San Sebastián and La Rioja

NorthPilot06

SWMBO and I are heading to Spain rather soon, and we’ll be visiting San Sebastián and the La Rioja regions at the suggestion of some friends. The area is well known for its Michelin-starred chefs, pintxos, and wineries, so I’m sure that we’ll be happy no matter where we end up - but i wanted to check if anyone has any restaurant / bar recommendations.

And of course, if @YukonRon has any winery suggestions

YukonRon

I do not have any winery suggestions, they are all very good. If I remember correctly, wineries over there, represent the wine from multiple vinyards. They are excellent most offer food and tapas, as well as tours.
The last time I was there, we were hiking the area and just blew into some of the winery stores and bought the local wines, and as much Granachia, we could carry. (We were not heavily laden with cash at that time)
I will say this, Spanish wines are amongst the best in the world, and Hemingway, wrote often of the wines of that area.
I might suggest a tour, which features food and wine pairings, it can be a bit pricey, but worth it.
I can help you find some of those, and will ask my neighbors who have been there and done that.
Let me know.

NorthPilot06

Thanks @YukonRon - I'd be happy to hear about any suggestions on the wine/food tours.  Admittedly, we'll only be in the La Rioja region for two full days...so we'd be happy to pay another group to coordinate the logistics and planning on our behalf.  

I'll also be interested in trying Txakoli wine in San Sebastian, seems to be a local favorite!

YukonRon

NorthPilot06 said:

Thanks @YukonRon - I'd be happy to hear about any suggestions on the wine/food tours.  Admittedly, we'll only be in the La Rioja region for two full days...so we'd be happy to pay another group to coordinate the logistics and planning on our behalf.  

I'll also be interested in trying Txakoli wine in San Sebastian, seems to be a local favorite!

It is a great wine, and like most of the excellent wines made anywhere, it typically never gets too far from the origin, because the locals, but just about all of it.

I will send a note out to some friends and get some contact information for you.

I am an envious man right now, that is one of my most favorite destinations in the world, even without the wine.

Florida Grillin Girl

I have visited there and would like to recommend that you check out Laguardia, an ancient walled city in La Rioja. It was awesome just to see, let alone dine there.     

https://www.cellartours.com/spain/spanish-cities/laguardia

And, yes, you will be happy in that region wherever you end up. 

NorthPilot06

Thanks @Florida Grillin Girl - we really enjoyed our time in La Rioja, and Laguardia was a real treat. 

And as far as wines go - Spain is severely underrated. I greatly enjoyed many varietals that I tasted, particularly tempranillo (red) and verdejo (white). 

And the tapas culture (pintxos) was an awesome compliment to the great wines. SWMBO and I will definitely be going back.