Wine Tasting and Winery Tours in Bilbao

The north of the Basque Country is not a wine-growing region par excellence, which is logical given that it is an Atlantic area with a climate that is too temperate for it. However, the south of this autonomous region together with La Rioja and part of Navarre make up the area with the best vineyards in Spain. Therefore, one of the best things to do in Bilbao is to take a trip to the south of the Basque Country in order to enjoy a good wine tasting in an appropriate place.

I invite you to read on so that you can get a clear and concise idea of how the best wine tastings in the area around Bilbao work. You will understand the conditions of the transfer, the prices of the experience, the duration of the trip, the type of things you will do and the number of participants that usually accompany you on this type of wine tasting with guided excursions to La Rioja and the south of the Basque Country.

The first alternative you have at your disposal if you are looking to enjoy an excellent wine tasting in the vicinity of Bilbao is to take part in a private wine tour that focuses on the wine-growing area of the Rioja region. The first thing you should know about this type of excursion is that you will be picked up at the door of your hotel, as long as it is located in the centre of Bilbao. If this is not the case, a meeting point is designated at the Port of Bilbao.

Then the tour starts in a private, air-conditioned vehicle in which only your group of companions will travel with the driver and a guide, who can also be bilingual if you wish. Eventually, you will arrive at the wine tasting at the first winery of the tour located in an underground construction in a village in the Ebro Valley in the wine-growing heart of La Rioja.

The next place would be a winery in the village of Samaniego in the extreme south of the Basque Country. This part of the tour is often highlighted as it is a more familiar vineyard. You will then pass through the mythical town of Laguardia to enjoy lunch at a local pintxo restaurant as well as stroll through the streets of this beautiful medieval town.

Eventually, you will arrive at the Marqués de Riscal Winery for a stroll through the vineyards and a final tasting. This site stands out for the beauty of the hotel of the same name, with facilities designed by the famous architect Frank Gehry. Please note that this tour is available for wheelchair users as well as children, as long as they are accompanied by their parents at all times.

Details of interest

• Price: the approximate price for a tour like this, which includes 9 wine tastings in 3 different wineries, is around 290 euros. Which is logical, knowing that it is a private excursion that will only be made up of your companions and therefore there is usually a minimum quota of participants.
• Duration: this type of wine tasting tour usually lasts about 8 or 9 hours on average.
• Means of transport: the most common means of transport is a minibus, bearing in mind that it is a tourist tour for a maximum of 10 or 15 people.
• Advantages of this option: it is not common for an excursion to offer more than one wine tasting on its itinerary, and in this case you can enjoy three. You can return to Bilbao with a broader knowledge of the surrounding wine industry as well as the beauty of the region.
• Disadvantages of this option: 290 euros per person is not exactly cheap and this can be a limitation for a lot of people who are travelling to Bilbao on a tight budget.

There are several gastronomic tours that focus on exploring the most interesting and authentic aspects of Basque food and the culinary scene that defines Bilbao. Most of them revolve around pintxos and these are basically a Basque version of the Spanish tapas found in bars, taverns and restaurants throughout the country.

On the other hand, high-end gastronomic tours that also include a wine tasting at most of the restaurants and culinary establishments visited are an excellent alternative if you want to enjoy the wine scene that defines the southern Basque Country without having to leave Bilbao on a trip to La Rioja and its famous vineyards and wineries.

Bear in mind that this type of itinerary basically involves going from bar to bar and restaurant to restaurant to try the pintxos or the most iconic and representative dish of the establishment's gastronomic offer. At the same time, the wine tasting takes place evenly, and in each place you can enjoy a few glasses of several locally produced wines that will allow you to enjoy the same product that you will have at your disposal on a trip to the wineries or vineyards of Vitoria or La Rioja.

In this case there is not usually an age restriction as the tasting is still an optional accompaniment to the meal and therefore it can be a family plan to enjoy the culinary world of Bilbao in a different way. In addition, it is a fully guided tour and most of the time there are no more than 10 participants.

Details of interest

• Price: a wine and food tour of Bilbao usually costs approximately 100 euros per person. It may seem expensive, but you have to take into account the fact that on average you usually visit 6 or 8 establishments in the same night.
• Duration: they usually last about 3 hours and this is more than enough time for participants to tour the city listening to the stories of its culinary past while learning how to order like a real Basque in the most iconic establishments of this city.
• Means of transport: in this case no means of transport will be necessary, as there is always a central meeting point in the historic centre of Bilbao. This means that you can choose between the metro, tram, bus or taxi to reach your destination in the most comfortable and convenient way for you.
• Advantages of this option: not having to leave Bilbao is already a great advantage for many people who have no interest in leaving the city, even for a couple of hours. The fact that these are gastronomic and wine tours after sunset also makes it a convenient activity, as it leaves the whole day free to do other tourist activities in the city.
• Disadvantages of this option: although wine is one of the main features of an itinerary like this, it is also true that at each of the stops you will also have the option of drinking locally produced craft beers or ciders, another typical drink of the Basque Country.

To enjoy a good wine tasting in the surroundings of Bilbao it is not necessary to cross the border between the Basque Country and La Rioja. In fact, the wine-growing region that has made this corner of Spain world-famous stretches between the two territories and even takes in a few kilometres of Navarre. This is why on an excursion like this one you usually travel from Bilbao to Vitoria to enjoy tastings in the local wineries as well as in other nearby towns such as Laguardia or Haro.

Bear in mind that on this itinerary you will be sharing the trip with other people outside your booking. Although this is not a major inconvenience, as the bus is large enough for everyone to travel comfortably and the number of participants rarely exceeds 40 people. Pick-up is usually included if you are staying in a specific list of hotels and if not then a meeting point is designated in an accessible square in the centre of Bilbao.

The winery visit and wine tasting usually takes place in Laguardia, either at the Bodega El Fabulista or at another local wine company. Lunch usually takes place in Laguardia, which is usually left to each traveller to choose, while you have 2 hours to stroll through the cobbled streets of this medieval village. Year after year it is usually ranked as one of the most beautiful towns in Spain.

In this case it is also necessary for there to be a minimum number of participants for the wine tasting to take place and it is therefore possible for it to be cancelled and rescheduled. However, this is not a common occurrence. Please note that the bus has child seats available for its passengers. The experience is guided and therefore you will always have a specialist in the history of the region at your side, even during the wine tasting at the winery in Laguardia.

Details of interest

• Price: a tour like this one, which only includes one or two wine tastings in the same winery, is cheaper than the previous alternative. Rates are usually around 70 or 80 euros per adult, while children between 12 and 2 years of age pay around 40 euros. Clearly, wine tasting is not available for minors.
• Duration: this trip usually lasts about 8 hours from the departure point in the centre of Bilbao to the eventual return.
• Means of transport: as this is an excursion that can include up to 35 people on the same trip it can be assumed that a relatively large bus will always be needed for the logistics of this guided tour of the southern Basque wine region.
• Advantages of this option: this option is much cheaper than a private wine tasting and at the same time gives you the touristic tour of the area. So basically the same benefits only that you will visit fewer wineries, but you will also be paying less euros.
• Disadvantages of this option: there are those who are looking to enjoy more than two wine tastings in the tour and for them it may seem insufficient an itinerary like this. However, it is also worth considering the fact that two tastings in a town like Laguardia and the possibility of touring Vitoria is also a beneficial situation.

As the idea of a good trip for many people is to make the most of the time to visit as many places as possible in the same opportunity, then there are wine tasting tours that combine Vitoria with the wineries of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja in the same itinerary. Basically, it is a planned excursion that starts in the capital of the Basque Country, Vitoria, and then goes to Laguardia to the first winery on the route.

This is followed by a tour of the wine-growing areas that are already located in the Autonomous Region of La Rioja. This will give you a close-up view of the site where the grapes used to create this famous alcoholic beverage are extracted. There is a gourmet tasting at some of the stops, either in a village in La Rioja or at the winery in Laguardia.

The whole tour takes place in a minibus, which means that it is a relatively private experience. Although in reality you will almost certainly share the trip with other people if your group is not large enough to fill the vehicle. You will also be accompanied by a local guide and there may be a pick-up from your hotel if it is on the list of accommodation on the minibus route.

Free time for lunch may be allocated in Laguardia or also in the city of Vitoria. It all depends on which is the first stop on the itinerary. The wine tasting usually lasts about an hour and the most usual is to choose a typical local winery that is quite faithful to the more traditional wine culture of the region.

Details of interest

• Price: the price of this tour is quite similar to the previous alternative and therefore the rates are also around 70 euros for adults and 40 euros for children under 12.
• Duration: a package tour with these characteristics also usually lasts about 8 hours from the departure in the centre of Bilbao to the return to the same point in the city.
• Means of transport: minibuses are used and this means that it is a more intimate vehicle that should not exceed 15 or 20 passengers.
• Advantages of this option: the advantage of this alternative is that you get to cross the borders into the Autonomous Region of La Rioja and this can be convenient if you want to claim that you have seen two Spanish regions in one trip to Bilbao.
• Disadvantages of this option: the 8 hours duration of a tourist itinerary to enjoy a good wine tasting may be too long for someone who would prefer to get to Vitoria and its surroundings on their own to have as many drinks as they can get in the wine bars of the city.

You have different means available to book this kind of wine tasting based excursions in and around Bilbao. However, the best of all will always be online.

Under this way of acquiring your service you have the possibility to cancel your purchase for free. You can also book the schedule of your choice, select the date of your interest and even check the availability and the difference in prices according to different times of the year.

On the other hand, you have the possibility of booking these wine tastings through local tourist agencies within the city of Bilbao. The problem with this situation is that there is no guarantee that you will get the wine tasting of your interest for the time you have available for it. Nor do you have the possibility of guaranteeing that you are not paying for a service that is more expensive than it is worth.

In fact, online booking of such tourist activities is something that applies for most tours that take you to the best villages outside Bilbao. It is also a good way to book tours within the city itself and other family or adult entertainment activities in the Basque Coast region.

On average all wine tastings last between one and two hours in total. However, these excursions that take you to the wineries or vineyards where these events are held are a much longer activity. So in order to enjoy one or two wine tastings in the wine region outside Bilbao you will have to spend between six and eight hours in total.

However, bear in mind that these excursions usually start in the early morning so that the tasting can take place in the early afternoon. This means that by early evening you will be back at your hotel to enjoy the best nightlife in Bilbao.

The first tip I can give you regarding a wine tasting in the surroundings of Bilbao is to keep in mind that these activities are not intended for excessive alcohol consumption. Instead, they are a plan to enjoy the wine culture as well as an excellent quality product. If you start your trip with this philosophy in mind, you will be able to enjoy it better.

The second recommendation I can make is that you choose your clothes appropriately. The truth is that you will be in the sun when you tour the vineyards, and this could lead to sunstroke if you don't apply sunscreen and don't wear appropriate clothing. In fact, a trip to the vineyards in the south of the Basque Country is one of the best things to do in Bilbao and its surroundings during the summer.

You should also bear in mind that gastronomic tastings are an additional element that is often considered dispensable and unnecessary by the wineries. Therefore, I advise you to opt for a high-level gastronomic tour in Bilbao if you really want to enjoy the culinary world of this Spanish region.

Although Bilbao is not a wine-producing city, its proximity to La Rioja makes it an interesting destination for lovers of good quality wine. In fact, La Rioja as a wine region has the first Spanish denomination of origin in history. That means that if you are really in the mood for wine tasting it is worth the hours of travel to get to the south of the Basque Country and enjoy one of the most famous wine producing regions in the world.

As you can imagine, such an excursion, focusing on wine tasting in La Rioja or in the city of Victoria, is one of the best day trips from Bilbao. At the same time, being in Bilbao you will realise that there are other places nearby that are worth visiting if you have enough time to do so. For this reason, guided tours are a good alternative if you don't have a car to get to these important tourist sites. Transfers from Bilbao to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe are an excellent example of this.