On February 23rd, 2008, we left for a week long trip to La Rioja, located on the southwestern border of Navarra in the north central part of Spain. Although, Ryan had been there before, Gabriella had the opportunity to discover it for the first time with fresh eyes and an eager palate. We wanted to get a feeling for the rolling vineyard, the breathtaking Cantabrian Mountains and the traditional Rioja cuisine and wine. What we experienced during our week long adventure is cataloged on Catavino.net and will remain a resource for anyone interested in learning about La Rioja’s food, wine and culture.

For those of you looking for a more in depth look at La Rioja’s wine, you’ve come to the right place. Using our trip as a launching point, this archive is intended to not only catalog our previous experiences through La Rioja, but also any and all future trips and wine tastings. At intervals, we’ll continue to add photos, tasting notes, update and expand winery profiles, as well as create a broader scope of the food and culture of the region. We hope you can use this site as a reference for any all questions you may have on La Rioja and its wines.

However, as a living and expanding archive, becoming a comprehensive portal for all of Rioja’s treasures, we ask that you help us. If you are an expert in Rioja, please send us a note if you are interested in contributing. If you want to help sponsor this page, we have opportunities to help fund it. If you just want to comment on a wine that you’ve tasted, simply find the wine and leave a tasting note in the comment section. If you’ve visited a winery, please leave your comments on the winery page, again, in the comment section. Finally, considering that we don’t have time to add every Rioja winery at this moment, we are receptive to any suggestions you have! Simply send us a note and we’ll add it to our list.

In this end, we intend for this site to grow and morph into a place that will aid all of us in learning more about this wonderful region called, La Rioja.

Cheers,
Ryan and Gabriella Opaz