PLACE: Labastida

In the La Rioja Alavesa it is placed this lovely village, in the north It is sheltered from the cold northerly winds by Mt. Toloño, full of natural charm, and in the south It is located practically on the banks on the Ebro river. It is said that this village full of history was built during the XII and the XIV Century, by the help of the Navarre Kings in consequence of the Toloño Castle. Years ago it was a walled village and nowadays still keeps some of those rests, but later on we will go for a walk around them.

One of the biggest attractions in this village are the wineries, from the old-time caves and cellars to today’s modern winemaking facilities; from the Agrícola Labastida winery to the Unión de Cosecheros of Labastida. You will enjoy tasting the fine wines from our town and seeing how they are made. After sampling the year’s vintage reds, rosés and whites, along with aged, reserve and special reserve wines, you will have the chance to purchase those that you like the most. We can not forget about the delicious meal of Labastida, you will like to taste the cutlets to the sarmiento way, packed peppers, roasted lamb, and the onion soup. To finish your tasting with a good end, do not doubt having a Zurracapote, the typical dessert from the village with compote of figs, raisins with lemon, cinnamon and sugar.

If we start our walk through the high way of the village we can find the medieval hermitage. The saint Christ, the first part of this medieval hermitage was built in the Romanesque style in the 12th century, with the second part subsequently rendered in the Gothic style. Later, if we continue our walk we will reach until the Paz (peace) square where it is the Town Hall built during the reign of Carlos III, this building was rendered in the late Baroque style. The Nuestra Señora de Asunción church it is just in front of it, the construction on this church was begun in the mid-16th century, with the bulk of the structure being built in the 17th century and finally concluded in the 18th century. Its style is Baroque. In the main street of the village called “Calle Mayor” , there are numerous manor houses, palaces, hewn heraldic inscriptions, spacious entryways and aristocratic mansions. Finally we could not go without going through the Toloño Arch, this is the oldest arch that formerly served as a gateway to the town, and which was flanked by the walls that once circled the northern part of the town and joined up with the immense wall of the rear part of the Cristo hermitage.

If you are doubting in what dates are you going to Labastida, our recommendation is to do it during the different festivals and traditions of the village. Mostly we are going to recommend you two of them: the first one is “La Ronda” celebrated on the night of December 7th, this is a tradition that dates back to ancient times. On this day in December, bonfires are lit throughout Labastida’s old quarter, with people of all ages coming out to join in the fun. Authorities from the municipal government accompanied by a band of musicians make their way to all of the different bonfires, and later converge on the village square, where chestnuts and zurracapote are distributed to all those in attendance. The second one are the Festivities of the Relics. These festivities in honor of are held on the first Sunday in August, which falls between the 6th and the 12th. Standing out among the live entertainment, there are brass bands, orchestras, mobile discos, theatre performances, bull runs, professional Basque handball matches, traditional song and dance and other attractions listed in the official programme that the municipal government publishes every year.