I’ll be traveling in Spain in San Sebastian in early summer. it looks like we’ll have 3-4 days to get to either Rioja or Bordeaux region.
Rioja would make more sense logistically, however, Bordeaux seems to have a stronger pull for me, based to my perception of more picturesque villages and vineyards in France. FWIW, we would like to do some light tasting (probably 2 wineries a day), it’ll be mostly to explore the local scenes and photography.
Do you folks have suggestions or experiences on either region? What drew you to one over the other?
Wine-wise I’m much more experienced with Bordeaux but my travel experience is that every place in Europe is beautiful and interesting in its own way, so I would visit close by.
haven’t been to Bordeaux. Rioja is pretty awesome, though. And I thought the little villages footing up to the Sierra Cantabrians were splendidly picturesque (though I’m not a photographer).
Logistically, or to be precise, in terms of driving distance, I recall Bordeaux to be the slightly faster option than say, Haro in the Rioja Alta region, when originating from San Sebastian.
Having said that, I’ve found the more rugged, rustic and less manicured region of Rioja to be more appealing than Bordeaux, although Saint Emilion is quite lovely. Plus, I’m a fan of rustic Riojan cooking and the very low cost high-end wines that the restaurants charge. I’m thinking of revisiting Rioja myself this spring.
Of course, the wines of Bordeaux, imho, are in general a higher/better class than those in Rioja … but I love both type wines for what they are.
Bordeaux and then make a point of crossing the river and visiting one of the most picturesque wine villages anywhere… St. Emillion. Make sure you take the tour of the cavern under the town.