The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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| Dolmen de la Chabola de la Hechicera (Witch's Shack) I love the juxtaposition of a dolmen with a church in the background Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Elvillar, Spain |
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| Back of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (16-18th century) Part of the protective rampart of the town of Batisda Upper right, Ermita del Santo Cristo from twelfth century |
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| Both churches from a different angle, neither open to the public The hermitage of Holy Christ was used until 1602 when the church opened The oldest in Labastida, its west side is Romanesque, its east side is Gothic |
The name Bastida first appeared in writing in 1242, a very rare name in
Spain since, apart from that town, there are only four small villages, several
of them in the Catalan Pyrenees with French influences. However, ‘Bastide’ is a
very common name in the south of France, since it is used by hundreds of towns
built in the 13th century, meaning ‘New construction’ or ‘New town’
in the Occitan language, without having anything to do with military
fortress, as some mistakenly believe.
The reasons why the English and French monarchs built these bastides in the
south of France are well studied and shed light on the origin of this Bastide. In
most of these new French towns, the objective was the economic and social
promotion of a region located on a border; the aim was to place the inhabitants
of the area under a single jurisdiction, stimulating agriculture and trade at a
specific point. All this was done with a very functional urban planning
approach, since the common denominator of these Bastides is that the narrow
streets are articulated around a central square that is configured as a place
of trade.
The foundation of Bastida
had commercial and agricultural objectives but not military ones (though it is still debated), as a
misinterpretation of its name could lead one to think. It is true that it was
built on a border, but not with a purely defensive purpose but rather as a free
trade zone, like most of the bastides. Proof of this is that the Charter
exempted the residents of the new Bastida from paying tax and tolls for the
transit of goods to other towns.
This does not mean that
there has not been a small watchtower on the hill since the end of the 14th
century, but there was nothing of a bastion in Bastida.
Christian burials are the majority but Islamic ones also took place when this region was part of Moorish Al-Andalus. The Muslim presence diminished when the village became part of the Kingdom of Navarre. From that period, during the so-called repoblación (repopulation), settlers arrived from the Christian kingdoms of Navarra and Castile, speaking Basque and Spanish respectively, while a Jewish community also continued living in the village. Today wine cellars under this neighborhood occupy the tunnels and caves where the Jewish community conducted their ceremonies privately. In addition to having a historic center with palaces and ancestral homes that denote the nobility and economic power of its inhabitants, Labastida is home to wine cellars and wine caves. One of the wineries, Agrícola Labastida, contains a network of underground caves that have been used for production since the 13th century.
Manuel Quintano (1756-1818), winemaker and resident of
the town, is credited with bringing the Bordeaux winemaking style to La Rioja
after studying in France. In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte passed through Labastida, where he stayed at the Paternina Palace.
The town had great wealth and prosperity and a large
number of palaces were constructed along the Calle Mayor (Main St), where 29 stone
coats of arms (some quite imposing) are still visible, carved into their façades at various
heights. It was then considered the most
emblazoned town in the whole of Rioja Alavesa.
During the 17th and 18th centuries,
Labastida lived through its golden age, becoming one of the most prosperous
noble towns in the whole of Alavesa thanks to an economic boom that enabled it
to modernize and renovate its entire town center. Since then, wine production
has been linked to its prosperity.
Of the old walls of the city, the only thing left are the two gates: the Arch of Toloño, in the north, the oldest of the two, and the Arch
of Larrazuria, in the west.
Today, many visit Bastida as a museum of medieval viticulture, with rock wine presses as masterpieces. It was so nice to walk narrow cobbled streets lined
with stately homes traveling through time in a very quiet way as we, seemingly, were
the only visitors that day.
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
This massive (for such a small town of 1500 people) church
is not open to the public. You have to
know someone who can let you in. Thankfully
my guide had a connection to such a person who also seemed to be quite the
historian for this town and gave us a nice educative tour.
This Renaissance and Baroque style temple, whose
construction lasted throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries, is recognized as a National Monument. I’m only going to highlight a
few key points as there was way too much to see and absorb during too short of
a visit.
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is a
parish church built in a Baroque style with important Renaissance aspects. Its
most notable elements, due to its monumentality and artistic quality, are the
classicist façade, the main altarpiece, the sacristy and the choir and organ
complex.
The main altarpiece is of splendidly carved walnut,
gilded and polychromed, with upholstered imagery. The church has an interesting octagonal sacristy.
The organ, built in 1670 by the Navarrese Juan de
Tovar is highly praised by organists. It has been restored and its musical
quality is optimal. It is considered one of the most valuable in the Basque
Country.
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| Inside the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción So much gold Had to find person with key to visit this church |
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| Ceiling of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción |
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| Oldest organ still functioning, more than 350 years old Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción |
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| Town of Bastida where many affluent people lived Entrance to The Paternina Palace has a wonderful stone mosaic flooring Napoleon stayed here in 1808 |
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| Typical meal of braised lamb over small grapevine shoot charcoals |
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| Coat of Arms at the Larrazuria entrance gate |
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| Coat of Arms between two balconies |
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| Coat of Arms with a single tree and seven hearts |
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| Since we are in the Rioja wine region, mural to viniculture |
La Chabola de
la Hechicera
With the Cantabrian Mountain Range as backdrop (also
known by the locals as the Toloño Mountain Range), we reached La Chabola de la
Hechicera (The Witch’s Shack) after driving along a narrow dirt road probably mainly
driven by farmers. The dolmen is framed by vineyards and the location is quite
spectacular. It takes its name from a
legend that says that a witch lived there and could be heard singing and
preaching nonsense on the mornings of San Juan (summer solstice).
It was discovered in 1935 and has been excavated on
several occasions since then. It is made of large rocks not held together with any
type of mortar. The top large horizontal
stone was broken into three pieces when discovered. It has been repaired during a restoration in
the 1970’s.
These archaeological interventions have brought to
light the remains of at least 39 people, as well as personal objects and
elements of funerary trousseau: necklace beads made of bone, rock and copper,
pendants, polished stone axe, flint arrowheads, a spatula idol, a pottery with
a dot-and-line decoration, and a magnificent bell-shaped vase of the
Ciempozuelos type (Bell Beaker Culture).
Thanks to carbon 14 dating carried out on the bone
remains, we know that the dolmen was used as a burial site from the Late Middle
Neolithic (about 5,000 years ago) to the Middle Bronze Age (about 3,300 years
ago), although some later remains from the Iron Age and Roman times have also
been found.
It would have been very tempting to crawl around the
dolmen but I kept my distance out of deference to history and to best preserve
it. What a surprise to encounter such a
site among vineyards, next to a large lone tree, and with a church in the
background. A contrast between very
different worlds which I appreciated very much.
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| Other view of the Dolmen de la Chabola de la Hechicera Nice large tree next to it |
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| Yet another view so you can see it is simply among vineyards Cantabrian Mountain Range in the background |
Remelluri is one of the most timeless and iconic
landscapes of the wine world, as well as one of the most enchanting vineyards in
Spain. While firmly anchored in its historical past, Remelluri illuminates the
path forward not only for the future of Rioja but also world-class,
terroir-based fine wines produced across Spain.
The origin of Remelluri is lost in the mist of time. Remelluri
is the former estate of the Toloño
Monastery. The toponym Remelluri
corresponds to a town founded in the 10th century by a
brother-in-law of Fernán González, the count of Alava Erramel, a high medieval name.
In the 14th century, Hieronymite monks
settled in these lands, creating a monastic farm, which was dependent on the Toloño
Sanctuary, situated on the summit of this mountain.
Inside this private property is found a large necropolis with some 300 graves carved out of bare rock, indicating the existence of an ancient village. They are all anthropomorphic, with small differences in the heads (round or square). There are graves of all sizes and they are oriented West-East as typical of Christian burials. They can possibly date from around the 10th century, although it is practically impossible to know exactly.
Farm crops, protected from wind and frost, enjoy an exceptional microclimate
here. In this environment, remnants of prehistoric populations, Romans,
Visigoths, Moors and finally medieval speak of an agricultural activity since
ancient times. The presence of dolmens
and neolithic cemeteries indicate the long human history of this region.
Although located inside the vineyard of a famous
winery, I didn’t come here for the wine, only for the necropolis. I will be tasting wine at another location of
which I will write about below.
Side note: The
Duke of Híjar's representative in the area was Manuel Quintano, the
clergyman who attempted unsuccessfully to introduce Bordeaux winemaking
practices in Labastida at the end of the 18th century when the
village counted some 400 winegrowers. It is not by chance that a few years ago
the Compañia de Vinos republished an updated edition of Ludger Mees' El
Médoc Alavés, a book that delves into the second attempt to follow the
Bordelaise style in Rioja Alavesa. A wine made in Labastida in 1874 by Francisco
Paternina, the local producer who acted as interpreter for Jean Cadiche Pineau,
the French oenologist hired by the Diputación de Álava to carry out the
project, is preserved in Remelluri.
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| Necropolis of Remelluri where 300 tombs were discovered Carved out of bare rock. From tenth century. |
The design of the building, the system of construction
used, the masonry of the walls with their exterior sides carved with toothed
axes or pointed hammers, and the decoration of capitals, corbels and imposts,
are common features of the Romanesque architectural style that spread
throughout northern Iberia. This was partly influenced by the growing
importance of pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela.
The hermitage of
Santa Maria de la Piscina is the most complete preserved Romanesque building in
La Rioja. It belongs to the full Romanesque period, as it was built towards the
middle of the 12th century, and has no later additions except the
coat of arms of the Divisa, placed above the south doorway around 1530. It is
the only Romanesque hermitage in the region that remains in a fairly pure state.
The fact that it was
consecrated in 1137 does not mean that it was finished, as consecrations were
often held when only the apse had been built, which was sufficient for mass to
be said.
In the 1970’s various excavations and research found holes
and recesses carved into nearby rocks of mostly unknown function, with one main
exception, a depressed, oval-shaped platform, which is thought to have been
used for pressing grapes.
These structures, known to have been present since
Roman times, survived the Middle Ages, as well as the Modern Age. In the absence of roads, it was more
practical to press the grapes next to the vines and to transport the must to
the cellars. To this end, local people
made use of wineskins or mosteros, a term that would end up being used
to refer to the workers who carried these wineskins.
The existence of a nearby
medieval village from the 10th to the 14th centuries with
at least 50 tombs has been recorded as well.
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| Santa Maria de la Piscina Church Area is a mix of agriculture and quarries |
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| Also some carved out tombs behind the church |
The murals of Guido Van Helten (born in Brisbane,
Australia, 1986) have given Solar de Samaniego a distinctive and original
character.
Through portraits of the people who live in this
region of La Rioja Alavesa, Guido Van Helten wanted to breathe life into cold,
in disuse, empty tanks, abandoned for decades. There are seven imposing vats,
about 33 feet (10m) high, on which Van Helten painted seven characters. They
are all inhabitants of the area – winemaker, viticulturist, sommelier – related
in one way or another to the culture of wine. Marta, a guide at the winery, was
one of Guido Van Helten's models and appears holding in her hands a handful of
the earth in which the vines of Rioja Alavesa grow.
The muralist himself walked around the wineries to
soak up the essence of their vineyards and made a selection of men and women
from which he chose his models. Shadows, contrasts, details and wrinkles
perfectly draw faces and hands on the rough surface of the concrete. Guido van
Helten stayed away from hiding the texture of the tanks by integrating them
into his murals. He avoided very bright and strident colors that would dilute
the essence of these enormous greyish vats.
‘I
want the figures to rise like statues in a cathedral,
which
I think is a beautiful space to enter and observe.’
Guido
Van Helten
Rioja is the most ancient Qualified Designation of Origin (QDO)
in Spain (since 1925). It has a long history
dating as far as 1560, when Rioja wine producers agreed to place a common label
on their bottles.
The Solar de Samaniego Winery, however, was founded a
little over 50 years ago (1972) at the foot of the medieval town of Laguardia,
in the heart of Rioja Alavesa. We stopped
there for a tour and wine tasting as they are supposed to be THE upcoming
winery of the region. The tour lasted 90
minutes. Though the guide was
exceptionally knowledgeable and funny, it didn’t make up for the bad wines
offered. Their best rated wine is 4.3/5.0
but the majority are in the 3.5-3.7 range.
Sadly, I admit that I didn’t finish any of the wines offered.
On the other hand, I did like that they are making a
real effort at integrating art, landscaping, and various events with
writers/authors – mixing various types of arts, making it a more well-rounded
experience. This may become the new way to attract more people to wineries, not
just with wine tastings.
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| Solar de Samaniego Winery Large portraits on old cement silos - 33 feet (10m) tall Nicknamed 'The Cathedral of Wine' where they hold many events |
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| Painted in 2016 by Guido Van Helten Choosing to portrait locals who have a connection to viniculture in the area |
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