Spain’s Rioja Wine Harvest Festival
The Spanish town of Logroño in La Rioja goes all out to celebrate the Rioja Wine Harvest Festival, known traditionally as the festivities of San Mateo.
Wine and grapes take center stage from September 15 through September 22, 2018. Highlights include the traditional foot-crushing of grapes, and the offering of the first must* to the Virgen de Valvanera, plus bull-running with young bulls, parades of floats, music, and ball games.
*According to Wikipedia, must (from the Latin vinum mustum, “young wine”) is freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must is the first step in winemaking. Because of its high glucose content, typically between 10 and 15%, must is also used as a sweetener in a variety of cuisines. Unlike commercially sold grape juice, which is filtered and pasteurized, must is thick with particulate matter, opaque, and comes in various shades of brown and purple.
(Photo courtesy of the Tourist Office of Spain)
