Batalla Del Vino
Fifty thousand litres of wine and not a drop to drink. Charanga bands stealing your ears. A town dressed pure in white. Whole mountains red with wine. Rioja snipers picking people off from behind rocks. This is Batalla Del Vino. White no more…… When Batalla Del Vino occurs every St. Pedro’s day 29th June 9am Where Haro is 100km (62.5 miles) south of Bilbao, off the A68 motorway.
The reason for wine is passion. This region is renowned worldwide for wine. True passion is sacrificing the fruit of one’s labour. Where to eat La Herradura (the horseshoe) is excellent for tapas. You may also come across stew stalls near or in the wooded area. 
Who This is a young persons fiesta and a sizeable opportunity for underagers to get their first sniff of wine. There are still quite a few tourists at the Batalla and there is a good atmosphere for everyone. This fiesta has a very good ratio of women to men. About 9000 people partake every year. La Batalla Del Vino Starts when Regidor Sindico – (the town mayor) passes through the town on horseback, with a banor. Everyone follows, with anything that is capable of holding wine. Regidor Sendico rides up the mountain to the chapel where a service is held. People walk up to 7kms to this small chapel and statue of San Felices. A quick service. Right after Haro and all it’s members, temporary and permanent, rush to outside and Batalla Del Vino ensues. People throw wine all the way down to the town, where it really kicks off ! The only rule in a wine fight is to soak your neighbour. In true latin festival style women and children are always the first. The fun starts in the Bilibio hilltop and continues to Plaza La Paz in the centre of town. As with many Spanish Fiestas Batalla Del Vino has a strong presence of Botas filled with wine. These are the most common pistols and I recommend having at least 2.
Be ready for people who have been preparing for this since last year. Kids armed with supersoakers, farmers with pesticide sprayers or old ladys baring buckets. Jarrilleros (local jam makers) are the most feared marksmen at the Batalla Del Vino. Their weapon of choice is the ancient Shepard’s wine gourd. The wine fight can last from 1-3 hours and everyone is in on the action. Watch out for kids filling water balloons with wine. However if you can get your hand on some balloons this is an excellent way to throw wine. After the Batalla del Vino everyone returns to … you guessed it the bullring. Bulls are let loose and all are free to try dodging these Bulls. What to bring Your own wine. The local council provides 4 liters per person however this wont last a few hours. Get the local Dom Simon at the supermarket. I was hitting hard times there so I made a few buckets of blackcurrant-diluted water. What to wear White with a red neckerchief and belt sash. Pamplona type dress. Where to drink The area of Haro is famous for it’s rioja wine and is full of excellent traditional winehouses and wine bars
DONT MISS THIS The Batalla Del Vino. It’s a local affair. Forget the crowds of Pamplona or the lads atmosphere in Tomatina. This has the girls and wine everywhere. Dangers & Annoyances That you drink too much by 11am ! it’s all good here. Airports Vitoria is the closest, followed by Bilbao. Getting there There are numerous buses daily from Vitoria call 0034 945 28 64 66 Getting around With a population of 11,000 people this is one of the region’s smallest towns. Everywhere is walking distance. Internet I made sure I got any needed business out of the way before going there Bank/ATM I took out money in Vitoria Weather Usually blue skies and over 22 degrees Festival Pig Fact Rioja wines are top quality thanks to the mountainous terrain and the river Oja - the Spanish is Rio Oja, hence Rioja. Christian monks resurrected the wine after. Rioja wine takes the longest time to mature in the world.
|
