Bodegas Muga

Bodegas Muga was founded by Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño in 1932, and has since been run by three generations of the family. It is in the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, in a two-hundred-year-old mansion. It makes Rioja with oak throughout the process: it ferments in large wooden vats and ages in barrel, and according to the house itself it is the only winery in Spain with a master cooper and three coopers of its own, who make the vats and barrels in its cooperage. It keeps traditional methods such as racking by gravity and fining with fresh egg white. Its wines include Muga, Muga Selección Especial, Prado Enea Gran Reserva, Torre Muga, Aro, Flor de Muga and the cava Conde de Haro; barrel ageing usually runs from 24 to 36 months depending on the wine.

The visits

All need an appointment. The guided visit to the winery is Monday to Saturday, lasts about 90 minutes, tours the vats, ageing rooms and cooperage, and ends with a tasting of two wines; it costs €30 and does not admit under-12s. The visit with an introductory tasting course lasts two and a half hours, is given in Spanish in the tasting classroom of the Espacio Torre Muga, with a maximum of 20 people, for €60, for over-18s only. The Premium Plus Private Visit, of two to two and a half hours in Spanish or English, includes four wines with asparagus, cheeses and Iberian cured meats, for €70 with a minimum of six people (it can be booked for fewer by paying for six), also for adults only. Outside the winery it organises an electric bike ride through its vineyards and a balloon flight; the website also mentions Segway routes and gift cards.

Espacio Torre Muga and the terrace

The Espacio Torre Muga is the meeting point for visits, with a shop and wine bar. In winter and harvest the shop is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:00 and on Saturdays and public holidays from 10:00 to 15:00, and on Sundays in September and October from 10:00 to 14:00; in summer, Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 15:00. Hours may change because of private events, so the winery recommends calling beforehand. The terrace serves its wines by the glass with a tapa, without booking. Access to the visits and the wine library is through the lower roundabout of the tower, with parking and adapted access. The winery has no accommodation.

Booking and conditions

You book on their website, on 941 30 60 60 or at [email protected]. You must arrive in good time: once the visit has begun you cannot enter. Pets are not allowed on the visits, nor simultaneous translation during the tour. If you cancel with less than 48 hours' notice, the amount is not refunded; for the Premium Plus the deadline is 72 hours. Visits are given in Spanish and, depending on the format, in English.