TIHOM
(Cantina in Rioja, Rioja Alta)

Hi Ronnie,

I'm sorry to hear that you had a negative impression during your visit.

Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly when you came or how busy the bar was that day, but if you can provide more details, I’d be happy to respond more specifically.

We open our wine-bar for 3 to 4 hours each day, every single day of the year. Irene is part of a rotating team of six people who attend the bar. If she was working alone, it was likely on a weekday outside the summer season—on most other days, we usually have three people attending.

Irene works four days a week for four hours per day. Occasionally, weekdays can be unexpectedly busy, but those moments are rare and hard to predict, which is why only one person might be working at certain times. On some occasions, we also have to attend to clients or distributors who have made prior appointments.

Please keep in mind that this is not a standard bar. We are a wine tasting space designed to promote our own wines. The owner is personally involved in every step of the process—from cultivating the vines to making the wines and running the business. It's quite possible that during your visit, the owner was meeting with a distributor or attending a scheduled business engagement.

To clarify about the vineyards: yes, we do farm our own vines. We own about 50% of the vineyards, cultivate another 40% under contract, and the remaining 10% we purchase from other local growers. If you'd like, I can send you the documentation to prove this—just send me your email address.
However, in my opinion, owning a vineyard doesn’t necessarily guarantee the quality of the grapes—what truly matters is experience and knowledge. The 10% of grapes we purchase come from families of viticulturists who have been working with us for three generations. They are true experts, and I have full confidence in their work.
Finally, for historical reasons (such as the phylloxera crisis), none of the wineries in Haro are located within the vineyards themselves. This is tied to the unique history of the “Barrio de la Estación,” which you may find interesting to read more about.

Irene is a great worker, but works part time and she never worked in the winery, so she is learning showly everything related to wine. She is very clever but this bussiness takes time.

I would be happy to answer your questions.

Kind regards,

Jorge Muga