Grape Harvest Festival

The Grape Harvest Festival has been declared to be of national tourist interest. It is held in Logroño to coincide with the festival of San Mateo. Its origins date back to the 12th century, when the city of Logroño obtained the status of “Villa” and was granted the right to hold an annual fair, an act which in time made it an important trading centre.

In the Espolón, the city’s emblematic square, the main event of the festival takes place: the treading of the grapes, from which the first grape juice of the grape harvest comes out, is collected in a jug by the grape harvesters of the festival and is offered to the Virgen de Valvanera, patron saint of the Rioja. One of the most important traditions during these days are the Chamizos, small venues set up by the city’s peñas, where they offer free Zurracapote, a drink based on red wine to which fruit is added.