In between the lockdowns in 2021, I took the train from Zaragoza to Logroño. As ever, it was an eye opener. It’s a slow train, which gives you the chance to savour the countryside. You enter Rioja proper at Alfaro, almost its easternmost point. This may be Rioja, but it’s completely different to its popular image. As the train threads its way up to Logroño, it encounters time and again the river Ebro, which is making its way in the opposite direction down to the Mediterranean with many a meander. In parts, it’s an agricultural idyll of riverside, overhanging trees and distant mountains – acomplete contrast to the densely planted vineyards of Alta and Alavesa.
This is Rioja Oriental. Second only to Rioja Alta in size, yet still as little known for its wines as
