Bodegas Mayor de Migueloa in Laguardia, Rioja Alavesa, Spain

Bodegas Mayor de Migueloa is located in the heart of the 13th century medieval defense village of Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa. Laguardia can be found between  Logroño and Haro. It is a beautiful city that sits high on a rock foundation and provides an incredible view of the Cantabria mountains.

Laguardia has been well known for its underground passages, which were originally built for the storage of food and later for the fermenting of wine. Today, however, only a few wine bodegas still function within the walls of the village. One of these is Posada/Bodegas Mayor de Migueloa, which also has above it an inn (posada) and restaurant with a Michelin rating.

The wine cellar and wine storage is within the hotel walls, beneath the Posada Mayor de Migueloa. This cellar was originally built to be 8 meters deep at the time that the house was built in 1619.  This wine cellar one of the oldest among the Rioja Designation of Origin (DOCa) wine cellars that are still in working condition.

Within the Denominación de Origen Rioja or Rioja Designation of Origin., Bodegas Mayor de Migueloa produces quality Crianza, Reserva y Gran Reserva wines, which are stored underground beneath the inn.

It was a pleasant experience to receive a personal tour with a viticulturalist at the Bodegas Mayor de Migueloa and later to try some wine of the year right before its malo-lactic fermentation and then also to try another after the malo-lactic stage. It was quite the treat! I would definitely recommend visiting this Posada/Bodega. Enjoy!

http://www.mayordemigueloa.com/default_eng.htm for more information.