The type of client that usually reserves a room at a hotel-winery is between 35 and 50 years, belongs to an upper or upper-middle class, and understands wine tourism or enotourism as a part of cultural tourism. During his or her stay, takes advantage of the historical-artistic heritage of the surrounding villages, takes part in wine tasting, indulges in the regions typical cuisine, and likes to relax the body and mind in a spa or with wine therapy, that some hotels now offer.

The latest in wine-therapy is available at the Can Bonastre Wine Resort Spa (Masquefa, Barcelona), a new approach to enotourism, in wich the winery, where al sorts of gastronomic and wine-making activities take place, accompanied by a signature restaurant and a 12 room modern and minimalist, boutique hotel.

Convinced that the wine tourism formula works, the owners of renowned wineries are revamping their properties and racing to build spectacular buildings, that they charge to architects with international prestige.

In Elciego, Álava, The Wine City by the Marqués de Riscal winery, designed by Frank O. Gehry, member of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts chain, has modern wine-therapy installations, a restaurant inspired in the award winning Echaurren of Ezcaray, a winery, a wine boutique, various reunion spaces and a rooftop lounge overlooking the vineyards.

It’s avant-garde facade, covered with pink, red and gold titanium -in the same tones that dress their wine bottles- competes against the one of Ysios de Laguardia winery designed by Santiago Calatrava. And the Chivite Family charged Rafael Moreno with the construction of the Winery of the Señorio de Arízano in Navarra. Iraqui designer Zaha Hadid created the social area (store, wine tasting area and exhibit spaces) for the hundred year old Viña Tondonia winery (in Haro, La Rioja) commissioned by the López Heredia Family.

Also noted by its vanguard architecture, the Juan Alcorta winery, designed by riojan architect Ignacio Quemada in Logroño, and the Viña Real de Laguardia winery by Frenchman Philippe Maziéres.

Other signature winery projects

The Protos winery, designed by Richard Rogers in the Ribera del Duero (Peñafiel, Valladolid) is really coming along and is programmed to finish before 2009.

Norman Foster puts his name on the building that will house the Parxet winery, also in Peñafiel.

Wineries with a hotel…

One of the pioneers of enotourism in Spain is Victor Redondo, president of the wine-producing group Bodegas Arco y founder of the Haciendas de España, an association between the most prestigious Spanish wineries of the Ribera del Duero, Andalucía, the Penedés and the area know as la Rioja, that produces and commercializes high quality wines.

Renowned Wine makers and enologists, like the Marqués de Griñón, the prince Alfonso Hohenlohe, Carmelo Angulo, Antonio Olivé and Roberto Frías are involved in this project that started almost five years ago.

The Hacienda Zorita, located in Valdeverdón, Salamanca, the Hacienda Unamuno, on Fermoselle, Zamora, and the Hacienda Abascal in the Ribera de Duero, offer lodging for its winery visitors. The business model works, among other reasons, because of tranquility and beauty of the landscape and because after an great evening of wine tasting you don’t need to drive home.

Other members of the group are Casa Padua, in the medieval villa of Ledesma (Salmanca) and the Quinta de Madrid, an exclusive wine club with a boutique and art gallery (c/Lagasca, 148).

The hotel La Antigua Bodega de Don Cosme Palacio occupies the wine barrel halls of the palacio winery (Laguardia, Álava). Its rooms have been given the names of different types of grapes: Viura, Cabernet, Sauvignon, Tempranillo… The hotel gives wine tasting courses, a journey through the world of wine, and guided tour of the wine cellars.

The Viña Meín winery (Carballiño, Orense) is also considered hotel, it has 6 rooms with a minimalist design overlooking its underlying vineyards. Guests can visit the upper levels of the winery, where they can find enormous fermentation tanks, or the library, which houses a valuable collection of antique viticulture and enology books.

Adjacent to the Arzuaga Navarro winery, wall to wall with the work areas, the hotel Arzuaga (Quintanilla de Onémismo, Valladolid) is accompanied by a recreation center focused on enoturism that offers guided tours of the wineries, a directed wine tasting and participation in the grape harvest celebrations.

The minimalist styled hotel El Juncal, at the outskirts of Ronda (Málaga), shares a building with a winery run by enologist Ignacio de Miguel, the man responsible for the future of the wine that will take on the Designation of Origen (DO) of the Serranía.

More than 1112 acres of Bobal, Cabernet Sauvignon and Macabeo vineyards surround the hotel Entreviñas, belonging to the El Renegado estate (Caudete de las Fuentes, Valencia), producer of wines from the Designation of Origen (DO) of Utiel-Requena.

The hotel Duques de Medinaceli (Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz) inhabits a seventeenth century Duke’s Mansion that was a part the Terry winery complex, founded in 1865, and is recognized internationally for its brandies.

In Ribera del Duero, the Peñalba López Winery is accompanied since 2001 by the hotel Torremilanos, a classic lodge neighboring the crianza (that has spent one year in oak barrels) warehouses.

The Casa del Cofrade (Albelda de Iregua, La Rioja), a Vinícola Real winery initiative has opened its doors. Its roos a right next to a hall with 900 wine barrels. The hotel offers its guests the possibility to get hold of its wine (200 Monjes Reserva y Gran Reserva) during its crianza period, directly from its underground wine bottle cellar.

The Viñarozco winery, located on the 7200th km on the road to Manzanares, in the outskirts of Alcazar de San Juan, Valladolid, are also betting on wine tourism, and are organizing weekend getaways that include wine tasting and a stay at its charming 10 bedroom hotel.

Founded in 1987, the Viña Izadi winery in Villabuena, Álava, has a little rustic yet elegant hotel, with 11 bedrooms decorated by interior designer Pedro Foronda. And in its restaurant, home to “Club de la Barrica del buen vino”, they organize gastronomic days and wine tasting.

… and hotels with wineries

Welcoming and very familiar, the countryside hotel Villa de Ábalos has its own winery, that also supplies their restaurant. Its owners organize all sorts of wine related activities: visits to near by wineries, tastings and bike rides among the vineyards…

Posada Mayor de Migueloa (Laguardia, Ávala) has a 8-meter deep underground winery, built in 1619, that holds tastings upon reservation. It’s well worth a visit to its restaurant, where the riojan specialties are accompanied by excellent house wines specifically selected by enologist Jaime Gutiérrez.

In the same area, the hotel Villa de Laguardia offers in addition to its winery a wine boutique with the best wines of the region. A few steps away from the hotel there is an interesting wine themed activity center.

The owner of Caserío de Mozaga (Teguise, Lanzarote), a typical island farm house, also runs the El Grifo winery, the oldest winery in the Canary Islands, just about a mile away from its hotel. Guests can take a guided tour of the vineyards, enjoy a wine tasting or take home a 1956 Malvasía.