Hello, dear travelers! Even if you've never been to Spain, you've probably tried wines from the Rioja region. On our latest trip, we visited a famous winery called Eguren Ugarte in the province of Álava. It would be a crime to pass through this region without stopping by one of its wineries.
Here stands a statue of Vitarina Eguren Ugarte, a man who dedicated his life to winemaking and is a fifth-generation member of the Ugarte family.
The dedication and commitment of this man and the generations before him to the winery are truly impressive. Upon arrival, we paid for a guided private tour. The guide told us all about the winery's secrets and showed us its hidden corners. We were given a sample of a wine called "Malvasia," which was quite delightful. We were also treated to canapés with foie gras. The Eguren family has been in the winemaking business since 1870. The founder is Anastasio Eguren, who planted these vineyards.
To be honest, I'm not a big fan of wine, but when we got here, I was excited to see the underground cellars and taste one of the region's most famous wines. We saw the underground cellars, which are one of the most fascinating parts of the winery.
The winery and hotel have a total of two kilometers of caves that Vitarina dug with the help of his wife, Mercedes, and a few young people from the village. According to him, they were weak and frail at 18, but when the work was done, they were strong as bulls. We descended underground and reached the lower level of the winery, where we were treated to more wine. It was pretty good, and I didn't expect to find an underground city of this size. It felt like being in a medieval castle. In these caves, there are also special rooms called "chocos," where clients sometimes gather with family and friends to drink their own wines. These niches for clients' wines are located in the walls of these underground tunnels.
We had another opportunity to try a different wine, called "Maturina." If we continued at this pace, we wouldn't have been able to leave on our own two feet. So we decided to proceed with a bit more moderation. Every detail was thought out in these tunnels. For example, the tunnels have various proverbs and sayings because, according to our guide, Señor Eguren Ugarte was quite eloquent. We continued to descend, reaching a depth of about 20 meters, and according to our guide, the oldest wines here are about 100 years old. We went even deeper, reaching over 20 meters underground, and I was surprised to learn that there's a hotel here with rooms right next to the wine barrels. So you could grab a bottle of wine, get tipsy, and go to bed right away. Would you stay in a hotel this deep underground, or would you be claustrophobic? Please share your answer in the comments.
In this room, there are wine barrels for private clients. Each barrel has the client's name on it, rented to allow their wine to age until it's ready for consumption. Most names are in German, but there are also a few Chinese, a few Spanish, and some well-known companies. Throughout the tour, we were offered more wine tastings. We saw a machine that they said is cleaned with ozone. Next to it is a colorful chamber where they store vintage wine.
In these winery cellars, we not only saw wine but also various interesting items. For example, there was a Citroen car with just two horsepower. But not all winery spaces are as unique. We also saw the most ordinary part of any winery: the warehouse. After wine is bottled and aged, it's stored in these warehouses. The tour came to an end. We tried many wines and snacks, saw the cellars, and learned about the family's history.
It was an enjoyable trip. If you ever find yourself in the province of Álava, I recommend visiting the wineries here.
