Life In Rioja

Riojans have one of the highest per capita incomes in Spain, and are known to enjoy the finer things in life, especially food and wine. One just has to go to the Calle Laurel in the city of Logroño, the political capital of the Rioja region as well as the commercial hub of the local wine trade, to observe just how much Riojans like to have fun.

A narrow cobblestone street in the old section of Logroño, the Calle Laurel is lined with small tapas bars, each of which serves a specialty tapa (or "pincho" as they are known in other parts of Spain) accompanied by a glass of Rioja. Crowded nightly with locals taking advantage of a climate that encourages outdoor socializing all year round, Calle Laurel is a microcosm of the Riojan people: outgoing, welcoming, vibrant, style-conscious, passionate about their food and wine and enthusiastic about their leisure activities, including teeing off at some of Europe's best golf courses and skiing at the Valdezcaray resort near the 11th-century town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada.