Day Five, Thursday, September 10th- Oyan Alava (Rioja Alavesa) & Logrono, Spain:
I've been looking forward to this day for several weeks because I got to tour two prestigious wineries in the Rioja region! The first, Faustino, was founded in 1861 and is considered to be one of the very best wineries in Rioja. There are three wines from Faustino's portfolio that I found to be the most interesting as far as aging, history and flavor profile: the Faustino I, Faustino V, and Faustino VII. The first wine, 2007 Faustino VII Rioja , is the least expensive (retails for around $12.00 to $17.00 a bottle) but you wouldn't know is by tasting it. The wine is made up of 95% Tempranillo and 5% Mazuela grapes and has bright, juicy cherry and vanilla aromas and flavors. This wine is very enjoyable on it's own or can be served with a variety of different foods such as grilled chicken, pork or steaks. The second wine, 2004 Faustino V  Reserva Rioja, (retails for around $18.00 to $23.00 a bottle) is made up of 82% Tempranillo and 8% Mazuela grapes and more than deserves it's higher priced status. The wine displays dusty, cherry, vanilla, spices and fine toasty oak notes. The texture is round and velvety and shows best with braised meats such as lamb and venison. The third and most highly regarded is the Faustino I Gran Reserva. This wine is made up of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, and 5% Mazuela grapes and has complex spices of toasty, leather and vanilla. This powerful, intense, spicy and elegant wine goes very well with any steak of choice- Rib Eye, Filet Mignon, Porterhouse, etc.....

The next winery, Campillo was equally impressive as far as the wines, barrel rooms, cellars, etc.... However, I was so tired by the time we arrived at Campillo because of a combination of lack of sleep our group endured and tasting several wines at Faustino during the sit down tasting and lunch that I was literally falling asleep at the sit down tasting at Campillo. I remember that I enjoyed all of the wines but, I honestly cannot recall details of how the individual wines tasted. Needless to say I was due for a long nap!

After a "tough" day of drinking delicious wines and eating the most amazing flan I've ever had at lunch at Faustino Winery, it was back to the town of Logrono for an evening of "tapas bar hopping" which by the way, was the most fun and exciting way to experience the local/regional fare. We were able to select and enjoy more Faustino wines at these tapas bars which made the whole evening that much more memorable.