Wine country: La Rioja
When I saw this sign for the River Oja, it suddenly hit me: we were in Rioja Wine Country! Notice also the tractor crossing the bridge: many were out and about for the harvest of grapes.
After leaving Bilbao, we proceeded to the Rioja region. Rioja is pronounced "ree-oh-ha;" J-s sound more like H-s in Spanish.
Overlooking the village of Elciego (Eltziego in Basque), home of many bodegas (wineries). A vineyard is in the foreground. Bodega Pago de Larrea is on the left just beyond the curve. On the far right are the Gehry-designed Hotel Marqués de Riscal and Bodega Marqués del Riscal.
Terraced slopes with vineyards in the Rioja area.
A large load of grapes on the way to a bodega (winery).
The owners of the Marques de Risal bodega commissioned Frank Gehry to design a nearby hotel. It was under construction when we visited the Bodega's in Elciego.
Not long after the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was finished in 1997, the owners of the Marques de Riscal winery coaxed its architect, Frank Gehry, 60 miles south to their Rioja vineyard. Gehry was reluctant to design a small building and one so close to the Guggenheim, but instantly saw where to place a hotel: on a rise with views of the vineyards and the medieval town of Elciego with its 16th century church. A bottle of 1929 Rioja, the year of his birth, sealed the deal for what became the “City of Wine.” (Source)
Sign for the Rioja Wine Museum, established by the government of Rioja, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development.
Governmental wine laboratory. Think oenophile or wine afficionado.
Sign for Bodegas Muga — Muga Winery.
Another view of the front of the bodega with sculpture of boy.
Boy holding a cup of wine - anatomically correct — common in Spain.
Posing next to a sculpture in from of the Muga Bodega.
Posing at Muga Bodega with an opening in the brick wall revealing the scenery behind the bodega. The grapes held by the sculpture of the boy are visible on the right.
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