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TRAVEL

A casa with benefits in Rioja

Paul Richardson stays in a 19th-century mansion that comes with its own vineyard, butler, chef and access to a cellar

La Casa Cosme Palacio in Rioja
La Casa Cosme Palacio in Rioja
The Times

Rioja has long been a familiar name on supermarket shelves, but wine tourism to La Rioja only really started to take off in 2006 when Frank Gehry opened his extraordinary hotel at Marqués de Riscal. This year, vinophiles will have another reason to visit, with the opening of a private house within the legendary Rioja winery Bodegas Cosme Palacio.

The 19th-century house, which is so exclusive it is by invitation only, sits just outside the delightful fortified village of Laguardia, 70 miles south of Bilbao, surrounded by rolling country carpeted with vineyards. Built in caramel-hued limestone, it’s surrounded by manicured grounds where paths meander among kitchen gardens, vines and banks of flowering rosemary.

Founded by Don Cosme Palacio y Bermejillo in 1894 during the first wave of development in La Rioja, the bodega fell into decline until its acquisition in 1997 by the wine-producing Entrecanales-Domecq family. Working with architect Gregorio Marañón and designer Cristina Arechabala, the family have transformed the old wine building into a 13-room mansion with Scandi-style interiors based on the textures of stone, wood and linen.

For years the house was used as grace and favour accommodation for friends and family, and Gonzalo Entrecanales, the charming Eton-educated CEO of the family’s wine businesses, is often to be seen around the property. A staff of 15, including chef David Fernández, white-gloved butler Rodolfo and housekeeper María, have the easygoing warmth – as well as the discreet efficiency – of family retainers.

Most of the hard work of winemaking goes on in the purpose-built installations next door, but the house is still umbilically connected to its former role. Rows of whitewashed fermenting vats in the entrance hall make a spectacular space where candlelit dinners can be served. Underneath the house, vaulted cellars that stretch away into the darkness hold the winery’s precious store of vintages going back to 1899. The in-house oenologists, José Tejedor and Almudena Alberca (Spain’s only female Master of Wine), are on hand to share their expertise and lead wine tastings.

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This is by no means a hotel in the conventional sense. It is, rather, an exquisite hybrid of first-growth Bordeaux château, money-no-object villa rental and English country house where you might be on first-name terms with the owner.

The designation “By invitation only” means that prospective guests first approach the winery directly and, should a formal invitation be issued, can have the whole place to themselves. A single tariff covers everything from accommodation to drinks. If an excursion appeals, a balloon flight over the vineyards, a trek by e-bike to the neolithic settlement of La Hoya and a tour of Laguardia’s churches and palaces with local painter Judith Sáenz de Tejada can be arranged. Or you can simply curl up by the fire with a glass of Cosme Palacio’s velvet-smooth 2016 Reserva and enjoy having one of Rioja’s finest casas to yourself.
House from £4,500 (lacasacosmepalacio.com)

Vintage stuff: three other Spanish wine hotels

Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz
The home of sherry has never been oversubscribed with great places to stay, which is why the new Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe in Jerez de la Frontera is a game-changer. It occupies part of the huge González-Byass winery complex, with its whitewashed alleys and trickling fountains, and is named after the world-beating fino sherry, Tío Pepe, the bodega’s signature brand. Comfortable in an uncluttered, Nordic kind of way, it scores highly for its location and views of the cathedral from its glorious rooftop pool. A private tasting of olorosos, amontillados and finos among the barrels of the ancient bodega is not be missed.
Doubles from £126 (tiopepe.com)

Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine Sardón de Duero, Valladolid
A sumptuous refashioning of a medieval monastery at the heart of a 700-hectare wine estate, LeDomaine is not only the top hotel in the Ribera del Duero wine region but, by any reckoning, one of the best in Spain. It continues to evolve. The estate’s former stables are now a magnificent spa, Santuario LeDomaine, with novelties such as the tasting massage offered by “spa sommeliers” who match wines with homegrown essential oils. Under Catalan chef Marc Segarra, the in-house Refectorio restaurant has won a Michelin star.
Doubles from £440 (abadia-retuerta.com)

Hotel Marqués de Riscal Elciego, Alava
Frank Gehry’s masterpiece building, commissioned by classic Rioja house Marqués de Riscal, caused a sensation when it opened in October 2006. The 43-room property, with its waves of titanium sheeting wrapped around a sandstone core, seems to float above the vine-clad landscape. Come for the architecture, but stay for the food and wine. The restaurant is run by local chef Francis Paniego, who combines modern Spanish cuisine with the traditional cooking of his mother. The spa, courtesy of French vinotherapy expert Caudalie, is wine-themed. Guided tours culminate in tastings of the bodega’s elegant reds.
Doubles from £365 (marquesderiscal.com)