Rioja Wine Harvest 2026: San Mateo Festival in Logroño

The festival in numbers

The official dates are confirmed by Logroño city council: the 69th edition of the Fiestas de San Mateo y Vendimia Riojana runs from Saturday 19 to Friday 25 September 2026. The chupinazo — the opening rocket fired from the city hall balcony — is set for Saturday 19 at noon, with DJs Uri Ferré and Patricia Nine; it was brought forward by a day because the 20th fell on a Sunday, notes logrono.es. For reference, the 2025 chupinazo drew more than 50,000 people to Plaza del Ayuntamiento alone, according to the council’s official tally.

Around 300 events are programmed across the week: free concerts, the floats parade on Sunday 20, masses, encierros at La Ribera, a fireworks competition and the vendimia rituals. The 2026 Vendimiadores, Israel Gutiérrez González (45) and María García Campomar (43), elected on 10 July from 27 candidates, will wear the traditional costume and preside over the main events, says the council. On the music side, the 2026 line-up features Efecto Pasillo (Sunday 20), Maldita Nerea (Monday 21), Da Igual (Tuesday 22), the París de Noia orchestra (Wednesday 23, new main stage at the Parque de La Ribera) and the mariachi Puro Relajo (Thursday 24), per EFE.

Highlights

• Free concerts every night, including Efecto Pasillo and Maldita Nerea
• Floats parade (carrozas) on Sunday 20 September
• New for 2026: the Espacio Peñas 2.0 at the Valbuena car park (18-26 September)
• La Casa de Andalucía opens its caseta on Friday 18 at 9pm at El Revellín

Barefoot grape-treading at the Concha del Espolón

The festival’s most iconic act is the pisado de la uva: pickers tread the grapes barefoot in a large vat at the Concha del Espolón, to the sound of the municipal band, per spain.info. The tradition is carried each year by the Urdiales brothers. The ceremonial treading goes hand in hand with the ofrenda del primer mosto: the first must of the harvest is offered to the Virgen de Valvanera, patron saint of La Rioja, before the must is blessed at Santa María de la Redonda cathedral, a major stage of the Camino de Santiago as it passes through Logroño.

Traditionally, the pisado takes place on 21 September, San Mateo’s feast day itself (Saint Matthew, patron of merchants). As the full 2026 programme had not been published by late August, some sources place it on 19 or 20 September: better to check the official programme on logrono.es a few days before you arrive than to fix a date in advance. The week closes on Friday 25 with the quema de la Cuba, the burning of the wooden barrel that « buries » the harvest and opens the wine’s new year, explains Wine Travel Guides.

Highlights

• The barefoot ritual treading, inherited from before the vendimia was fully mechanised
• The offering of the first must to the Virgen de Valvanera and the blessing at the cathedral
• Grape-treading competitions and the wine fountain on the Paseo del Espolón
• Encierros at La Ribera: want to know the rules before you watch one? Our running of the bulls guide breaks them down

The earliest harvest in the DOCa’s history

The DOCa Rioja opened its vendimia on Thursday 6 August 2026, the earliest in its history: the first tempranillo blanco bunches were cut at night at Viñedos de Aldeanueva (Aldeanueva de Ebro) and Bodegas Ilurce (Alfaro), reports Vinetur. The cause: a very dry spring, « practically no rain since April », and very high temperatures that sped up the growing cycle, confirms Agropopular. The move is nationwide: Spain is living its earliest harvest ever recorded, with Huelva starting as early as 22 July and Jerez on 27 July.

On the rules side, the 2026 campaign norms were voted through by 97% of the Consejo Regulador plenum: a protected yield of 90% for reds (5,850 kg/ha maximum) and 100% for whites (9,000 kg/ha), with mandatory distillation of surpluses, details Haro Digital. Another shift: this is the first harvest with whites at a minimum of 9% vol instead of 10.5% — wines up to 1.5 degrees lighter, a regulatory answer to warming. For tasting, the reference 2025 vintage was rated « Excelente » in April 2026, with 155.01 million litres — the smallest harvest since 1992, nicknamed « la cosecha del siglo », per the Consejo Regulador.

The Senda de los Elefantes

Calle Laurel is one of Spain’s most important gastronomic areas, right in the heart of Logroño, entirely dedicated to pintxos and Rioja wine, describes La Rioja’s tourism site. Its nickname says it all: « La Senda de los Elefantes », the elephant trail — because after a round « de pincho en pincho y de vino en vino », you risk stumbling out. The ritual is simple: eat standing at the counter, one pintxo and one glass per bar, then move on to the next. The classics: champiñones a la plancha (grilled mushrooms), the street’s signature pintxo, to try at Bar Soriano (Travesía de Laurel 2), and the creamy croquetas.

In the morning, head to the Plaza del Mercado for the Semana Gastronómica: each day, one or two peñas put on their free tasting, peaking on Thursday, San Mateo’s day (17 tastings), with a rush hour at 11am, the almuerzo hour, per La Rioja Capital. More than 90 food events animate the week: caldereta contests (Wednesday), paellas (Monday 18, Calle Alfonso VI), pintxos y vinos (Sunday, Paseo del Espolón), the chuleta exaltation (Saturday) and the beber en porrón contest (Tuesday). Patatas a la riojana, revived after 20 years away, are back on the programme.

Highlights

• Bar Soriano’s grilled mushrooms, the archetypal pintxo bar
• The peñas’ free tastings at the Plaza del Mercado, from 11am
• Zurracapote, the local drink made with red wine, cinnamon and fruit, at the chamizos
• Go early (6-7pm) or very late (after 1am) to avoid the crush

Contemporary architecture and century-old cellars

Rioja wine tourism passed the million-visit mark in 2025: 1,164,388 visits, up 5%, for an economic impact of €214.38 million, per the Monitor de Enoturismo DOCa Rioja. Of the DO’s roughly 600 wineries, 226 are open to tourism. Three visits stand out:

• Marqués de Riscal (Elciego): the historic 1858 winery and its Frank Gehry-designed hotel, voted World’s Best Vineyard 2024, tasting tour from €18, per Yumping
• Bodegas Ysios (Laguardia): Santiago Calatrava’s rippling roof, 100% tempranillo, tasting tour from €18 and tours in English, Mon-Sat at 11am, 1pm and 4pm
• Barrio de la Estación (Haro): Muga, López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, La Rioja Alta, CVNE — tours from €30 to €60, all on reservation 1 to 8 weeks ahead in high season, per Cork & Curve

In Logroño itself, Campo Viejo runs a guided tour at €28 including its barrel hall of 70,000 barriques. During the harvest (August-October), the wineries are at work: the atmosphere is unique, with fermenting vats and grape aromas, but some rooms may be closed to visitors. Book early — and if you’re after more Spanish stops, our Spain page rounds up the region’s guides.

Highlights

• The architectural contrast: Gehry in Elciego, Calatrava in Laguardia, Zaha Hadid at López de Heredia
• López de Heredia: the house that ages 10 years in barrel before selling
• Logroño as a base: every wine zone within a 45-minute drive