HARO WINE CAPITAL OF THE RIOJA REGION AND BILBAO TO PORTSMOUTH

31 Jul

The last night in Spain was spent at Camping de Haro – having stayed here some years ago – we knew it would be a good site.

A good pool and lots of trees – as ever in Spain,everyone social distanced and wore their mascarillas.

It had a friendly atmosphere,especially on the bar/restaurant terrace where we were served drinks and platos combinados by a cheerful waitress.

The River Tiron flows by the walkway in to town. We passed through a gap en route,which had been made by demolishing a section of an old railway.

I couldn’t find much information about this line but maybe this old beauty below,outside the Muga bodega, used to run along the tracks.

It was quite early by Spanish provincial standards when we walked into town – this was our third stay in HARO,spanning a period of twenty years or more – and there were few people up and about. With a half day to spend before driving up to Bilbao for the ferry to Portsmouth. I remembered the first visit to Haro, back in the Camping days – a terrific rainstorm meant putting up the tent was impossible, so we found a small hotel,just off the Plaza de Paz . When the rain stopped we went for something to eat at this restaurant.

Sitting outside afterwards , studying a map ( we were bound for Portugal I think ) a man sat nearby asked , in good English, if we needed any help. It turned out to be a memorable night, as he later insisted on sharing recommended bottles of the Rioja wine for which Haro is renowned, accompanied by tapas. We were joined by three American girls who were studying Spanish in Barcelona I recall.

The second visit was a few years ago,in August and there was a Tapas festival taking place – we met up with couple of friends at the campsite, as arranged, in Motorhomes by now and enjoyed a great night on the tapas trail…didn’t see much of the town!

So, on this our third visit, it was time to put that right and what a beautiful centro historico it is.

The plaza de Paz is an archetypal Spanish square, complete with bandstand.

The hills in the background remind you that the Rioja Alta is a majestic setting.

HARO WINE CAPITAL OF THE RIOJA REGION

Haro in La Rioja is is the wine capital of the region and is famous for it’s Wine Festival and the wine fight, the Batalla de Vino.

The town of Haro has been built up around winegrowing since French grape growers came to the area looking for a way to escape the pests in their French vineyards. Thanks to its privileged climate at the meeting point between the Atlantic and Mediterranean climates with much sunshine, and sheltered by the Cantabrian Mountains, Haro is a great area for winemaking. The clacerous clay soils are also perfect for winegrowing. Located in the Ebro river basin and sided by the Obarenes mountains, and the Cantabrian mountains, the landscape of vineyards around Haro has it’s own charm.

In the town itself, Haro has some wonderful religious and civil architecture. The church of Santo Tomas, also known as the Watchtower, stands at the foot of a hill, and has an impressive archway.

The squared bottom part of its tower was built in the Gothic style and topped with the octagonal Baroque part in 1720, crowned by a cupola with lantern. The basilica of the Vega is dedicated to Haro’s patron saint, the Virgin of Vega, features a striking Baroque altarpiece from 1740 and has some very pretty gardens.

For those more interested in civil architecture, there are many stately palaces dating from the 16th to 18th centuries blending the styles of Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical architecture.

Haro is also home to the Rioja Wine Interpretation Centre, a research centre with a museum for the public. Here you can learn all about the various processes of grape growing an wine production with videos, displays, diagrams and some containers filled with flavourings which you can smell. Every year, Haro celebrates its winegrowing heritage and status with the Battala de Vino at the Haro Wine Festival.

A day where everyone wears white, later stained pink by the red wine which everyone throws over each other using buckets, water pistols and any other wine carrying containers to hand, the Batalla de Vino is a fun day culminating in traditional dances and partying in the evening, even after the big night of partying that goes before it! The festival is celebrated on June 29th every year, on the feast of San Pedro y Paulo.

Wineries, known as bodegas, abound in the area surrounding Haro.

You can also follow the Rioja Alta Wine Route, which passes through the town. There are also gastronomic routes to be explored, mainly around the Herradura, a horse-shoe shaped group of streets known for its tapas bars and restaurants. Wandering around town there are many wine shops selling the local produce. I loved the many sculptures relating to the world of winegrowing which are dotted around the town centre and on the roundabouts.

It is almost inevitable for me to come across a Camino sign when visiting a city,town or village – Haro is on The Tunnel Route which begins in Irun.

We came across an exhibition of old photos in one of the arcades off the main square – mostly joyous photos – you are guaranteed a good time in Haro.

SO WHY VISIT HARO?

Haro Wine Festival
Excellent La Rioja wines
Many bodegas (wineries) around the town
Beautiful civil and religious architecture
Not OTT TOURISM wise
Beautiful surrounding countryside
Great campsite
Good range of accommodation
Very good road network nearby

After a coffee in the Plaza it was time to make a start on the last stage of the tour.

The journey to Bilbao took just over an hour on the Autovía -only busy on the ring road to the port .

Loading was efficient on to the ferry, despite having the van looked over by the Guardia Civil- probably thought it was suspicious there being a female driver!

We self-catered for lunch and dinner but enjoyed a full English breakfast at a very reasonable price.