Inside the Rioja Retreat at Langdon Hall: A Countryside Celebration of Spain’s Finest Wine Region

On July 20, Rioja brought its signature retreat experience to Ontario for the first time, gathering 25 of Toronto’s leading sommeliers, buyers, and educators for a day of seminar, celebration, and five-course dining at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa.

July 20, 2026 · Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, Cambridge, Ontario

A New Chapter for the Rioja Retreat

Following the success of last year’s Rioja Retreat in Quebec, Rioja set its sights on Ontario this summer for an immersive day designed exclusively for key trade professionals. Twenty-five sommeliers, wine buyers, and educators from premium and trendy restaurants and hotel groups across the Toronto area were transported from downtown Toronto to Langdon Hall, a Relais & Châteaux property about an hour outside the city, renowned for its gracious hospitality, Five-Diamond dining, and exceptional service.

The goal was simple but ambitious: step away from the pace of the city and create a setting built for connection and discovery, one that could showcase the outstanding quality, heritage, and gastronomic richness of Rioja wines in a way a typical trade tasting never could.

The Setting: Langdon Hall

Nestled in the Carolinian forest just outside Cambridge, Langdon Hall provided exactly the kind of elegant, countryside backdrop the day called for. The property’s kitchen gardens, wooded trails, and storied dining room set a tone of unhurried refinement, a fitting stage for a region defined by its own sense of tradition and place.

The Program: Seminar, Dinner, and Discovery

The day began with a Rioja seminar, giving attendees a grounded, structured look at the region’s diversity before moving into the more experiential parts of the day.

From there, guests sat down to a five-course wine-pairing dinner created in collaboration with Chef Jason Bangerter, one of Canada’s most acclaimed chefs and the culinary force behind Langdon Hall’s AAA/CAA Five-Diamond rated dining room, the only restaurant in Ontario to hold that distinction. Known for a philosophy rooted in his own kitchen gardens and Ontario’s local ingredients, Chef Bangerter built a menu that let each course speak directly to the Rioja wines poured alongside it, pairing distinctive technique with a premium selection from the region.

Seminar. Five courses. One region, poured through every glass.

In the afternoon, the pace shifted. Attendees moved outdoors for a relaxed garden tasting session, an opportunity to revisit the wines that had stood out most over the course of the day and linger a little longer with their favourites, away from the structure of the seminar and the formality of the dinner table.

Why It Mattered

Every detail of the day was built around three goals: reinforcing Rioja’s position within the trade as Spain’s leading source of iconic, premium, and highly sought-after wines; delivering an exceptional experience on both the wine and the gastronomy sides of the table; and creating a Rioja moment that felt genuinely memorable, distinct from the usual pace of city tastings.

With sommeliers from some of Toronto’s most influential restaurants in the room, alongside buyers from major hotel and restaurant groups and respected wine educators, the retreat gave Rioja a direct line to the people shaping how the region is poured, sold, and taught across one of Canada’s most competitive wine markets.

In Pictures

The day was captured in full by photographer Ariel Andres. See the complete gallery via the link below.

Photography: Ariel Andres Photographer · @arielandresphotos