La Rioja
Spain's premier wine region with grape harvest festivals and medieval villages
Highlights
Festivals in La Rioja
June
Batalla del Vino
Every 29 June, the small town of Haro in the heart of La Rioja wine country hosts one of Spain's most joyfully absurd festivals: the Batalla del Vino (Wine Battle). Thousands of participants hike to the Riscos de Bilibio cliffs at dawn and proceed to drench each other with wine — buckets, water guns, botas (wineskins) and any container imaginable. By mid-morning, everyone is stained purple from head to toe. Declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest, it's a unique celebration of Rioja's winemaking heritage.
September
Fiestas de la Vendimia Riojana
Logroño's week-long harvest festival celebrates Rioja wine with grape stomping, a wine offering, bullfights, fireworks and the legendary Calle Laurel tapas scene.