Did you know...?
The bar in La Viña is made from solid Elondo carved completely from a single tree, which had first been left to dry various years before being worked on. It is almost impossible to find an establishment with such a characteristic quality and tradition.
Illustrious seating
The tables and seating in La Viña are the very same now as they were fifty ears ago. More than half of Bilbao’s illustrious characters have sat at or on them.
Messages from around the world
The walls of La Viña are covered with framed postcards sent by our clients from the four corners of the world. Postcards can be bought in the bar and even in today’s society of emails and mobile text messages, we love to receive them.
History of La Viña
Origins
The history of La viña dates back to the beginnings of the 20th century. An enterprising young man of seventeen named Bautista González from Robles (Leon) decided to immigrate to Cuba where he worked for five years as a waiter in the Café-Marti theatre in The Havana.
On his return he settles in Bilbao. No sooner there, he acquired some premises in a building situated in the Ensanche of Bilbao with the intention of opening his own bar, ‘La Viña de Ensanche’.
Bautista got married to Flora Echarri, from Muniaín de la Solana (Navarra), and began a relationship that remains today. Together they popularised the combination between sweet wines (which today is still asked for as cariñena) and Palma ham from Joselito.
New times
In 1980, José Ramón González, the son of Bautista y Flora, took control of the family business and continued in the best traditions set down by his predecessors. La Viña began to increase its range of products on offer to the public. Picking out from a large choice to choose from, yet still maintaining his confidence in Joselito, he gave his clienteles a broader range of well known brands to festive on, with the likes of: Anchovies from San Fillipo, Tuna and Ventresca de Zallo, Asparagus’ con D.O. Navarra, Cecina de León, Nicanores de Boñar and an extensive winery including the best wines from around the country.
Present and future
In 1997 with the incorporation of Bautista’s grandchildren, Monica, Elena y Juan into the family business, the shop-Delicatessen La Viña del Ensanche was opened coinciding with the expansion of the bar’s kitchen Bar.
The idea behind this expansion is to now offer their clients the possibility to enjoy a more elaborated selection of hors d’oeuvres, with ones worth mentioning as: La Tempura de Asparagus, trigueros, Iberian prey, Mozzarella salad and cod Carpaccio amongst others.
With the inorgeration of the shop, we have united our continuous search for product excellence to that of a more personalised attention to our clients. Because of this more personal touch, the elaboration of company gifts is made the easier, a perfect example worth mentioning is our Christmas hampers.