|
Joyful Wine Festival of San Mateo |
|
|
If you want to vivify your wine experience in Rioja, visit Logroño, the capital of La Rioja during the San Mateo wine festival. It is a week of festivities coinciding with the feast day of Saint Matthew, celebrated on September 21st.
Whiling away the time at wine bars or simply through strolling along the streets, you see dancing Giants and Big Heads, parades of carriages ornated with various symbols of winemaking and a number of other ceremonies typical of Spanish fiestas. Most of all, this joyful harvest festival is a gastronomic delight with rioja wines and regional cuisine.
Photo right - cabezudas: Characters with big heads are called Cabezudos. |
|
|
Photo above - calle_marques_de_san_nicolas: Young people are bubbling with high spirits.
|
Photo left (top) - fuente_del_vino: The Fountain of Wine is the miracle of San Mateo. Photo left (under layer photo) - gigantes: Gigantes are giants made of PVC and aluminium.
The Fountain of Wine
Inauguration of the Fountain of Wine is one of the initial spectacles of the week, taking place in Saturday evening. You can follow the parade of musicians, giants, big heads and children all the way from the townhall to Gran Vía, where the fountain starts to spurt red liquid as a miracle of San Mateo. Unlike the more famous "Wine Fountain" provided by the Bodegas de Irache to fortify pilgrims on their way to Santiago, this one is not made of wine, but of water and colorants. During the week, the color changes from red to rosa and finally to white symbolizing the wine variants of red, rosé and white. |
Photo above - ranco_espanol: Bodegas Franco Españolas was established in 1890.
Go to page 2 - Wine Festival of San Mateo
Return to the Spain's Festivals Top page |
 |
Book your accommodations with my recommended Spain Travel Agent and use them to book your own exclusive Wine Tour.
Working with excellent local contacts, Madrid & Beyond opens up some of the best-kept secrets of Spain for the traveler. Personal guides, private wine tours, walking and bicycling excursions, balcony seats for the running with the bulls are just a few of the possibilities.
Note: Madrid and Beyond arranges trips in their entirety, not segments or single nights. Also Note: Madrid and Beyond's focus is on unique accommodations and three star hotels or above.
Relationship Disclosure
Booking Request Form |
|
|
|
|
