280.00 € – 400.00 €
CLASSICS: the velvety timeless Riojas.
Wines that epitomize the smooth elegant Rioja style.
Finesse. Indulge into elegant silky Reservas and Gran Reservas with long drinking windows.
What’s the Classic Rioja style?
The classic traditional Rioja is a red Tempranillo-based blend aged for many years in American oak barrels.
It’s light-to-medium bodied, still shows lots of acidity and just gets better with age. The fruit is there but it’s not massive, there are hints of vanilla and wonderful complex aromas developed over the years. It starts to show a pale-orange color. It’s usually blended with Garnacha, Graciano or Mazuelo.
We refer to the velvety lingering Reservas and Gran Reservas you most definitely have had before.
Classics: Unveiling the traditional Rioja flavors
You’ll love the Classics if you like a sip of the traditional Rioja flavors –liquorice, plums, raisins, hints of vanilla, tobacco, leather with a lingering aftertaste-
This experience is suitable for those wine lovers fond of the Reservas and Gran Reservas – and for those who wish to sample the long-aged timeless Riojas with long drinking windows.
Other wine lovers' opinions on our Rioja wine tours
Rosemary L2024-10-18My husband and I booked the Unusual Suspects tour and what an incredible experience it was! Mel readily shared his knowledge, understanding and passion for wine with us. What really stood out with this particular tour ( and why we chose it) is that we visited smaller specialty wineries not open to the general public. We were met by the vineyard owners themselves who readily and lovingly described their vineyards and wines. To sit with the owners and taste their wine in beautiful environments as they explain the details of each one and see the enormous pride they take in producing their wine just elevates the experience. Mel provided a delicious lunch and great conversation and we loved spending the day with him. If you want an Unusual Wine experience with fabulous wine and great company then I highly recommend this tour!Gabrielle Semel2024-10-02If I could give this tour 10 stars, I would! Best day ever! Inma was so warm, intelligent, knowledgable, and friendly. We learned so much and tasted the most exquisite wines. We met wonderful families devoted to their family tradition, and their land. Thank you, Inma. Highly recommend!George Apap2024-10-02Teriffic tour! Inma is amazing! Extremely knowledgeable about wine and the history of the region. She took us to two unique wineries where we got to learn about the wine and the families that own the wineries. Bonus we had time to visit a castle and she made us an incredible lunch of local cuisine. Highly recommendCG Catalan2024-09-30Excellent wine tour with Inma at Rioja Wine Trips. We took the tour at the end of August in Rioja Alta y Rioja Alavesa. Inma is very knowledgeable and a fantastic story teller. She made the tour very entertaining and pleasant. We were delighted by the boutique wineries we visited, not only by the wine tasting but also by the underground caves and overall architecture and towns in Ls Rioja.John Kassab2024-06-01Great tour and great wine! Highly recommend!Hadley Leonard2024-06-01I wish I could give more than 5 stars. We have done wine tastings all over the world and this was hands down the best experience. Inma is so knowledgeable about wine and the history of the area. You will learn so much, drink great wine, and have fun along the way. You will not be disappointed about booking a wine tour here.Nancy Woodruff2024-05-03This was one of the BEST days ever! Mel took us to some fabulous wineries! Spending the day with him was one of the highlights of our trip. He shared so much about the region, wineries, and took us to some incredible places we would have never seen on our own. The lunch he served us as well as great conversations meant so much to us! We would definitely encourage anyone to book with them. We hope to do it again someday with him.Tom2024-04-02My wife Catherine and I did the unusual suspects tour on Easter Monday 1st April (a birthday present for her). We did the tour with Mel, who is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about wine. He is very good at explaining the interesting intricacies of all things vino and his knowledge is superb. Above all he was a genuinely lovely bloke and it was a sincere pleasure to spend the day with him. We went to three amazing wineries and tried some truly unique high quality wines. It was Easter and two of the three wineries opened especially for our tour which is a testament to the great relationship Mel and Imna have with these talented wine producers. The wineries themselves were nothing short of amazing and my wife and I had an amazing day that we will look back on with the fondest of memories.
I’m no expert, is this tour suitable for me?
You are probably exposed to the very good mass-produced Reservas and Gran Reservas available at home.The typical Rioja everyone thinks of when they hear “Rioja”.
Our proposal is to take you to the high-end wineries that epitomize the traditional finest Riojas: balanced, silky, elegant timeless wines that have proudly represented Rioja for decades. If you ever fell in love with a Premium Rioja Gran Reserva, this will be music to your ears!
Long-aged wines with long-drinking windows
These wines have been aged for very long periods and have therefore long drinking windows.
To give you an idea, the vintages we are drinking now are 2010, 2011 (the last two vintages officially rated as Extraordinary by the Rioja Control board) 2012 and 2014.
There are many wineries that make Reservas and Gran Reservas. However it’s not just about the ageing period, it’s about the quality. That’s why we will only take you to Premium cellars to sample limited edition wines or wines with little market exposure, as they are only sold at top restaurants and exclusive wine shops.
- 9am hotel pick up check pick up towns here
Hotel pick up and drop off in the towns of Logroño, Laguardia, Villabuena, Elciego, Ábalos, Briones, Haro and Briñas.
- Stop at a vineyard to see the vines and explain the DOCa Rioja growing methods, climate, soils and wine classification systems
- Tasting of 3 high-end wines at a Premium château-style cellar that only sells to top restaurants
- Tasting of 3 fine wines at a boutique winery with a small 35,000 bottle annual production that makes silky yet bold wines
- Tasting session of 3 high-end wines at a renowned winery (the Spanish wines most in demand by diners all over the world at this moment)
- Farm-to-table freshly-made lunch paired with 1 wine at our private entertainment room in a quaint medieval village . The dining room is perched up on a hill, just beneath a church and a 12th-century castle.
- 6pm hotel pick drop off.