Los Viajes de Mufambi is a blog that offers useful tips for thirty-something travellers
Tatiana Rodríguez writes a fantastic blog with recommendations and tips for thirty-something solo travellers. After her recent visit to Ollauri and Elciego she wrote a highly recommended review ?in Spanish? about our wineries and vineyards. Here is a summary of her impressions about Conde de los Andes and the village of Ollauri.
Tatiana enjoying Fundación Maga wine at Palacio Tondón terrace in Briñas, on the shore of Ebro river.
Autumn is one of my favourite seasons. It might be the colours of the landscape, the pleasant temperatures or the romantic, nostalgic feeling that pervades that time of the year. The thing is that autumn always flies by and I never have enough time to do all the trips that I would like to.
Last weekend I?ve had the chance to share a trip with a group of bloggers, a welcome change for someone who usually travels alone. Thanks to Muriel Wines, we visited villages such as Ollauri and Briñas in Rioja Alta and Elciego in Rioja Alavesa, but most of our time was spent trying their wines and cuisine.
I really enjoyed the experience and I highly recommend this trip as a must-go place in your list of solo destinations this autumn.
Why Rioja?
Undoubtedly for the quality and quantity of wineries located in the area: Ollauri, Briñas, Haro, Elciego. There are lots of them and I would need several months to visit them all. Last weekend, I had the chance to visit Conde de los Andes in Ollauriand I?m going to tell you my experience.
It was a really exciting visit for me as my family?s home in the countryside is built on an ancient ?small bodega?. I just felt like being at home, but on a grand scale, with wine being produced and professionals explaining the entire process.
This winery has three old buildings and a great maze of cellars or calados, which is how underground bodegas with vaulted stone ceilings are known in Rioja. It was owned by the Paternina family but it belongs to Muriel Wines since 2014. It is in the heart of Rioja Alta, a short distance from Haro. Ollauri is a small village with a long wine tradition which is visible on its manor houses, built in the 17th and 18th century, which we couldn?t visit as we had a tight schedule. The Churrumedi hill, the highest spot in Ollauri, is a good place to go to as it commands widespread views of the Ebro valley.
Why choose this bodega over the others?
Because of its calados. The vaulted structures of Conde de los Andes built in stone are the most impressive underground cellars in Rioja. Also because of their age, architecture and length, close to one kilometre. They are amazing and they feel as if dozens of monks armed with their codices and bottles of wines were to appear. It?s the perfect location for a movie based on a historical novel.
Very old bottles rest inside these cellars. Some of them date from the 1940s; the owners are reluctant to sell them but many fine restaurants in Madrid, Barcelona and other leading cities try to get hold of a few of them. We were told at the cellar that stocking such old bottles means great kudos for a restaurant and that?s one of the reasons behind their high demand.
Anyone interested in visiting them can have a look at this producer?s website and see the options. A tour and a wine tasting cost 30 euros. A perfect autumn plan.
How to get there
Ollauri is well communicated. The journey to Logroño, 40 kilometres away, takes about half an hour and is also 40 kilometres from Logroño-Agoncillo airport.
BlaBlaCar. If you travel alone and driving is not your thing, you can look into Blabla car, the carpooling service. It takes three hours and 20 minutes from Madrid and the price ranges between 18 and 28 euros. Make sure you check the driver?s rating, experience and car type. Be smart and check details well as expensive options are not always the best and cheap does not always mean bad.
Coach: I usually travel with Alsa because I grew up in Asturias and this company was set up there: coaches are very comfortable and I have confidence in them. Another option is
Plm, which have been in business since 2009, although I have never travelled with them.
Plane: Logroño has an airport, which is 40 km away from Ollauri and 10 km from the city. If you find a special offer, it is also a very good option. Prices range from 90 to 140 euros, according to e-dreams.
From Logroño to Ollauri. Taking the bus is the best option. The station is on Avenida de España S/N in Logroño.
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