La Rioja

It’s easy to spin back the wheels of time in the medieval fortress town of Laguardia, or the ‘Guard of Navarra’ as it was once appropriately known, sitting proudly on its rocky hilltop. The walled old quarter, which makes up most of the town, is virtually traffic-free and is a sheer joy to wander around. As well as offering memories of long-lost yesterdays, the town further entices visitors with its wine-producing present and striking scenery.

A must for wine lovers, the high-tech Museum of the Culture of Wine delves into the history and culture of wine and the various processes that go into its production. The treasures on display include Picasso-designed wine jugs, Roman and Byzantine mosaics, and wine-inspired religious artefacts. Various guided tours take you behind the scenes of the winery and include tastings.

When the owner of Elciego's Bodegas Marqués de Riscal decided he wanted to create something special, he didn’t hold back. The result is the spectacular Frank Gehry–designed Hotel Marqués de Riscal, which opened in 2006. Costing around €85 million, the building is a flamboyant wave of multicoloured titanium sheets that stand in utter contrast to the village behind.

The 6th-century Monasterio de Yuso, sometimes called El Escorial de La Rioja, contains numerous treasures in its museum. You can only visit as part of a guided tour (in Spanish only; non-Spanish speakers will be given an information sheet in English and French). Tours last 50 minutes and run every half-hour or so. Maps detailing short walks in the region are available here.

Based 2.5km southeast of the centre, Rioja Trek offers a wide range of customisable winery tours (which can include visiting a traditional vineyard and bodega and even doing some wine-making yourself), along with wine tastings and hikes along some of La Rioja’s fabulous mountain trails.

Located 2km north of Laguardia, the 2001-opened Bodegas Ysios was designed by Santiago Calatrava as a ‘temple dedicated to wine’. It features an aluminium wave for a roof and a cedar exterior that blends into the mountainous backdrop and looks best at night, when pools of light flow out of it. Tours provide an insight into wine production; book ahead.

Despite its fame in the wine world, there’s not much of a heady bouquet to Haro, the capital of La Rioja’s wine-producing region. But the town has a cheerful pace and its compact old quarter, leading off Plaza de la Paz, has some intriguing alleyways with bars and wine shops aplenty.

There are plenty of wine bodegas in the vicinity of the town, some of which are open to visitors (almost always with advance reservation). The tourist office keeps a full list.