Capital of Rioja
Discover Haro
"We are already in Haro, you can see the lights"
Thanks to wine, Haro developed in the 19th century a leading and modern train station for its time, an enological station and a bank of Spain, all of them being usual elements of big cities. In addition to this, it became the first Spanish city with electric lighting throughout its territory. That is why, since then, visitors have exclaimed: "Haro, Paris and London!
The origin of the story
Haro is located in a privileged enclave in the Ebro Valley, where clay and limestone soils converge with a climate of Atlantic influence to make the Capital of the Rioja and its region a dream land for the cultivation of vines.
French winegrowers were well aware of this when, at the end of the 19th century, they chose this area to continue with the production of their wines after the lethal outbreak of phylloxera and powdery mildew that affected our town for years, transforming it to the point where it became the focus of the world wine market.
With wine came the railroad, and with it the famous "Barrio de la Estación" was forged, the area with the most centenary wineries per m2 in the world, exporting a product on the rise which would end up becoming a world reference.
Haro today
Today the wineries not only produce the excellent wines of French heritage, but wine tourism has become an economic engine of the region and thousands of people each month enjoy guided tours and tastings in some of the most famous and important wineries on the international scene.
In this way, and together with the large number of visitors to the city, Haro and its region have developed a wide range of gastronomic and leisure activities, including the celebration of the Wine Battle every June 29th, one of the most famous festivals in Spain and which will soon be declared of International Tourist Interest.
A stroll through Haro
In addition, the Capital of Rioja has many other points of interest such as an old town declared of Cultural Interest in 1975 in which the area of La Herradura stands out, with a multitude of bars, the Parish of Santo Tomás and the Museum of the Torreón. On the other hand, emblematic enclaves such as the Plaza de La Paz and the Town Hall, the Basilica of La Vega and its gardens or the many stately palaces of different periods and styles stand out.
Haro is undoubtedly one of the key points to understand the history of wine. Named the Capital of Rioja due to the great variety and quality of wines produced, it is an obligatory stop for wine and gastronomy lovers.