Almost any vacation can be improved with a visit to a winery, for they not only offer superior samples and fine restaurants, but they may also be surrounded by scenery one wouldn’t see anywhere else.

This is particularly true in Spain, where the wines are pleasant surprises and the relaxed atmosphere of the tasting rooms are especially enjoyable. Three wineries we enjoyed visiting are all in Rioja, one of Spain’s finest wine-making areas that resembles a laid-back Napa with far fewer visitors. Rioja is about an hour south of Bilbao, a tourist mecca and home to the famed Guggenheim Museum.

Bodegas Ramón Bilbao

Ramón Bilbao, which makes over 200,000 cases per year, creates silky, easy-to-drink wines. The tasting room at this winery is in a white, tile-roofed building near the small, sleepy town of Haro.

The wines produced include a popular dry white called Mar de Frades Albariño Rías Baixas. Drinking this wine at the proper temperature is so important that the blue bottle has a thermally sensitive label; when the bottle is properly chilled, a sailing ship appears. (I admit that I did spend several fascinating moments watching that boat disappear as the bottle got warmer.)

Wherever you taste Ramón Bilbao – either at the winery or at home – be sure to try the Vina Turzaballa Gran Reserva. This remarkable wine is 100% Tempranillo, a Spanish grape that can produce wines of memorable smoothness. Despite being a single varietal, Ramón Bilbao’s Reserva resembles an elegant, full-flavored blend.

Our visit to Ramón Bilbao was enhanced by our host, Rodolfo Bastida, the winery’s well-dressed technical vineyard manager. At his suggestion, we lunched at the finest restaurant in the region (and possibly in all of Spain): LaVieja Bodega Restaurante in the small town of Casalarreina.

We sat in a large, well-lit, warehouse-size room and enjoyed the taste of the restaurant’s perfectly prepared white asparagus. Other memorable courses included large prawns in mussel noodles with aioli oil, hearts of artichokes with fresh foie and mushrooms, wild sea bass with artichoke couscous, grilled monk fish with foie on grape sauce, and stewed pears. Our lunch also gave me more time to watch that sailing ship on the label fade as the Mar de Frades became warmer.

To visit Ramón Bilbao, call Penélope López Merino at (+34) 941.310.316, or email penelope.lopez@bodegasramonbilbao.es

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Bodegas Marqués de Arviza

Located in the small town of Fuenmayor, this winery is not easy to find. Fuenmayor, which is about 12 kilometers from Logroño, is on a Google Map, but our laptop was in America. We had to ask several people for directions, but it was well worth the effort, for this tiny winery makes only about 12,000 cases per year and has a unique tasting room. As you stand on the driveway that leads to the 12th Century stone winery building, it is impossible to guess that the tasting room is five stories beneath you.

This cave was dug over the centuries during the winters when there wasn’t much to do in the vineyards. At one point, our hosts proudly showed us inscribed Roman paving stones that lined the ceiling, which indicate how old the cave truly is. After the Roman legions abandoned the area about 15 centuries ago, the cave-digging winemakers appropriated the carved street stones and used them underground.

We walked down into the always-cool cave, moving through several turns that slanted downwards as the ceiling became lower, until, about 50 feet below the driveway, we found a table with a small lamp (yes, the cave has electricity) and several bottles of wine.

Arviza makes only two wines, and both are excellent. The Crianza has a forest aroma and a beautiful balance of Tempranillo and Garnazo grapes. The Reserva is soft, jammy and immediately accessible.

Lorena Corbacho, the friendly public relations person, stressed that the winery, which is determinedly hands-on and retro, still does not use mechanical presses to get the grape juice, preferring to hand press their grapes instead.

To arrange a visit call Corbacho at (+34) 941.451.245 or email her at marquesdearviza@gmail. com before your trip as she needs a couple of weeks notice to set up a tour in English. Arviza, can be purchased through Hidalgo Imports at (305) 733.1623.

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Marqués de Cáceres

Marqués de Cáceres, which claims to be the best-selling Spanish wine in America, produces nearly a million cases of quality wines per year that are available at reasonable prices.

Located in Cenicero, about 20 kilometers from Logroño in Rioja, the winery has several inviting tasting rooms, including a charming, shelf-lined study where we tasted. Anne Vallejo, who is in charge of public relations, is a knowledgeable person who makes sure that all visitors have enough information to be impressed by the wines, and we were.

After we tasted two white wines and a rosé, we were joined by Cristina Forner, daughter of the founder, Enrique Forner. This elegant woman, who bears a striking resemblance to Sophia Loren, was very gracious.

Their most popular wine, Crianza, is an easy-to-drink and very accessible wine. We also tasted the Marqués de Cáceres Gran Reserva which was as elegant as our host. However, the absolute best wine was the Marqués de Cáceres Gaudium Gran Vino, which is made from 100+ year-old vineyards of Tempranillo grapes.

To visit the winery, contact Luis Burgueno at lb@marquesdecaceres.com, two to three weeks in advance of your arrival. Marqués de Cáceres wines are available in all 50 states at Publix, Winn Dixie, World Market, Costco and even Wal-Mart.

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