Wine tasting in Logroño: where to taste and how to get around

City wineries you can walk to and wineries on the outskirts with their own vineyards: a guide to planning wine tasting in Logroño.

You don't need to leave the city to taste a good Rioja. Logroño has urban wineries just a few steps from the old town and others on the outskirts surrounded by vineyards, so your wine tasting in Logroño can be tailored to how much time and travel you want to put into it.

Wineries in central Logroño

Several wineries are within the city itself or a short walk away – ideal if you'd rather not travel far:

• Bodegas Franco-Españolas, about a 10-minute walk from the old town, with more than a century of Rioja tradition.
• Urban micro-wineries right in the centre, with more intimate visits and tastings led by the winemaker.
• The underground cellars (calados) of the old town – old wine cellars dug out beneath the streets and now turned into tasting spaces.

Wineries on the outskirts

Just a few minutes' drive away, Logroño is surrounded by benchmark wineries with larger facilities and their own vineyards: Marqués de Murrieta, Campo Viejo and Viña Ijalba, among others. This is where transport comes in: most people go by taxi, private hire (VTC) or car, as they're beyond walking distance.

How much does wine tasting in Logroño cost, and how long does it take?

Price and length depend on each winery and the type of experience: a standard visit with a couple of wines doesn't cost the same as a private tasting, a food-pairing session or a set menu. As a rule, a visit with a tasting usually takes between one and two hours. Check current rates and book on each winery's official website; prices change with the season and the type of visit.

How to combine several wineries in one day

If you'd like to go beyond a single tasting, the easiest option is to combine an urban winery on foot with one or two on the outskirts on the same day. This is where a private driver in Logroño solves the transport problem: they take you from one winery to the next, wait during the visit and bring you back to the centre, so you don't have to rely on one-off taxis or drive yourself.

What kind of tasting are you after? Three different experiences

If it's your first tasting, mixing an urban experience with one among the vines gives you a very complete picture of Rioja in just a few hours. To better understand what you'll be tasting, it's worth reading up beforehand on how to read a crianza, reserva and gran reserva label.

A four-hour tasting plan in Logroño

• First hour: a walking visit to a cellar or winery in the centre, with a short tasting.
• Second hour: we pick you up at the door and within minutes you're at a winery on the outskirts with its own vineyards.
• Third hour: a guided tour of the barrel room and a tasting with commentary.
• Fourth hour: back to the centre for an aperitif on Calle Laurel or Calle San Juan, the tapas streets where every bar serves Rioja by the glass.

This is exactly what our hourly chauffeur in Logroño covers: you pay for the time you need, at a fixed price, and the driver adapts if a tasting runs over. If you'd prefer a whole day with more wineries in Navarrete, Fuenmayor or Cenicero, take a look at our Logroño winery tour with a private driver.

Taxi, private hire or a driver who waits?

A taxi works well for a single journey, but on a tasting route the problem is getting back: wineries on the outskirts have no taxi rank, and calling a car when you finish can mean waiting. With a pre-booked private VTC, the driver knows when each visit ends and is at the door when you come out. Our Rioja Standard range is the best value for this kind of short route.

Tips to get more out of your tasting

• Always book: even the urban wineries work with small groups. Check times and book on each winery's official website.
• Eat something first: tasting on an empty stomach tires the palate and makes the second visit less enjoyable.
• Use the spittoon without embarrassment: it's standard practice when you're trying several wines in a row.
• Ask about shipping: if you buy several bottles, some wineries will send them home for you; if not, they travel in our boot back to your hotel.
• Keep the afternoon free: tastings easily run on, and Logroño invites you to carry on exploring the old town on foot.

And if you want to get more out of every glass, brush up on how to taste a Rioja wine step by step – and afterwards, find somewhere good to eat in Logroño's old town.

Tasting on a business trip or with clients

Many of the tastings we organise in Logroño fit in between meetings: a late-afternoon visit with a client, a team activity after a conference or a private tasting to round off a day at a trade fair. In those cases punctuality matters more than distance. We pick you up at the office or the hotel, wait during the tasting and then take you on to dinner. For companies we issue invoices and we look after you in Spanish and English, which is handy when your guests come from abroad. See our corporate transfers for more.

What if you're a group?

Up to seven people travel together in the Rioja Group van, so nobody has to miss out on the tasting to drive back. If your group is larger, tell us the date: the 16-seat minibus will be available soon and, in the meantime, we'll work out with you the best way to move the whole group.

For groups, the four-hour plan described above works just the same: one urban visit, another on the outskirts and a final aperitif in the centre, all together in the same vehicle with the driver keeping an eye on the timings.

And beyond Logroño?

If a first tasting in the city leaves you wanting more, the major wine areas are close by: Laguardia is about 25 minutes away and Haro about 40. On our winery visits with a driver in La Rioja page you'll find all the routes organised by area and length.