Rioja Rioja, in the district of San Martín, is a small town, but pleasant and busy. It is situated in the montaña between the Andes and the Amazon basin. The city was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1990, but has been mostly rebuilt. It has a nice, subtropical climate. As far as we know Rioja has no connection with the Spanish wine district with the same name, nor are there produced any wines in the city of Rioja. However, there are some excellent wines being produced in Peru which can compete with the Spanish Rioja.