The Marques de Riscal hotel may get all the press from this corner of the world, but the Hospederia del Vino, located just a few miles up the road from Gehry’s behemoth, is the place to go if you’re more serious about wine than architecture. Nightly tastings and tours of the 18th-century bodega are as integral to your stay as the plush beds in each smartly-decorated room.
WHAT’S THE BIG WOW?
The personal touch. Owner Jesus Puelles’ family has been in the Rioja wine business for generations, so he knows what he’s talking about as he fills glasses each night at the cozy bar. In addition to overseeing production of some 200,000 bottles a year, he and his wife Mila designed the six-room hotel, complete with glassed-in pool, themselves. And he’ll be there at breakfast to offer tips on sightseeing and restaurants—and just in case you’re craving a small glass of crianza with your bacon and eggs.
LIKED BEST:
All of the six rooms are themselves lovely to look at—neutral colors and sophisticated Italian furnishings—but the views out each balconied window onto lush rows of vineyards and the mountains beyond are truly memorable.
LIKED LEAST:
The no-name toiletries, which come packaged in tacky plastic wrappers.
WHO SHOULD GO THERE?
Oenophiles, certainly, but the Puelles are so warm, and so good at sharing their knowledge, that even someone who can’t tell a Cab from a Chardonnay will feel welcome.
WOULD YOU GO BACK?
Definitely, preferably at harvest time.
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