Rioja Wine Tour from Pamplona: 2 Wineries & Vineyard

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/12

Duration9h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Drive into Rioja's oldest wineries and taste wines paired the way locals do

You visit two family-owned wineries in Rioja Alta, walk through vineyards, and taste wines paired with authentic local cuisine. A private car and English-speaking guide handle transport and storytelling, so you focus on the wine and the landscape. Groups stay under eight people, which keeps the pace intimate and the winemakers willing to talk.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full-day Rioja wine and culture tour

Visit two family-owned wineries
Learn winemaking history and traditions
Compare ancient and modern techniques
Savor authentic Riojan cuisine and wines
Explore vineyard and vines

The Experience

You're driving out of Pamplona early, heading south into the Rioja Alta region where the vines start appearing between the hills. The private car is air-conditioned and quiet, which matters because your guide—an English-speaking wine expert—is already talking about what you're about to see: two family-run wineries, one of them dating back to the 15th century, and the way Rioja's winemaking has stayed almost the same for 2,000 years. The route takes about an hour, and by the time you arrive at the first winery, you're ready to step out and actually look at something.

The first stop is one of those old places where the cellar is underground and cool no matter the season. You walk through it with the winemaker or a family member—someone who actually makes the wine, not just pours it—and they show you the difference between traditional grape stomping and the modern oak barrel aging that happens now. It's the kind of detail that changes how you taste the wine afterward. You taste three or four wines here, and they're not lined up like a tasting menu; they're the ones the family drinks, the ones they're proud of. After that, you drive to a vineyard itself, walk between the vines for a bit, and get a sense of what the landscape actually looks like when you're standing in it.

Lunch happens at a local restaurant—not a tourist spot—and it's paired with wines in a way that makes sense only if you've just spent the morning learning how Rioja works. The food is Riojan: simple, built around what grows there. The second winery visit comes after, and by then you've already started to notice the differences between what you tasted in the morning and what you're tasting now. The whole day is structured so that nothing feels rushed, and the group stays small—eight people maximum—which means you're not competing for the guide's attention or standing in a crowd at the cellar door. You're back in Pamplona by evening, hotel drop-off included.

What’s included

Your day includes private air-conditioned transport from your Pamplona hotel or meeting point, an English-speaking wine expert guide, visits to two family-run wineries (one dating to the 15th century), a walk through working vineyards, lunch with authentic Riojan cuisine paired with local wines, and return transport to your hotel. The group stays at eight people or fewer.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Rioja Like A Native

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to taste Rioja wines in the region itself without arranging your own transport, navigating between wineries, or figuring out which ones to visit—the guide's connections to local families and the fixed itinerary handle all of that, leaving you free to focus on the wine and the landscape.