Rioja, Spain

Flying into Bilbao and then heading south-east, we travelled through the hilly rough landscape of the Rioja wine region. Bordered on the north by the Atlantic and separated by the Cantabrian mountains. Along the Ebro river we paid a visit to one of the icons of Spanish winemaking, R. Lopez de Heredia in the small village of Haro. A visit to this traditional winery is unlike any other. Traveling several hundred feet underground into the cellar we witnessed the damp, cobwebbed-lined, cool cellar where some of the top Rioja wine in the world is aged. Vintages from the middle of the 20th century were still being aged. This family run winery currently has one cooper that hand makes all of the barrels. Steeped in tradition, these wines deliver a level of complexity that many will say is unmatched.