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Spain: La Rioja

Overview

La Rioja is situated in the north of Spain between the Ebro Valley and the Iberian Mountains and consists of just one province, Logroño. It’s the smallest autonomous region in Spain covering an area of 5,034km2 (1,944mi2) with around 292,000 inhabitants. La Rioja lies on the western side of the beautiful Ebro valley (the region takes its name from the River Oja, a tributary of the Ebro) and is mountainous in the north and west and flat elsewhere. Half of all Riojans live in Logroño, the region’s capital, a prosperous commercial town. Calahorra is the capital of lower Rioja and the second most important town in Rioja. Rioja has many interesting towns such as the walled town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a stop on the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, and Laguardia, a medieval city ringed by ramparts, towers and fortified gateways.

Rioja is Spain’s (and one of Europe’s) foremost wine-growing areas, producing world-renowned wines, with some 48,000ha of vines (almost 120,000 acres) under cultivation. La Rioja is divided into three sub-zones: Rioja Alta (Upper Rioja), where the best wines are made, Rioja Alavesa (actually situated in Alava province in the Basque Lands), and Rioja Baja (lower Rioja), whose coarser wines are used mostly for blending. Haro, in the upper Rioja, is the principal town of the wine district and is packed with wine cellars (bodegas), most of which welcome visitors, but generally require advance notice. Apart from wine production, the region’s main industry (in lower Rioja) is farming, notably early vegetables such as asparagus, artichokes, peppers and tomatoes, most of which are tinned. The region has a Continental-Mediterranean climate, with cold winters and hot summers, although it varies markedly between the humid mountainous north and the flat southern area. Rioja has good road and rail connections, but no commercial airports. It’s of little interest to foreign homebuyers, although it may appeal to wine aficionados and gourmets, and those with a love of the outdoor life (it’s a popular hiking, climbing, hunting and fishing area).

© Survival Books Limited 2005

“Buying a Home in Spain 2006” 5th Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Spain 2006” 5th edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive, annually updated information about buying a property in Spain, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net


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