Rioja Alavesa Hotel

Calle Mayor s/n, Villabuena de Alava, Rioja Alavesa, Spain

Building a design-led hotel in an area that is home to some of Spain’s most striking contemporary buildings didn’t faze the team behind the Viura, a new boutique property in the heart of Rioja Alavesa. But, then again, the hotel – named after the region’s most important white grape and located in the sleepy village of Villabuena de Alava – somehow fits right in with the likes of Frank Gehry’s creation at the Marqués de Riscal (Rioja’s oldest winery) and Zaha Hadid’s modern tasting room at the historic Bodega, López de Heredia. Boxy and bold, this concrete complex of 33 rooms – with huge picture windows and roofs studded with plants – stands dramatically alongside an ancient parish church. Inside, the hotel is unexpectedly cosy; with a wood stove in the lobby bar and plenty of oversized seating. What at first look like untreated concrete walls are in fact sealed and polished to a high shine; reclaimed and dismembered wine barrels are put to good use throughout. Open-plan rooms have vast beds and modern chaises lounges thick with scatter cushions; curtains and blinds separate the spaces – including the ‘bathroom’. In the restaurant, a hearty, multi-course Basque Country menu of dishes such as green bean stew, potatoes and chorizo and pears in red wine are paired with local wines, including some from Villa Buena. Take a nightcap on the panoramic roof terrace: the views of the village are magical – and what the locals are looking back on is pretty special too. Doubles from €125 with breakfast

Why go? Visit in October to see the grape harvest. Bodegas Baigorri (bodegasbaigorri.com) nearby remains open so you can see grapes being processed for fermentation.