Rioja wine tasting from San Sebastian: Small wineries and terroir
Taste wines straight from the winemakers who age them in clay, concrete and oak
A full-day wine tasting from San Sebastian into the Rioja wine region, visiting small wineries and meeting the growers and winemakers behind the wines. You'll taste five wines at Gomez Cruzado in Haro, three more at a second winery, and three wines in an underground cave at Laguardia, with lunch and a walk through the medieval town. Private transportation and an expert guide in English or Spanish are included.
Step-by-step itinerary
Full day Rioja wine region tasting
- Pick up at hotel in San Sebastian
- Drive 90 minutes to Rioja wine region
- Taste 5 wines and local olive oil at Gomez Cruzado
- Walk in Haro admiring winery architecture
- Taste 3 wines and local appetizer
- Enjoy views at Marqués de Riscal winery viewpoint
- Stop to admire Santiago Calatrava winery architecture
- Visit underground wine cave and taste 3 wines
- Lunch and short walk in medieval Laguardia town
- Donostia - San Sebastian 1m
- Bodegas y Vinedos Gomez Cruzado Entry included 45m
- Bodegas Hermanos Pecina S.l Entry included 40m
- Bodegas Marques de Riscal 10m
- Bodegas Ysios 10m
- Bodegas Carlos San Pedro Perez de Vinaspre Entry included 55m
- Laguardia 1h 15m
What’s included
- Private transportation from your San Sebastian hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle.
- expert guide in English or Spanish.
- nine wines across three wineries (five at Gomez Cruzado, three at a second winery, three in the underground cave).
- local olive oil tasting.
- local Riojan appetizers.
- lunch in a restaurant in Laguardia.
- entry to the underground wine cave and the medieval town.
Times
- Every day No fixed time
Information
Full-day wine tasting from San Sebastian into Spain's Rioja region: visit small wineries from medieval cellars to Frank Gehry's Marqués de Riscal.
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The experience
The 90-minute drive from San Sebastian into Rioja shows you how the landscape shifts as you enter wine country. Your guide picks you up from your hotel and drives an air-conditioned vehicle, so you can relax and start learning about the region's terroir: the soil, climate and people that shape what ends up in the bottle. The route itself is part of the tasting: you'll see how the vineyards change as you move deeper into the region.
The wineries you visit are small operations, not tourist showrooms. At Gomez Cruzado in Haro, you taste five wines and local olive oil, sampling both classic Riojan styles and newer trends: some aged in the traditional oak barrels, others in stainless steel, concrete or ceramic eggs. Your guide will introduce you to the winemakers and growers themselves, the people who know why they chose each aging method and what it does to the wine. Haro itself is worth a walk: it was one of Spain's first cities to get electricity, powered by the wine industry, and the oldest wineries line the streets with architecture that tells that history. A second winery offers three more wines (a Crianza, a Reserva and a Gran Reserva, or whites if that's your preference) paired with local Riojan appetizers.
The afternoon centers on two architectural landmarks. From a viewpoint among the vineyards, you'll see Marqués de Riscal, the winery Frank Gehry designed with its signature curved titanium shapes, built in 1858 and revolutionary for aging wine in oak barrels back when nobody else did. Then you'll stop at a boutique winery designed by Santiago Calatrava, its modern lines set against the Sierra de Cantabria mountains. The day ends in Laguardia, a medieval town perched on a hilltop and founded in the 10th century as a fortress for the Kingdom of Navarre. You'll descend into an underground wine cave (one of over 300 tunnels dug centuries ago and still used to age wine in the traditional way) taste three wines there, then have lunch in a local restaurant and walk the narrow streets past the fortified churches of San Juan Bautista and Santa María de los Reyes.
Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English and Spanish.
What kinds of wine will I taste on this full-day Rioja experience from San Sebastian?
You'll taste five wines at Gomez Cruzado, including classic Riojan styles and newer trends aged in oak, stainless steel, concrete and ceramic eggs. At a second winery, you taste a Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva (or white wines if you prefer). In the underground cave at Laguardia, you taste three more wines aged in the traditional way. Your guide will explain how each aging method shapes the flavor.
Will I actually meet the winemakers, or just taste their wines in a tasting room?
You meet the growers and winemakers themselves at the small wineries you visit. The experience centers on meeting the people behind the wines and seeing their passion for what they do, not just sampling in a bar or tasting room.
What is Laguardia and why are there tunnels under it?
Laguardia is a medieval town on a hilltop in Rioja Alavesa, founded in the 10th century as a fortress for the Kingdom of Navarre. Over 300 tunnels were dug underground centuries ago and are still used today to age wine in the traditional way. You'll descend into one of these underground wine caves, taste wines there, and walk the town's narrow streets past its fortified churches.
How long is the drive from San Sebastian to the Rioja wine region?
The drive is 90 minutes each way in an air-conditioned vehicle. You'll see the landscape change gradually as you enter wine country, and your guide will explain what you're seeing along the way.
Does this tour include food, or just wine tastings?
Lunch at a local restaurant in Laguardia is included, along with local Riojan appetizers served at one of the wineries. The tastings also pair wines with local olive oil and food.
Operated by Earra Tours Basque Country. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 3 days ago
Rioja wine tasting from San Sebastian: Small wineries and terroir
9h · EN · ES · at your hotel
from € 500 per person
≈ US$ 562 in your currency
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