Eat Art Travel

What could be better than visiting the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao designed by Frank Gehry? Staying at a Frank Gehry designed hotel in Rioja just outside the rural medieval village of Elciego. Bodega Marques de Riscal, the oldest bodega in Rioja notable for its pioneering, innovation, nonconformaty, and introduction of French wine techniques took another step forward with a hotel designed by Frank Gehry. The obvious way to clinch a big deal - if one's business is making wine - is over the finest bottle in the cellar. Marques de Riscal, famous for cellaring bottles from every year since production started in 1860, uncorked a bottle from the year Gehry was born, 1929, to persuade the creator of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to create a temple devoted to what some call the nectar of the gods. It worked and Gehry agreed to create a striking City of Wine complex that was to include a hotel and spa. Six years after clinching the deal, Gehry's creation opened in 2006. Speaking of the inspiration behind the complexity of the building, Gehry has explained that his aim was to incorporate the character of the region and Marques de Riscal's vintages within the building's exterior - the multi-coloured ribbon-like titanium facade reflecting the pink hues of Rioja, the silver foil shielding the cork, and the distinctive gold mesh which adorns all Marqués de Riscal bottles.

The Marques de Riscal Gastronomic and 1860 Traditional restaurants represent the perfect pairing of tradition and avant-garde cuisine with Francis Piniego, a young Riojan chef, rattling the saucepans. Our dinner at Riscal Gastronomic consisted of 12 courses.