Rioja Alavesa
This region has been known as Rioja Alavesa for centuries, comprised of a small section of land some forty kilometres in length and eight kilometres wide that runs through the southern part of the province of Álava, between the Cantabrian mountain range and the River Ebro.
It can be found some forty kilometres South of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the historical capital of Álava and the Basque Country, to which it has belonged since the Middle Ages. By road it can be found around an hour’s drive from Bilbao or San Sebastian, a little closer to Pamplona and just a few minutes from Logroño. Within its 23 towns, we could highlight, due to their importance and size, the towns of Laguardia, (historical and political capital), Oyón, Labastida and Elciego.
The cultural and architectural heritage of their towns and villages, as well as the beautiful surrounding countryside offer an unlimited amount of leisure activities to visitors. Places like the Cantabrian mountain range, the Rioja Alavesa hills along with the Laguardia Lake and the River Ebro that turn the place into an ideal location for leisure and tourism as well as local wine interests.
Rioja Alavesa is one of the most important wine producing regions, which is famous throughout the world. As well as being one of the driving forces of the local economy, from a tourism viewpoint, the wineries have, for some time now, been one of the main reasons people have visited Rioja Alavesa.
Its environmental and climatic characteristics turn it into a privileged area in relation to wine growing and its production. This is a place where some of the most important Rioja designation of origin wineries are found.
