Haro

A weekend between the Barrio de la Estación and Santo Tomás

Spend a weekend. Day one starts with booked tours in the Barrio de la Estación, at houses such as López de Heredia, CVNE, Muga or La Rioja Alta, followed by the old town, Santo Tomás and evening pintxos on La Herradura; day two goes out into the vineyards by bike, car or taxi.

R. López de Heredia is known for its old cellars, and the houses stand a few doors apart, so two tastings fit into one morning. Many tours run in English, but slots are limited, so reserve before you travel.

After a late lunch cross the river and climb into the old town. The Church of Santo Tomás and its plateresque portal crown the hill. Wander the lanes around Plaza de la Paz looking at the carved coats of arms on the palaces, then settle into La Herradura for evening pintxos.

Return from the vineyards for a final evening in the square. With a third day, Logroño and its tapas lanes are an easy trip south, and Bilbao is close enough to combine on the way home.

Pintxos and crianza in the lanes off Haro's main square

Drink the local red, joven, crianza or reserva, and eat whatever each bar lists as its speciality in the lanes off the main square. Riojan dishes fill the menus: patatas a la riojana, lamb chops grilled over vine cuttings and roasted red peppers. Several station-quarter bodegas also serve lunch after tours.

Haro eats around wine. The narrow lanes leading off the main square hide small courtyards and counters where each bar has a speciality on the counter. Point at what looks good.

Riojan cooking shows up on most menus: patatas a la riojana, a potato stew coloured with chorizo and pimentón; lamb chops grilled over vine cuttings, known as chuletillas al sarmiento; and red peppers from the region, roasted and served whole. Mushrooms appear on pintxo counters across La Rioja, often stacked on bread with a dab of garlic sauce.

For a sit-down meal, book ahead at weekends and remember Spanish hours: lunch from about two, dinner from nine. The tourist office can point you to the bodegas that serve lunch.

Saint Peter's Fiestas and the Bilibio wine fight

Haro's big day is 29 June, the Batalla del Vino, when crowds in white climb to the Riscos de Bilibio and soak each other in wine at the end of the town's late-June fiestas. Book rooms long before; outside June, the harvest in September and October is the best time to come.

The fiestas of San Juan, San Felices and San Pedro build through the week, and on the morning of 29 June the Batalla del Vino begins. Hundreds of people dressed in white with red neckerchiefs walk up to the Riscos de Bilibio, the crags outside town, attend a short mass, then drench each other with wine from bottles, buckets and sprayers until nothing white is left.

Afterwards the crowd returns to town for more celebration, and the bullring hosts events in the afternoon. Practical points: arrive early, carry water, wear shoes you can throw away and keep valuables sealed in a plastic bag.

Other seasons suit a different trip. September and October bring the harvest, when tractors loaded with grapes line up outside the bodegas. Spring is green and quiet. Summer days can be hot, but evenings in the square stay pleasant.