#238 Spain...Thanks Reyiel!

The 0.50€ stamp is from 2002 Wine Producing Regions issue showing Grapes and map of Rioja region.

La Rioja is a province and autonomous community of northern Spain.The harvesting of wine in La Rioja has an ancient lineage with origins dating back to the Phoenicians and the Celtiberians. The earliest written evidence of the existence of the grape in La Rioja dates to 873, in the form of a document from the Public Notary of San Millán dealing with a donation to the San Andrés de Trepeana (Treviana) Monastery. As was the case in many Mediterranean lands in mediaeval times, monks were the main practitioners of winemaking in La Rioja and great advocates of its virtues.

The 0.32€ stamp is from 2009 Fauna & Flora series showing Pansy,which is an ornamental hybrid plant from the family of the Violaceae and the Viola genus. The garden Pansy was developed from the common Viola tricolour, very popular with gardeners throughout Europe in the XIX century. Pansy flowers are bred in a wide range of colours and measure from 15 to 30 cm. They are biannual plants producing greenery in their first year and flowers and seeds in their second year of growth. They bloom in autumn and winter but depending on weather conditions this period can stretch until spring.