here; Ane pointed out one door where you could just smell wine drifting up even on the street.

I didn’t expect to feel so comfortable so quickly — maybe it’s the wine or maybe it’s just how everyone treats you like a neighbor for the day. On the way back to Bilbao I watched the vineyards blur past and kept thinking about that first glass in the cellar: cool air, quiet clinking of glasses, someone’s laughter echoing off stone walls. If you’re curious about Rioja wines or just want a day that feels real (and includes pickup), this is probably it.