History & Culture

South of the great Ebro River, bordering Navarre, lies La Rioja, a region that surely brings to mind excellent red wines. But La Rioja is so much more than that. It has a distinct personality, owing in part to the fact that it was a frontier zone, disputed between the powerful kingdoms of Castile and Navarre. It is an area that is very much associated with the Road to Saint James, which passes through it. A medieval holy man who came to be known as Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Saint Dominic of the Road), lived humbly in a hermitage along the route and built a bridge to ease the journey of the pilgrims. As his fame spread, pilgrims stopped to pay their respects, and a town grew up called Santo Domingo de la Calzada. La Rioja is also an area that produced Gonzalo de Berceo, the first important literary figure writing in Castilian Spanish.

La Rioja is made up of the Rioja Alta (Upper Rioja), a wet upland zone where the terrain is more abrupt and where some of the region's best wines are made, and the Rioja Baja (Lower Rioja), a rich fruit and vegetable growing area along the banks of the Ebro River that is the lifeblood of the region. It is said that to fill your table in La Rioja you need only extend your hand. A third well defined zone in the interior is characterized by fine mountains and lush valleys, which produce the excellent fruit, especially peaches, that locals are so expert at preserving.

 

The gastronomy of La Rioja is based on the celebrated produce of the land, especially sweet red peppers and all kinds of green vegetables. Vegetable medleys, stews of quail and beans, potatoes with chorizo sausage and red peppers, and lamb chops grilled over vine shoots are all specialties of the region.

Attractions

In La Rioja, the old and new live side by side; you will come across centuries-old churches, monasteries and palaces, and some odd customs, such as the stilt walkers' dance that is the classic attraction of the medieval village of Anguiano. And while wine making stills follows centuries-old traditions, the latest technology has been incorporated into the process without altering the characteristics that have made Rioja wines world famous.

Click here for Spain Map