Rioja is one of the most famous wine regions in Spain, and indeed the world. It is well-known for its high-quality wines, 85% of which are red. It most famously produces Rioja, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva wines, from over 57,000 hectares of cultivated vineyards.

Rioja has a long history of wine cultivation stretching back thousands of years to Ancient Roman times. Rioja´s vineyards were founded by the Roman Empire to tend to the Roman troops, whose sites you can still find clues of around Rioja today. Medieval Christian monks became the primary producers of wine during the middle ages, and Rioja Wines received official recognition by the King of Navarre and Aragon in 1102.

In 1926, the Consejo Regulador governing Council demarcated Rioja wines as the first Denomination of Origin (DO), restricting the use of the term «Rioja» to protect the region’s wine production. Today wine shapes the region in a plethora of ways: through landscapes, architecture, gastronomy, tradition, and people.

Many popular festivals held across the region of Rioja celebrate wine culture. September witnesses the start of the Vendimia Riojana. It actually starts on the third week of this month. Many different celebrations can be found in Logroño, the capital of Rioja, around those days, including bullfights.