Today, Spain boasts some of the world’s most spectacular wineries, where groundbreaking architecture, unbeatable scenery, and stellar wine converge to create an unforgettable destination for wine lovers. Discover the new cathedrals of wine, where architecture and winemaking intertwine seamlessly. From avant-garde designs by prestigious architects to cutting-edge technological innovations enhancing wine production, Spain’s modern wineries redefine excellence.
1- Marqués de Riscal – Elciego, Álava, Spain – Architect: Frank Gehry
The Marqués de Riscal City of Wine, located in Elciego (Álava), offers the opportunity to explore the history of the winery from its foundation in 1858 to the present day, with the possibility of enjoying wine through all five senses.
The most representative embodiment of Marqués de Riscal’s innovative and avant-garde spirit is the building designed by the famous Canadian architect Frank O. Gehry. He created a work that, although full of distinctive forms, harmonizes perfectly with the landscape of the area. The vineyards of these lands in Rioja Alavesa, the ancient cellars of Marqués de Riscal, and their extensive tradition, especially their wines, inspired Frank O. Gehry to create an unprecedented work in both architecture and the world of wineries. Like the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Gehry’s building is clad in titanium. However, in this case, the architect sought to imbue his work with the representative colors of Marqués de Riscal: pink, like red wine; gold, like the mesh on Riscal bottles; and silver, like the bottle capsule. The building combines the deeply rooted winemaking tradition with avant-garde, luxury, and the most advanced technology of the 21st century.
Image @marquesderiscal
2- PORTIA – Gumiel de Izán, Burgos, Spain – Architect: Norman Foster
Bodegas Portia epitomizes innovation, being a unique and pioneering winery in Ribera del Duero where the brilliance of design merges with innovation, creating extraordinary experiences through unique wines and proprietary vineyards. Bodegas Portia invites exploration and discovery of a new way to experience wine, a place that inspires the extraordinary, always striving for the best of tomorrow.
Extraordinary Architecture: Designed by Foster + Partners, supported by the technical team of the owners of the winery, Familia Martínez Zabala, the brilliance in its construction and design ensures that the winery proceeds methodically, sustainably, and innovatively in its pioneering process of wine production and aging, yielding the finest wines from the family’s excellent vineyards. Bodegas Portia represents vanguard and innovation, where oak, steel, and glass—materials used in each phase of production and aging—are systematically employed throughout the building. The barrel and bottle rooms delve into the earth, reducing the building’s thermal mass and enhancing sustainability. Bodegas Portia’s architecture invites visitors to enjoy extraordinary experiences as they immerse themselves in the avant-garde building, delving into a world where tradition and innovation, viticulture and technology, production, and hospitality skillfully intertwine.
Image @bodegasportia_
3- The Ysios Winery – Laguardia, Álava, Spain – Architect: Santiago Calatrava
Bodegas Ysios, designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava, is located in the village of Laguardia, in the heart of Rioja Alavesa, at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria. A boutique winery of avant-garde design, it integrates seamlessly into nature, in complete harmony with the surrounding landscape, where its vineyards benefit from the peculiarities of the land to cultivate grapes of the highest quality, including viticultural heritage such as the variety of microclimates and soils. Its unmistakable design, an architectural milestone on the international stage, is perceived and distinguished from afar by its brilliant profile of metallic undulations that emerge on the horizon, simulating the silhouette of a duck in full flight. The winery, whose name refers to the Egyptian goddess Isis, who watched over the grape-to-wine transformation process, covers 8,000 square meters (a social building and two storage warehouses), linearly distributed with an East-West orientation, admirably integrating into the surrounding landscape, emerging as a powerful sculpture.
In the pursuit of the highest quality for their grapes, they continue methods passed down through generations. Vines over 100 years old are a testament to the wisdom of their grandparents and great-grandparents, who planted them.
Image @ysiosbodegas
4- PROTOS – Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain – Architect: Richard Rogers
Bodegas Protos, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Alonso Balaguer y Arquitectos Asociados, is considered a masterpiece of the 21st century. It is located at an interesting intersection of historical paths: the extension of the Camino de las Eras and the merino drove of San Pedro, an ancient Roman road. It is also situated very close to the old winery facilities, excavated in the hill of Castillo de Peñafiel, with which it is connected underground. The most striking visual element of the winery from the outside is its roof. This is due to the exceptional location of the winery at the foot of Castillo de Peñafiel. The project considered the building’s roof as another façade, to be appreciated from the privileged position offered by the Castle, hence it has been designed in the form of those five vaulted bays that face the Castle. Each of the two constituent elements of the building, the base and the lightweight envelope, has its own characteristics, depending on the use to which they are destined. The design of the building is based on a physical structure, construction systems, and installations that seek to generate optimal conditions for the wine production process. Central to this design is the attempt to maximize the potential of the site for the natural generation of these conditions. Most of the facilities for wine production and maturation are buried in the ground.
Image @bodegasprotosoficial
5- López de Heredia Viña Tondonia – Haro, La Rioja, España – “Decanter” Architect: Zaha Hadid
López de Heredia winery is the oldest in Haro and is one of the first three founded in La Rioja. The entire winery possesses the charm of ancient catacombs, always accompanied by the flavor of old oak. They decided to restore the modernist stand and participate with it, fully restored, in the Alimentaria Fair in Barcelona to commemorate their 125th anniversary and celebrate so many years dedicated to producing quality wines generation after generation. At López de Heredia, they were familiar with and admired the work of Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi architect based in London, known for the spectacularity, innovation, plasticity, audacity, and subtlety of her works. They approached her for this project, which soon took off due to the enthusiasm the architect showed for the idea and the sensitivity she demonstrated in integrating tradition and modernity, wine and aesthetics, nature and architecture. After several meetings with Zaha Hadid, the idea of conceiving the roof for the 1910 modernist stand as “something sculptural” was born, which could then serve as the basis for a fixed structure to be permanently placed in their Haro Wineries.
Image @lopezherediaoficial
We hope that this summary gives you an idea of the winemaking richness of the country and if you would like to visit one of the wineries or have us organise a private tour for you on your next trip to Spain, please write to us and we will be delighted to arrange a unique and memorable experience for you.
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