Batalla del Vino in Haro: Spain’s Wildest Wine Festival You Need to Experience

Welcome to La Batalla del Vino, the legendary wine festival in Haro, La Rioja, where tradition, tourism, and total chaos collide in a red wine-soaked spectacle that puts every other festival to shame. If you're searching for the best wine festival in Spain or the wildest thing to do in La Rioja, this is it.

Thousands gather every June 29th for a wine fight like no other, high in the hills of San Felices de Bilibio, just outside the picturesque wine town of Haro. This is not a wine tasting. This is not a vineyard tour. This is wine tourism gone feral, and it’s beautiful.

What Is the Batalla del Vino?

The Batalla del Vino, or Wine Battle of Haro, is an annual Spanish wine festival where locals and visitors soak each other in red wine using buckets, squirt guns, hoses, bottles—anything that pours. It’s part of the Fiestas de San Pedro, but let’s be honest: it’s the main event.

Declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in Spain, this is one of the most unique cultural experiences for wine lovers, adventure travelers, and adrenaline junkies who also happen to like Rioja.

When Does It Happen?

The Haro Wine Battle takes place on June 29th, every single year. No exceptions. It starts early—sunrise early—and ends whenever the last wine-soaked reveler stumbles home.

If you're planning a wine trip to Spain, mark your calendar. Better yet, plan your entire La Rioja wine vacation around this one day of red wine madness.

Where Is Haro and Why Should You Care?

Haro is the wine capital of La Rioja, Spain’s most iconic wine region. It’s surrounded by centuries-old bodegas (wineries), rolling vineyards, and a wine culture so deep it practically seeps from the cobblestones.

But on this day? Haro becomes a battlefield. A battlefield where Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Graciano are the ammunition.

What Actually Happens During the Wine Battle?

Here’s how your day goes:

• 6:30 AM: Hike or drive up to the Cliffs of Bilibio. You're still clean.

• 7:00 AM: A traditional mass is held at the Hermitage of San Felices. You pretend to listen.

• 7:15 AM: Wine starts flying. No one is safe. Not even your grandma.

• 9:00 AM: You are unrecognizable. You are also thrilled.

• Later: Head back to Haro for the second act—live music, food, dancing, and more local wine than your liver signed up for.

This is a full-day wine and culture experience that mixes ancient tradition with modern debauchery.

What to Wear to the Batalla del Vino

Every guide will tell you to wear white clothes you don't mind destroying, and they’re not wrong. You’ll end the day drenched in red wine from head to toe. Bring:

• White shirt and pants

• Old sneakers

• Goggles (if you care about your eyes)

• A waterproof phone pouch

• A healthy respect for the stain power of Spanish red wine

This is not a drill. Wine will find you. Wine will win.

Why This Wine Festival Matters

Beyond the fun, the Haro Wine Festival is a living, breathing example of Spain’s wine culture—not the polished, swirl-and-sniff version, but the rowdy, joyful, communal one. It's about connection, laughter, and letting go.

It’s proof that wine isn’t just something you sip—it’s something you live. Something you celebrate. Something you fight with.

Can’t Go to Spain? Bring the Battle to You

If you can’t make it to Haro, don’t worry. You can channel the spirit of the Batalla del Vino with a curated case from our La Rioja wine collection, filled with the same small-production Spanish red wines that fuel the fight.

Perfect for your own wine-soaked backyard bash. No passports, no TSA, just wine and mayhem.

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Shop Wines from La Rioja

We source direct from independent winemakers in Spain—no middlemen, no mass production, just pure, authentic Spanish wine delivered to your door. Build your own festival, minus the hangover (optional).

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Final Word: Go for the Wine. Stay for the Madness.

If you're looking for the most unforgettable wine festival experience in Europe, the Batalla del Vino in Haro is your ticket. It's messy, beautiful, unhinged—and 100% worth it.

Trust us. We’re professionals. We’ve been purple.