The Marques de Riscal vineyard is the initial trendsetter in transforming vineyards into luxury hotel destinations, a trend which started in the 2000s and continues on its meteoric rise till today throughout Europe. It also marked the start of winemakers hiring star architects to draw visitors to their vineyards and transform their vintages into worldwide brands. An excellent example is Chateau La Coste, which we previously featured and has become a world-renowned architectural and sculpture park.

The location of the Marques de Riscal Hotel in the Spanish Rioja area couldn’t be more idyllic, thanks to its location in the old town of Eltziego. Looking out of the suite windows, the building structure creates the local village’s perfect picture frame view. There’s something special in experiencing the contrast between Gehry’s artwork and the town’s historical value. Gehry found inspiration for his design in the metal netting that wraps each Marques de Riscal wine bottle since the 19th century, introduced to prevent counterfeiting. The metal facade’s ruby colors refer to the red wine color and create a magnificent contrast with the green environment.