Castillo de Sajazarra
Friday March 27, 2015
Great to wake up in another small town. We made our own breakfast for the first time in several weeks. Oh - the agony! Actually, it was kind of fun. The kitchen here has all the things you would need, and the Air BnB is really working out for us. As 9:30 approached, we awaited the long beep of the bread vendor who would come to the village with his freshly baked rolls and croissants. As we walked down to the center square, we heard him round the corner, his horn announcing his arrival. There were about 4 others there, who were obviously eying us an non-locals as we approached. We introduced ourselves as staying with Nadine and Oscar and they were instant friends. I told them I wasn't good in Basque at all, but they immediately went over to Castillian Spanish. They told us we needed to go to the mountains to get a great view of the landscape, but also to be aware of landslides and soft roads. Maybe, just maybe, they really didn't take to us kindly.
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| Castle from the ouside walls |
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| Still occupied by owner |
Nadine had arranged a visit to the Bodega Castillo de Sajazarra which is one of two bodegas in town. Jabier Marquinez Villarreal is the winemaker there and he was going to show us around at 1:00. Nadine, who gave tours previously at Tondonoria in Haro, decided she would stay and go with us too. She invited her friend Lena, who was pregnant, but was going to keep up with us smelling the wine. Jabier took us first to the Castille and told us that it has been in the existing in some form or another since the 1300s. The building was completely restored by its current owner who lives there with his wife and he is in his 80s. He is also the owner of the vineyards and winery. Jabier told us the story of the castle and you could sense that it was like a famous sibling that could overshadow his wine. Jabier is really concerned about the land, the working relationships of a real chateau, the fortress, rivers, gardens and courtyards. But you notice the jealousy of the fame the castle gets/gives to his wine.
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Approaching Winery from Castle
Gardens |
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| Bodega Castillo de Sajazarra's vines |
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We toured the outer vineyards to see where some of the Graciano vines were over 80 years old and there are multiple hectars of Riojan grapes here. The Bodega Castillo de Sajazarra produces about 200,000 bottles a year of very high quality Riojan wines. In fact, this was the first winery that we saw on our trip in the Rioja region where there is Kosher wine! So all our Jewish friends, this is the one for you. The tanks, and all the areas where human intervention occurs were all taped off and ready for a Rabbi's inspection. Jabier was proud that his wines were popular in the New York City and New Jersey area and that they were serving a community who appreciates good wine too. Jabier couldn't have been nicer to us and we tasted several types of wine in their beautiful tasting room that is floored with river rocks in castle designs. Beautiful all the way around.
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| Where the good stuff is kept |
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| Dan an Jabier |
After our wine tour, we came back to the house. The tour had been about 3 hours and we did our extensive walking. We had upped our daily miles because of the amount of wine and food that we've been drinking. Our fit bit is now set for 15,000 steps a day or around 7 miles. It does get a little harder to reach, but we enjoyed going out with the camera and getting the vineyard shots and the old town shots. We ate at home tonight too. We had been carrying around pasta and artichoke hearts for a while, so it was best to mix them up and use them in a pasta dish. We had contemplated going into town to Haro for some tapas, but since we had all the extra food it seemed a waste of time and money.
Tomorrow we would get up and go to the town that appears to be hanging on rock cliffs about 10 kilometers away. The locals were telling us to go, but it looks extremely hazardous to us. But like a moth to flame, we were still prepping to go. Get out the sneakers and charge up the cameras!
