My Rioja vineyards tour continues with the Luis Cañas winery, located in the city of Villabuena (Rioja Alavesa). The village that counts 48 wineries, and only 310 citizens, that made Villabuena the village with more wineries in this region, but don’t worry I recommend only the best and Luis Cañas it is.
Luis Cañas is a family winery that has been dedicated to viticulture and winemaking for more than two centuries, you may also see him, Luis Cañas is still alive (91 years old). Since 1928 his family works to the search for the perfect wines, and I think they are very close.
This is a trip I have been organizing for some time and counting with one of the most important wineries makes it even more interesting. Do you want to know how to organize the Rioja vineyards tour? Read here!
GENERAL INFORMATION
Guided tours from Monday to Saturday morning, previous reservation is required. Check their schedule and languages available.
Wine Bar and Wine shop opening time: From Monday to Thursday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm / Friday and Saturday from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm. It is not necessary to book for the Wine bar.
Luis Cañas winery offers two kinds of visits. The GLASS IN HAND TOUR (15€/adult in 60min) and the VISIT THE VIEWPOINT (20€/adult in 90min).
GLASS IN HAND TOUR tour includes:
- Guided visit to the winery
- Tasting of Luis Cañas white wine Barrel Fermented
- Surprise tasting of 2 wines in the process
- Tasting of Luis Cañas Reserva accompanied by a snack with local products.
- FREE glass and necklace holder
VISIT THE VIEWPOINT tour includes:
- Guided tour.
- Tasting of Luis Cañas white wine Barrel Fermented
- Luis Cañas Reserva wine tasting at the Viewpoint.
- Surprise tasting of 2 wines in the process
- Tasting of Luis Cañas Family Selection Reserva accompanied by a snack with local products.
- FREE glass and necklace holder
THE CELLAR
Here tradition mixes with technology, during the visit they will explain to you what kind of machines they use for selecting the best grape. The cellars are not very large, 65% of the bottles produced by Luis Cañas go to the national market. You may also visit the Luis Cañas club, they have a number of spaces reserved only for those who belong to their club, here more details.
The most expensive bottle they produce is Hiro 3 (105€) composed of 90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, the age of the vines is over 60 years old. This wine stems from the desire to go further in the search for the perfect wine. Check all his production, you can buy it online too.
WINE TASTING
I made the “THE VIEWPOINT tour“, it lasts approximately 90 minutes and costs € 20/adult. You will taste a selection of 5 wines during the visit, they also give you the silk-screened cup and the cup holder that we give to you upon your arrival.
They begin the visit with a glass of white wine, includes the step and explanation in their EL PALACIO farm. The tasting of a Reserva wine will be in this glazed tasting room that they have at the foot of the vineyard (really beautiful) to continue later through the cellar facilities. A total of 5 wines are tasted, 2 of them in barrels, guess which came from the American or the French barrel.
The pairing that they offer during the wine tasting is some Iberian ham, local cheeses and cured chorizo accompanied by our village bread and the Family Selection Reserve. I definitely recommend this tour for 5€ more is the best option, with any doubt the best winery that I’ve visited.
AROUND LUIS CAÑAS WINERY
Organizing a trip through La Rioja vineyards is amazing and visit Laguardia much more. A little city located just 12km from Luis Cañas winery. Here we are in the Basque country however the wine is called Rioja. Its streets and corners preserve a great medieval flavor and its economy is based on the wine industry, don’t miss it.
