Bodega El Fabulista

El Fabulista is a winery dug seven metres beneath a 17th-century palace in the Plaza de San Juan in Laguardia, the house where the fabulist Félix María de Samaniego was born and lived. It is inside the walls and is part of the Villa-Lucía group, which also runs the gastronomic space Villa Lucía and the Altair Abadía catering. The website does not say who founded it or since when it has been open to the public.

Samaniego's house

Samaniego was born in Laguardia in 1745, into a noble family of the town, and died here in 1801. His "Fábulas morales", from 1784, bring together 157 fables; he also wrote erotic and humorous verse that was published as "El jardín de Venus". The winery takes the names of its wines from him: five from Rioja Alavesa, a young white, a young red and the reds Ilustrado, Sabio and Fábula, plus the El Jardín de Venus line. The reds are made by carbonic maceration, in the traditional way of the area, inside the winery itself, and the crianzas go through American or French oak. It is one of the few wineries in the old town of Laguardia that still make wine underground.

What they show

A guided visit through the history of the palace, the foot-treading vats at street level and the winery's four cellars, for winemaking, ageing and tasting. It ends with a tasting of its wines with local cheese and chorizo: €14 with two wines and €17 with three, VAT included. If you want more wines or pintxos, ask the winery. There are departures every day: Sunday to Thursday at 11:30, 13:00, 16:00 and 17:30; Fridays at 11:30, 13:00, 17:30 and 19:00, and Saturdays at 11:30 and 13:00. Outside those times you can request visits for groups or individuals. For families they have their own programme, "El Fabulista y los niños", which mixes literature, history and gastronomy; the website does not give ages. There is also a 360-degree virtual visit on its website.

Booking

Booking is recommended, on the contact and booking page of their website or on 945 621 192. The website has an English version, but does not say in which languages the visit is given, how long it lasts or the cancellation conditions. Nor does it give accessibility information; bear in mind that the cellars are seven metres below the street. The meeting point is the winery door, in the Plaza de San Juan, inside the walled old town. The wines are bought in the Villa-Lucía online shop.