La batalla del vino – wine fight Spain

Besides the tomato throwing festival, there is also a wine throwing festival or better said: wine fight Spain. Maybe a little less well-known among people in general, but true wine lovers already know this for years. The wine festival takes place every year between the 27^th and 30^th of July. Thousands of wine lovers climb a mountain in La Rioja (from the famous Rioja wine), Spain, and throw litres of the delicious red liquid over each other. This event is known as ‘La batalla del vino de Haro’, or in other words ‘the Wine Fight’.

What you must know about wine fight Spain

Maybe this is the first time that you read about the wine fight Spain. Maybe you have only heard about it once, but you forgot what it exactly was, or maybe you want to get information about La batalla del Vino 2018. In all occasions, you are on the right website. For you, as a wine lover, battle lover or whatsoever, we have collected all the information about the wine fight Spain. First you must know something about the history of the wine fight Spain. It is nice that it takes place in Haro every year, but what is Haro exactly and how can you come to this place? It might come in handy to have a place to sleep in this town, otherwise you will have to travel back all covered in wine. You also might be a little bit tipsy after all the wine… We will also tell you something about the wine fight in 2018, because what can you expect? At the end, we will give you some nice tips.

History

Before you travel to this place, it might be interesting to know what the exact story behind La batalla del vino is. It actually makes sense why thousands of local people and tourists throw wine at each other every year at the end of June. Well, this party started in the 13^th century. Haro had to mark official lines between the property of two neighbours. 400 years later, the observation ended and people started throwing wine at each other. From now on, this wine tradition began and earned the name ‘War of Wine’. In 1965 this name was changed into the battle of wine: Batalla del Vino en Haro. These days this feast still takes place, but with a huge party where people pour litres of wine on each other and in each other’s mouths. Nowadays everyone has to wear white shirts and a red scarf. The wine battle starts in the morning, but it is definitely worth it to get up early.

Haro

Haro is a small town located in the mountains of the famous Rioja wines. It is located in the Spanish region ‘La Rioja’. This town is around 40,5 km2 and has about 11.806 inhabitants. It is a wine region, and in this town you can find many wine houses. Back in the time, a lot of French wine traders visited this place to buy wine. You have beautiful wine yards and the city has got the most beautiful old buildings. Haro is very close to Bilboa and Pamplona, in the north of Spain.

Transport

To get to Haro, you have several options. You can go by train, by bus and by airplane. The easiest way is to arrive in San Sebastian, this is a place nearby the French border. You can take a shuttle from here to Haro. To find cheap flights, you can take a look at Google Flights. A total different option is to book a trip via travel agencies like Stoke travel.

Accommodation

For the wine fight Spain, you can book a hotel. There are not many hotels in Haro, but there are some hotels in the centre of this town or a little outside the centre of Haro. If you want to book a hotel, we recommend to do this as soon as possible. There are not many hotels available, so there could be a chance that they will be filled right before the wine fight Spain event. Do you not want to stay in a hotel? There is also the possibility to book an Airbnb or to have a stay at the camping of Haro. If you book a trip via Stoketravel, then they will fix the accommodation for you. You will stay at their own build-up camping.

What to expect in 2018

This year, the wine fight starts the night before the 29^th. On the evening at the 28^th of June 2018, the wine fight will start. The whole town gathers on the streets, and everyone who wants to party will be there. There is no age limit. Adults, teenagers, children, grandparents, students, everyone will be welcome. On the day itself (29^th of June), you can go to the mountains in the morning and battle. We recommend you to bring big water guns to fill them with wine and splash your fictive enemies. One tip: bring some swimming goggles. You do not know where the wine is going to be sprayed, and it might be in your eyes. Have you ever had wine in your eyes? Well, it hurts.

Our tips

• Bring some swimming goggles. The red Rioja wine is nice to have in your mouth, but your eyes perhaps do not like it that much.
• Download the snapchat. This year, the wine fight will be covered on the Snapchat live story.
• Make sure your phone is totally waterproof. Bring your phone in a lock bag or waterproof case.
• Bring a waterproof bag. Otherwise your belongings will swim through your bag.
• Bring some clean and dry clothes. This might be handy to do if you are planning to travel after the wine fight Spain.
• Do not make yourself a target. There are thousands of people who will attack you and you will be drowning in wine.
• Put on your battle mood and have lots of fun!