Bodegas Covila

Rioja Alavesa rewards repeat visits because the decision is rarely just “which tasting?” but “which style of bodega fits the day?” Bodegas Covila is worth choosing when the priority is a working-winery visit with cooperative roots, broad Rioja coverage, a practical tasting setup rather than polished luxury. Founded in 1989 by 60 local vine growers, it suits someone who has already done a showpiece cellar and now wants a clearer read on Lapuebla de Labarca’s everyday-to-aged wine range.

A working cellar for comparing Rioja styles, not a luxury tasting room

The draw here is format. The winery is built around cellar visits, tastings, a store, restaurant, gallery, wine bar, with enough scale to handle groups of more than 60. That makes it a sensible pick for wine-tour groups, mixed-experience drinkers, or anyone travelling with people who want structure without a formal, hushed tasting counter. Casual dress fits the setting.

The cooperative owns about 250 hectares of vineyards around Rioja Alavesa, with an average vine age of 25 years and some plots reaching 80 years. That matters for the decision because this is not a visit built only around brand theatre. The interest is in tasting across a wide estate-grown portfolio and seeing how the same place expresses young, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva, premium styles.

The bottles to focus on after a first visit

If this is a return stop, skip treating the tasting as a general introduction and focus the conversation on the aged reds. The young Tinto gives the easiest read on the house style: fresh, fruity, structured, with Tempranillo at the center. Crianza is the more useful midpoint for visitors deciding what to buy for near-term drinking, especially if the goal is a Rioja that shows oak aging without moving fully into cellar-selection territory.

The Reserva and Gran Reserva are the bottles that justify spending more time here. The 2018 Reserva has 92-point recognition from both International Wine Review and Wine Enthusiast, while the 2016 Gran Reserva reached 95 points from Wine Enthusiast. Those scores make the aged range the clear focus for anyone comparing bottles to take home or ship, especially if the visit is less about scenery and more about choosing a serious Rioja Alavesa red.

Production details support that focus. The winery works with hand-harvested estate fruit, temperature-controlled fermentation, a 2,000-barrel aging program using French and American oak. For practical buyers, that means the portfolio is broad enough to compare youth, oak, bottle age in one stop rather than guessing from a shelf later.

For wider planning around town, use Our full Lapuebla De Labarca wineries guide, plus Our full Lapuebla De Labarca restaurants guide, Our full Lapuebla De Labarca hotels guide, Our full Lapuebla De Labarca bars guide, Our full Lapuebla De Labarca experiences guide. Nearby wine research can also start with Bodegas Larchago, then broaden across Spain with 3 Ases Bodegas y Viñedos in Quintanilla De Arriba, 4Kilos Vinícola in Felanitx, Aalto Bodegas y Vinedos in Quintanilla De Onesimo Valladolid, Abadia de Aribayos in Moraleja Del Vino, Abadía Retuerta in Sardón de Duero, Abel Mendoza Monge in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Acústic Celler in Els Guiamets, »der Steiner« Hans Steiner in Podersdorf am See, & Handwein in Mannheim.