We arrived back home yesterday morning, with a few hairy connections and the the long flight back from London complete with all singing and whistling Swiss backpackers filling the cabin.  I’ve got loads of notes (even though I managed to loose one notebook somewhere), photos, tasting notes and food stories to write up and sort through. Lots of gossip too (Like that  Roda have bought some great vineyards in  Ribera del Duero and should release something in a couple of years…)

Looking back on the trip, I think the main things that I’ve taken home with me is the passion of the growers, the spectacular secenery and amount of diversity the place has. But like most travel, its the people that I’ve met along the way that made the trip worthwhile and allowed me to get into what Rioja as a place and wine is all about. So a big thank you to everyone who had us in for a poke around their vineyards and bodegas, tastings and some seriously good jamon. Also a big thanks to the importers here in Australia who set up a lot of the visits for us.

I’ll organise a gallery of photos in the next week or so, with a lot more to go up over the coming weeks.