Mindi Abair's Wine + Jazz Spain Adventure

6-DAY SPAIN WINE + JAZZ ADVENTURE

The October 12 – 17, 2022 Spain Wine + Jazz Adventure is sold out. We have added a second trip for October 5 – 10, 2022, which has only two rooms remaining.

Taste Vacations has teamed up with two-time Grammy nominee singer/saxophonist Mindi Abair and her husband Eric Guerra, a 20+ year winery executive, for an insiders food, wine, and music adventure like no other!

Our tour takes place in two northern provinces of Spain: La Rioja and the Basque Country. La Rioja is in our view the most exceptional wine region of Spain, with excellent wines, many outstanding wineries, and a relative lack of tourists. We spend three nights in a very small village of several hundred inhabitants, almost all of whom work in a local winery.

In the Basque Country, our tour starts and ends in the provincial capital of Bilbao. We also spend two nights in the luxury resort and beach town of San Sebastian. We stay in an outstanding five-star hotel in the heart of town within walking distance of the beach, ancient streets, and plenty of sightseeing and shopping.

This is an incredible experience that features all the talents of both Mindi and Eric, who will be joining us for the entire trip. Mindi will bring in fellow musicians, play multiple concerts in divine wine country settings, and fill you in on the inside stories of her music career. These private shows will be a combination of jazz, blues, and rock and range from unplugged and chill to upbeat and lively.

With his 20+ years of experience in the wine industry, Eric has helped us plan an itinerary of winery visits interspersed with food excursions.

This tour has a maximum of 40 people, so you will be guaranteed front-row seats at Mindi’s concerts and plenty of time to enjoy this amazing, one-of-a-kind vacation.

Visit www.WINEandJAZZ.com​ to learn more about Mindi and Eric’s love of wine and jazz.

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Tour Details

• Location: La Rioja and the Basque Country, Spain
• Tour Dates: October 5 – 10, 2022 (October 12 – 17, 2022 tour is sold out)
• Trip Price Per Person: $5,100
• Single supplement: $1,950
• Group size: 30-40 people
• Meals: Breakfasts each morning, 5 dinners, and 3 lunches

Day 1

• Your arrival city is Bilbao on Spain’s north coast and capital of the Baque Country; we suggest you arrive early to visit the Guggenheim museum
• Meet in Bilbao after lunch and transfer to Rioja
• Check in to our hotel in the small wine village of Villabuena de Álava, population around 300 yet host to almost 50 wineries
• Welcome, introductions, and wine tasting
• Sunset orientation walk of the village
• Winemaker dinner at Bodegas Luis Cañas

Day 2

• Breakfast at our hotel
• Depart for Los Cameros, producer of the local goat cheese in Rioja
• Winery Visit & Tasting at Bodegas MUGA in Haro, a classic, family run Riojan winery with their own Coopers making the barrels
• Light tapas style sit down lunch at Restaurante Beethoven
• Visit to the amazing Marques de Riscal winery, which has 160 years of tradition packed into a modern structure designed by Frank O. Gehry
• Tasting, music, and dinner at the winery

Day 3

• Breakfast in our hotel
• Depart Hotel for Ortigosa, an olive oil producer in Viana
• Vineyard Walk & Barrel Room Tasting at Bodegas Ysios, one of the most famous wineries in Rioja
• Free time in the mediaeval town of Laguardia for lunch on your own.
• Optionally visit the 600-year-old wine caves at Bodegas Carlos San Pedro
• Optional 3km walk from Villabuena to Samaniego through the vineyards
• Concert followed by dinner in the Glass Box at Bodegas Baigorri in Samaniego

Day 4

• Breakfast at your leisure in our hotel and check out
• Transfer to San Sebastián, our home for the next two nights
• Visit to a local sidreria (cideria), the Basque version of this specialty drink
• Guided Pintxo (Tapas) Tour in the Old Town, an outstanding way to try an array of local delicacies
• Check into our central hotel and have time to explore the town on your own
• Concert in the hotel
• Dinner at Restaurante Zelai Txiki, a local family-run Basque gastronomic restaurant overlooking the bay

Day 5

• Breakfast at our hotel
• Depart for the seaside fishing village of Getaria
• Txakoli Visit and Tasting at Bodegas Txomin Etxaniz, which produces this Basque slightly sparkling white wine
• Time on your own to explore Getaria
• Lunch at at Restaurante Kai Kaipe in Getaria, one of the famous street-side fish grills in town
• Return to San Sebastián with free time for shopping, beach, a hike to Cristo statue on Monte Urgull, or a visit to La Perla Spa
• Concert and dinner at Restaurante NiNeu, overlooking the Urumea river

Day 6

• Breakfast in our hotel
• Individual transfers from San Sebastián to Bilbao airport

*Note: This itinerary will change as we finalize details and get closer to the date of the Adventure. Trust us you will welcome any changes we make!

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Nights 1 – 3: Hotel Viura This four-star hotel provides modern, luxury accommodations that might seem out of place in the small village of Villabuena de Álava, except that the village hosts almost 50 wineries

Nights 4 – 5: Hotel Maria Cristina This five-star hotel is the finest luxury hotel in San Sebastián. Located in the heart of the town, we will be a short walk to beaches, shopping, and ancient medieval streets.

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Mindi Abair

Galactic Princess of Music

One of the most recognized and sought after saxophonists and vocalists, Mindi Abair’s solo career has produced ten #1 radio singles, two #1 Billboard albums, and two GRAMMY nominations. She was a featured musician on American Idol and the author of How To Play Madison Square Garden. Her band Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers have recorded 4 albums, won 8 Independent Blues Awards including Artist of the Year, Best Holiday Album by the LA Music Critics Association, and their latest album No Good Deed debuted #1 iTunes Blues and #3 Billboard Blues.

She has toured and/or recorded with Aerosmith, Gregg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, Smokey Robinson, Keb’ Mo’, Joe Perry, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lalah Hathaway, Duran Duran, Adam Sandler, Lee Ritenour, The Backstreet Boys, Booker T. Jones, Dave Koz, Jimmy Webb, Mandy Moore, Max Weinberg, Bill Champlin, David Pack, Mocean Worker, Ides of March, and Teena Marie. www.mindiabair.com

Eric Guerra

Galactic Viceroy of Wine

Author of the highly acclaimed “When Great Wine Is Not Enough – A Wine Sales & Marketing Guide For Wineries, Négotiants & Wine Brand Owners”, named 2018 North Bay Business Journal Winery Sales & Marketing Officer Of The Year with over 20 years of wine experience having managed or sold over 20 million cases and developed over 500+ wine brands, Eric Guerra is a wine author, winery executive, fine wine investor, label designer, wine public speaker and blogger with over 60k followers.

He has lead some of the industries’ most legendary wineries and wine brands like the iconic Kendall-Jackson, the Napa destination Mumm Napa, the ultra-boutique Gary Farrell Winery, the luxury Vineyard 29 and the celebrated Champagne brands of France. Eric’s unique and diverse exposure of the wine industry truly covers all aspects from grape… to bottle… to wine drinker (you.)

Visit www.WINEandJAZZ.com​ to learn more about Mindi and Eric’s love of wine and jazz.

Book Spain Adventure