Rioja Festival
Tuesday, 20 May to Sunday, 25 May 2025
IWFS Europe Africa invite members from around the world to join an exceptional festival organised by IWFS in conjunction with Grape Escapes to discover the wines, food, culture and history of the Rioja region of Spain.
We will be based in Logrono at the 5* Aurea Palacio Correos, located on Plaza San Augustin in the heart of the City situated in the middle of the three Rioja regions (Oriental, Alta and Alavesa).
We will visit some of the most pretigious winemakers in the Region, including Bodega Marques de Murieta, Cosme Palacio and Paganos as well as the opportunity to taste wines in Haro (with its historical Barrio de la Estacion) . We will dine in our hotel on the first evening and enjoy dinner in the iconic Marques de Riscal Hotel. We will also enjoy a Tapas style dinner in Logrono and a Gala Dinner with Bruno Coelho.
There is an initial limit of 40 participants for this festival. Registration has now been launched on the website and includes a waitlist facility for those who cannot register. Log into the website using the registration link in the box below for details of costs and registration.
The festival cost is GBP 2,195 (non-member guests GBP 2,245) and includes all the events as well as coach travel during the festival. Payment in GBP by direct bank transfer to the IWFS Europe Africa GBP bank in the UK with all bank transfer costs paid by the payee will be reduced by GBP 60 to GBP 2,145 (non-member guests GBP 2,195).
Travel costs to and from the festival and hotel costs are not included in the above festival cost. All bookings for the hotel must be made through Grape Escapes (contact: rachel@grapeescapes.net or +44 1920 468 666). Costs and room types for the hotel are shown on the registration page. The type of room should be discussed with Grape Escapes and will be on a “first come, first served” basis. Please make your hotel arrangements as soon as possible after registering for the festival.
Throughout the festival, the coach will start from and return to Aurea Palacio Correos and we will have the benefit of an English-speaking guide.
PRE-rioja BILBAO/ Basque Coast
Sunday,18 May to Tuesday, 20 May 2025
We are considering a short pre-festival with two nights in a Bilbao hotel starting on Sunday, 18 May with dinner, on Monday there would be a coach trip along the Basque coast with Txakoli wine tastings, a fishing village lunch followed by a pintxos walking tour dinner. On Tuesday morning there would be a guided tour of the world-renowned Guggenheim Museum, before departure for Logrono either in your own transport or by coach, if numbers warrant it.
To confirm your interest, please email John Nicholas with a copy to johnsnicholas@aol.com.
If enough people are interested, we will develop this pre-festival and finalise costings, which we have estimated at £1,000 for each person including 2 nights hotel accommodation in a double room depending on numbers.
Rioja Festival
Tuesday, 20 May to Sunday, 25 May 2025
Day-by-day itinerary
Day One, Tuesday May 20, 2025: Registration, welcome and dinner
After registration at the hotel, the festival will commence with dinner in the hotel. There will be a welcome drink followed by a four-course dinner with paired wines in Aurea Palacio Correos. A local sommelier will offer an introduction to the region and its wines.
Day Two, Wednesday May 21, 2025: Classic Riojan wines and a Michelin dinner at the iconic Marques de Riscal
After breakfast, we will depart by private coach with a local guide, who will accompany us throughout the festival. We will visit the Bodega Marques de Murrieta, tour the Chateau and enjoy a tasting of its prestigious wines. We will then drive to Bodegas Eguren Ugarte for a light lunch with wines following which we will head for Bodegas Luis Canas for a further tasting.
Dinner will be in a private reception room at the Marques de Riscal hotel with their Michelin chef creating the menu, and their sommelier presenting wines from the estate.
Day Three, Thursday May 22, 2025: Winery visit, lunch and tapas-style dinner
After breakfast, we head for Bodegas Cosme Palaccio in Laguardia, a winery with 125 years of history. This exclusive wine tasting will be followed by a lunch at the nearby Mayor de Migueloa restaurant with wines from its Bodega.
Returning to the hotel with time for a siesta or to explore the city, we will take a short walk and enjoy a tapas style dinner in Logrono.
Day Four, Friday May 23, 2025: Haro and its Barrio de la Estacion and Bodegas de Paganos – free evening
After breakfast, we head to Haro and its famous Barrio de la Estacion, where fine wine making commenced in the 1870s in the Rioja region. After a talk on the history of the Barrio de la Estacion, we will be divided into small groups for a tour one of the six famous wineries (each group will tour a different estate). A tasting of wines from all of the six estates, inter alia, from Muga, Rioja Alta and CVNE. This tasting will be accompanied by tapas and live music.
From Haro, we will depart for the Bodegas de Paganos, where we will enjoy a fantastic lunch in the winery. Accompanying the lunch, we will enjoy wines created by Marcus Eguren, the owner of Paganos, as well as wines from his other Riojan estates – Vinedos Sierra Cantabria and Bodega San Vincente.
Returning to the hotel, you will have a free evening to take a rest, or perhaps to enjoy one of the local traditional steakhouses in Logrono or to eat in the hotel’s restaurant.
Day Five, Saturday May 24, 2025: Visit two notable vineyards followed by our farewell gala dinner
After breakfast, we embark on our final day of adventures.
Our first stop will be Finca La Emperatriz dating back to Eugenia de Montijo, who was the wife of Napoleon III and last Empress of France. The Empress owned this vineyard and in 1878 won an award in Paris for one of its wines.
There will be a tour of the vineyards followed by aperitifs and a picnic of traditional baby lamb barbecued chops accompanied by wines from the estate.
On our way back to Logrono, we will have a wine tasting from our guide of wines from a small producer in Cenicero based on old vines in ancient vineyards (they own eight hectares (20 acres) of vines ranging in age from 90 to 120 years old) and 15thC cellars, but also with wines aged under the Ocean.
Returning to the hotel to change, we will then depart for the final black tie gala dinner. We will eat in a 15th C palace (Palacio de Samaniego) with an elaborate and extensive tasting menu created by the Chef, Bruno Coelho.
Sunday May 25, 2025: After breakfast and final farewells, depart for home or further adventures
John Nicholas
Click here for further information and to make a booking
