This small village situated along both the banks of the Herrera River has currently a collection of some 34 bodegas, more than one for every six of its residents. The village of Eskuernaga, as it is called in Basque, has a long tradition of wine making and sits in the very heart of the Rioja Alavesa, a few minutes west of Laguardia, capital of the Rioja Alavesa, ten minutes from Elciego on the back road, and thirty minutes from Logroño, capital of the Rioja. Founded in 1164 during the reign of Sancho VI, king of Navarra, it’s ancient castle was an important defensive position against both the Moors and the Castilians. The Festival of San Torcuato is celebrated on 15 May and the Festival of San Andrés on 30 November. The village now has a Villanueva Wine Fest in early May which brings together the villages wineries for a celebration, several of which joined in this year.

Besides the number of wineries, the village is noted for its numerous Renaissance houses, notable mansions with decorative coats of arms that identify the original owners, “Indianos” and noble stone palaces dating from as early as the 17th-century. Here you will also find avant-garde architecture, the Hotel Viura, which sits next to the 17th-century Iglesia de San Andrés, one of the oldest churches in the Álavesa. The Hotel Viura, with 35-rooms, has unobstructed views of the Cantabrian mountains to the north. 

If you are in Villabuena at lunch time, the Hotel Viura’s Bistró Barrica restaurant is an excellent choice. Hector Oribe in Paganos (lunch only, closed Mondays) is just under a 15-minute drive away and offers two degustación menus. Amelibia in Laguardia is only a few minutes further away. The Michelin-starred Marqués de Riscal Restaurant, closed Sunday and Monday, and it’s less formal 1860 Tradición in Elciego is only a 10-minute drive, as is La Cocina de Merche in the Hotel de Ábalos. Restaurante Alboroque in Haro, closed Mondays, and Restaurante Alameda in Fuenmayor, closed Sunday nights, Monday and all of August, are both a little over a 20-minute drive.

Wineries of interest

Bodegas De La Marquesa

We first visited this family winery, now with its 5th-generation, a little over 23 years ago when Rioja wine tourism was still in its infancy. Although they were not open for actual wine touring at the time, Jaime de Simón, who had recently returned to help run the business, was gracious enough to give us a private tour of the winery followed by a tasting of their excellent Valserrano wines, and of course some pintxos, in traditional Basque style. This is always a must stop for us when visiting the Rioja to see the family and enjoy some of their excellent vintages.

A private tour and tasting of three wines, starting in the ancient underground cellars, can take 90 minutes to two hours. Tours are available in Spanish, French or English, Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. The cost of the tour will depend on the options you choose. Contact María at info@valserrano.com, or call (+34) 945 609 085 to schedule a visit. The Wine Bar, Shop and Terrace are open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, on Saturdays by appointment only. The bodegas is located a few minutes walk from the Hotel Viura, or a 10-minute drive from the Hotel Villa de Ábalos. Parking is available at the winery.

Bodegas Izadi

The winery first came into being in 1987 when a group of friends from Vitoria-Gastiz, capital of the Basque Country, came together to form Grupo Artevino to open a winery on land the Antón family already grew grapes. The other wineries in the group are Bodegas Orben (Rioja), Finca Villacreces (Ribera del Douro, Valladolid) and Bodegas Vetus (Zamora). They own 100 hectares and control another 80 in the villages of Villabuena, Samaniego and Ábalos.

The standard tour, in Spanish and English, is 25€/person for a tasting of three wines with cheese and chorizo, available daily at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. A 90-minute tour of the “El Regalo” vineyard by e-bike is 35€/person and available during the spring, summer and early fall. A 2-hour guided tour of the village of Villabuena de Álava is available starting in October for 45€/person. The wine bar, where you enjoy wine by the glass and a pintxo, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12:30 to 3:00 pm. Email visitas@izadi.com to arrange a visit, or call (+34) 945 609 086 / 689 757 245.

Bodegas Luis Cañas

Another friendly family-run winery, now in its 4th-generation and which we have been visiting for over twenty years, offers a warm welcome to our wine-touring clients and is easy to find, right on A-3214 south of Samaniego at km 10 behind the wrought iron gate on your right. It was in 1970 that Luis Cañas first went to market selling his own wines and now the family is enjoying the fruits of their labor.  Sadly, Luis passed away the morning of Dec.11, 2019.

The wine bar and tours are by reservation only; Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Fridays from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. The 90-minute Glass Of Wine In Hand Tour, available in English, Spanish or French, is priced at 25€/person, with a maximum group size of 12. The 90-minute Guided Tour Through An Old Vineyard Tour is 40€/person. A 2-hour Private Tour of the winery and vineyards, including a tasting of 4 wines at El Mirador de Luis, is 100€/person. You can request a reservations online, email bodegas@luiscanas.com, 

Bodegas Badiola

Gorka Izagirre, Basque entrepreneur and txakoli producer, along with Península Viticultores, purchased Bodegas Arabarte, in May 2018. The winery was opened in 1990 by three Alava families to market their own wines produced from their 100 hectares of vineyards, 300 plots, are in the foothills of Sierra de Cantabria in the villages of Villabuena, Leza, Samaniego, Navaridas, Laguardia and Baños de Ebro. The cellar holds 600 barrels of American and French oak and will be expanded. Their first vintage of Bodegas Badiola was awarded 90 points by both Guía Peñín and Tim Atkin in 2020.

The Discover Bideona tour, with a tasting of 3 wines, is in Spanish or English only, and is available Thursday to Sunday at 11:00 am for 28€/person. You can also do a unique walk through the surrounding vineyards with their Meet Our Villages tour for 40€/person. Or join in the harvest (October-November) for 28€. The wine bar is open Thursday to Sunday from 12:30 to 4:00 pm, the store is also open Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:30 to 4:00 pm upon request. You can book your experience online, email reservas@bideona.wine, or call (+34) 945 609 408 to arrange a tour and tasting.

Bodegas Bikain

The Ramírez de la Peciña family can trace their history back through 13 generations of winemakers (1560), to a time when the wine was made in the Cueva del Puente, a cave where the temperature remains constant. In the ‘60s they sold wine in bulk from a warehouse in Bizkaia. In the 1970s they built a small winery and became one of the first Villabuena growers to market their own bottled wines. In the 1980s Antonio Ramírez de la Peciña takes over and builds a larger winery and introduces the ‘Bikain’ and ‘Viña Sokaire’ brands. In 1998 he started to produce ‘De Garage’, putting it on the market for the first time in 2011. 

The lovely winery overlooks the village from the east bank of the Herrera River at Calle El Monte, 1, and is available for visits by calling (+34) 945 609 088 or 699 874 317, by email bikain@gmail.com, or contacting them online.

Bodegas Benetakoa

The original family winery was founded in 1985 by Carlos Martínez de Cañas, and expanded the facilities in 1988, opening the new winery in the upper part of the village across the street from Bodegas Izadi. In 2001 the founder’s son, Gorka, took over the operation, with the younger brother, Imanol, joining the operation in 2007 when they offered their first vintage of Haritz Blanco. The 20 hectares of vineyard they own and the 40 they manage are located between 400 and the 700 meters in the rugged terrain where they grow Tempranillo (90%), Garnacha (5%) and Viura (5%) grapes. They are also a member of ABRA. Their limited production Goren is fermented in French oak then aged for 18 months in French oak before resting for 18 months in the bottle.

You can email Gorka at contacta@benetakoa.com or call (+34) 945 609 098 to request a visit, or for additional information.

Bodegas Cándido Besa

This winery in the middle of the the village at Calle Mainueta, 19, had been making its own distinctive wines from the 10 hectares of Tempranillo (90%) and Viura (10%) grapes, from 20 to 100 years of age, since the 1940s, then in 1975 started to market them under its own brand. 

The winery is open to visitors by prior arrangement only. Call +(34) 945 623 355, email bodegascandidobesa@telefonica.net, or requesting a visit online. The tour, with a tasting of two wines, or a tasting of three wines with a tapa without the tour, is 10€/person. Tours are only available in Spanish and Basque. There is also a dining room at the bodega should you be interested.

Hermanos Frías del Val

Founded in 1969 by the brothers Vicente and Fernando, the winery owns and manages 35 hectares of vineyards of Tempranillo, Malvasía and Viura grapes in 90 different plots around the village and in the nearby villages of Elciego, Navaridas, Leza, and Samaniego, typical of small wineries in the Rioja. We were introduced to their Viña El Flako, a Malvasía blend during the Villabuena Wine Fest this past spring. Excellent! We had the pleasure of meeting the wine maker at this year’s festival in Villabuena de Álava.

Private tours with a tasting of four wines are available for 12€/person. Contact the winery online, by emailing info@friasdelval.com, or call (+34) 656 782 712 / 656 782 714 / 945 386 379.

Bodegas Araico

This small artisan winery was started by three brothers in 1986 after hundreds of years of the family growing grapes on it’s 36 hectares of land in Villabuena and Samaniego. The son Miguel (winemaker) and daughter Estibaliz (marketing and tourism) now work along side their father Julian. They are also another member of ABRA.

The winery is at Calle La Hoya, 5, just off the A-3214, and is open for the premium visit on Saturdays at 10:30 am. During the summer and on holidays there are two tours times, 10:30 am and 5:00 pm. The tour takes about 90 minutes and includes a tasting of three premium wines. They also offer an interactive tour for families with children priced at only 24€. Request your visit online, by emailing info@bodegasaraico.com or calling (+34) 945 623 366 / 619 661 772.

Bodegas Beltxuri

The family winery at Calle Mayor, 29, offically opened in 1982, with plots of Viura, Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Mazuelo in Villabuena, Samaniego, Navaridas, and Leza from which they produce artisanal and traditional wines.

Email bodegasbeltxuri@gmail.com, or call Miren Gil at (+34) 945 60 92 04 / 639 74 56 29 for informaton, or to request a private visit to the winery. It’s well worth the visit.

Bodegas Berrueco

Winemaker Juan Pedro began harvesting and selling his grapes from his 14 hectares to large producers much like others in the Rioja, but some pioneers including Juan Pedro, started selling his own wine in the early 1970s, creating a new way of life in Rioja Alavesa. They were referred to as cosecheros, harvesters.

The winery, at Calle Herreria, Travesai, 2, in the village, is open for visits. Call (+34) 619 864 497 / 945 62 33 74 for additional information, or email bodegasberrueco@gmail.com to arrange a tour and tasting.

Sierra de Toloño

This is one of the more interesting wineries in the Rioja. Sandra Bravo, the Logroño-born winemaker, is the first in her family to work in the wine business, part of a new generation of winemakers focusing on the terroir and the grapes. She returned to the Rioja after seven years managing vineyards in the Priorat and working in places such as in the Chianti region of Italy and California. After producing her first Rioja vintage in 2012, she added 9.5 hectares of her own vineyards in Villabuena de Álava, which are located at an elevation of 650 meters, some of the highest altitude vineyards in the Rioja Alavesa, in the shadow of the ruins of the Santa María de Toloño monastery, destroyed in the First Carlist War, to the vineyards she manages in nearby Rivas de Tereso, where she continues to produce her red and white Sierra de Toloño cuvées. Tim Atkins named Sandra “Best Young Winemaker 2019”.

You can email Sandra at info@sierradetolono.com, or call (+34) 626 233 085 for more information.

Bodegas Molina Pérez

This family winery at Calle El Monte, 8, is now in its third generation with Héctor Molina Pérez, who took over in 2010, overseeing the operation. He decided to launch his own brand un the name Molina Pérea and won his first silver medal at the IWCC in Barcelona in 2012. Their vineyards, aged between 15 and 100 years old, are located in the villages of Villabuena de Alava, Baños de Ebro, Samaniego and Ábalos. The bodega was the first in the village to market olive oil under their own brand. There is also a Txoko where you can do a meet and eat.

Call Hector at (+34) 628 825 728 or email info@bodegasmolinaperez.com for additional information, or to arrange a tour and tasting.

Berarte Viñedos y Bodegas S.L.

Another family owned winery in Villabuena de Álava is at San Torcuato 8, in the heart of the D.O.C.. In 2012 the father José Antonio Berrueco handed over the operation to his children, the third generation of family wine makers. Inmaculada Berrueco, the oldest daughter, oversees the wineries 14 hectares of vineyards from which they make quality organic wines. She is also a associate professor at the University of La Rioja.

The winery is open for visits daily by reservations only. A tour and tasting is 20€. You can contact them online or call (+34) 945 60 90 34 to schedule a tour and tasting or for additional information.

Bodegas Pérez Maestresala

This small family winery with 30 hectares was finally opened in 1981, and specializes in producing fine wines. It is now in the hands of the brothers, Iñaki (winemaker) and Andoni Pérez Berrueco. The winery, Bodegas Besa Maestresala, S.C., is located at La Colina Kalea, 7. Most of their wines can be found in the bars and some restaurants in Lekeitio, and other points in Euskadi, as well as Granada.

You can contact them at bodegasperezmaestresala@hotmail or call (+34) 945 609 076 / 618 706 075 for additional information.