When you think of a medieval town in Northern Spain’s Basque Country with fewer than a thousand inhabitants, you probably think of winding, narrow streets, stone walls, bell towers, and churches. But Elciego, a small town dating back to the Roman Era, challenges that narrative. The hard-to-miss avant-garde Hotel Marqués de Riscal rises from this town and becomes a luxurious sanctuary for the senses.
Redefining modern architecture
Lead with a question, not a statement, is a philosophy that world-renowned architect Frank Gehry embraced throughout his career. Known as one of the most influential architects of the late 20th century and recipient of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, Gehry has always chased two simple words: Why not?
That pursuit has given the world icons such as the Guggenheim Bilbao, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. To Gehry, architecture is art meant to spark curiosity, inspire interpretation, and hold your gaze. The five-star Marqués de Riscal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is no exception.
Its shimmering ribbons of titanium and steel rise unexpectedly above a horizon of Rioja Valley vineyards. Its façade curves and bends in ways that seem impossible – fluid and undeniably genius. It’s the kind of building you stare at, then tilt your head, then stare again – like a wine label you’re not sure how to pronounce but know will be good.
With every peak and ripple, it captures the metamorphosis of wine – its wave-like surfaces evoke tangled vines, the roundness of oak barrels, and the graceful pour into a glass.
The building’s colors do more than stand out against the orange and clay tones of the village below. Each shade has meaning: pink for the wine, gold for the mesh once used to protect bottles, and silver for the foil on the cap. From every angle, the building shows transformation, turning liquid into architecture and tradition into innovation.
CENTURIES OF WINE EXCELLENCE
But don’t let the contemporary exterior fool you. This is not just design for design’s sake – it is architecture rooted in centuries of wine culture.
Behind the futuristic façade lies a vineyard with one of the longest and most celebrated histories in Rioja. Founded in 1858, Marqués de Riscal was the first to bottle wine in the region. Within five years, it won its first awards, and by 1895, it became the first non-French wine to receive the Diploma of Honor at the Bordeaux Exhibition.
That pioneering spirit has never faded. In 2024, Marqués de Riscal was named Best Vineyard in the World in the World’s Best Vineyards awards. Its underground cellars – some lined with wines more than a century old – bottle this legacy, while the hotel above celebrates its evolution. And naturally, when you’re here, you don’t just feel invited into art but rather connected to a lineage of centuries of success and transformation.
A retreat for more than just your palate
We’ve established that wine at Marqués de Riscal is more than a drink; it is a philosophy of life, transformation, and renewal. That same spirit flows into the Spa Vinothérapie® Caudalie, where the healing power of the grape becomes a ritual for the body as much as for the palate.
Here, the setting feels completely organic. Cool stone meets warm light, complemented by cedar and teak, to create an utterly seductive space that pleases the senses – all while vineyards peek through panoramic windows stretching across the back wall. Gehry designed this space to touch the soul and harness inner peace, because wellness is never selfish; it is selfless.
Unsurprisingly, many treatments incorporate grapes – not as a novelty, but for their proven benefits. Partnering with the prestigious French cosmetics brand Caudalie, the spa uses products made from grape pips and pulp to naturally exfoliate and rejuvenate. Recognized worldwide by doctors and surgeons, the vine is rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, and resveratrol, which protect the skin, boost collagen, and improve circulation.
The story began in 1995, when Caudalie’s founders Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas discovered that grape seeds contained some of the most powerful natural antioxidants known, at their family vineyard in Bordeaux. They imagined a sanctuary far from modern distractions but surrounded by vines to create a place where “bodies are soothed and souls are regenerated.” Their vision of Vinothérapie® became a reality in 1999, pairing beauty treatments with the ritual of wine culture – and they haven’t looked back since. Today, there are four spas in the world dedicated to the practice of Vinothérapie®. Marqués de Riscal is one of them – and it’s the only location outside of France.
At the hotel’s spa, you can expect indulgent treatments like the Caudalie Grand Facial, a signature treatment that relaxes, restores, and renews to leave your complexion rested and radiant. Or perhaps the Crush Cabernet Scrub, a massage blending grape oil, seeds, honey, and essential oils into your skin leaving it moisturized and smooth. Or even a warm soak in tubs shaped like oak barrels, infused with vine extracts and oils, designed to relax muscles and promote detoxification.
Whichever treatment you choose, you remain connected to nature at every step. It is indulgence and science in harmony – a ritual that leaves you feeling as though the vineyard itself has shared its vitality with you, unfolding like wine: in layers, moments to savor, and a finish that lingers. Like Gehry’s architecture and Riscal’s wines, every treatment is rooted in tradition yet reimagined as something new.
Dare to unwind
Of course, indulgence doesn’t always look like stillness — sometimes it’s found in movement (or in a glass or two of wine).
For those seeking balance and mindfulness, a light-filled yoga studio welcomes both seasoned practitioners and curious beginners. The hotel’s heated indoor pool, lined with black tiles that reflect natural light in dramatic ways, offers a striking place to swim or simply float.
Or step outside and allow nature to add perspective. Bike along winding vineyard paths, past ancient chapels, to the lush banks of the Ebro River. Even a walk through the cobblestone medieval streets of Elciego feels like part of the ritual, reminding you that wellness here is as much about place as it is about practice, where time seems to pause even as it continues to flow.
Wellness here is never one-dimensional. Whether you’re stretching in sunlight, pedaling past vines, or losing yourself in the quiet lanes of Elciego or Gehry’s ribbons, it exists in moments meant to be savored slowly. Everything is done with purpose.
“Some places are remembered for their beauty, others for their history. Marqués de Riscal is unforgettable because it dares you to ask a different question.”
At El Marqués de Riscal, Gehry’s daring design and the vineyard’s centuries of excellence come together to create something singular – a place where art, wine, and life are inseparable. It is a retreat that doesn’t simply offer luxury but dares you to embrace it.
Stay in a Gehry masterpiece? Drink wines crowned the best in the world? Reset at a spa powered by the vineyard? Why not.
