Article: SPANISH BREAKS: We're only here for the wine Welcome to Rioja country, the Spanish wine region that's out to challenge Bordeaux. With locally produced wine on offer at just about every house, ADAM LECHMERE found his cup runneth over

When we arrived at our hotel, the 18-year-old matador Julian Lopez had just left. "El Juli", with over 200 bullfights under his belt, is a sensation. In Haro he was sharing the bill with two more venerable stars, Enrique Ponce and Antonio Ferrera, but all eyes were on him. Which helps to explain why the atmosphere in the hotel was slightly flat - it was as if David Beckham and Elvis had just checked out. The restaurant was closed and the faces of the staff couldn't have been longer if Spain had just been knocked out of the World Cup.

But we weren't bothered by all that, because we had come for the wine. We had decided to go to Rioja because it's easy to get to and it's the heart of Spanish ...

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