BILBAO, Spain - Fixed Departure Tours Architectural Gourmet Wine Tour October 21 - 24, 2008 Northern Spain: Bilbao Tours & Transfers Main | Spain Tours & Transfers | Bilbao Fixed Departure Tours Visit one of the most famous and prestigious wine regions in the world, La Rioja, internationally known for its acclaimed wines and gastronomy and now emerging as a capital of avant-garde winery architecture. Enjoy amazing food and outstanding wines, and visit wine estates designed by innovative, international architects such as Frank Gehry, Santiago Calatrava and Zaha Hadid. These architects have been praised for incorporating artistic elements drawn straight from the vineyard into their designs, such as Gehry's tumbling streams of titanium, or Calatrava's undulating pleated roof. This juxtaposition of rich history and local heritage with "the shock of the new" truly gives Rioja a unique character. To step back in time is an amazing travel experience. To step back in time and look into wild possibilities of the future is even better! Day 1, October 21: 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Pickup at Bilbao airport, and transfer to Haro and the Los Agustinos Hotel, built as a convent in 1373 and located in the historic center. 9:00 - 11:00 p.m. Welcome dinner in the hotel's impressive courtyard, featuring typical Riojan cuisine. Day 2, October 22: 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Buffet breakfast at the hotel. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Guided tour of one of the oldest wines estates in Europe, López de Heredia, by one of the members of the Heredia family. Learn the tradition of making fine wines, followed by wine tasting. ARCHITECTURE: Built 129 years ago, the wine estate has preserved some of its original architectural oddities: a windmill, a gingerbread observation tower and a cooperage where artisans used archaic tools to make wine barrels. Zaha Hadid, one of the world's premier architects and a winner of the Pritzker prize, was commissioned by the family to design a freestanding tasting room and shop. Hadid wrapped a carved-wood kiosk - a López de Heredia sales booth at the 1910 World's Fair in Brussels - in sinuous gold-tinted steel. As shiny as a luxury yacht hull, it's shaped like a decanter and furnished with Hadid-designed benches made of wine-colored Corian. 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Guided tour of Marques de Riscal wine estate and hotel, with wine tasting. A pioneer in the Rioja wine region, Riscal wines have earned distinguished international awards. ARCHITECTURE: The Marques de Riscal hotel, designed and built by Frank O. Gehry, one of the world's most renowned architects and author of works of art like the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, merges a deep rooted wine growing tradition with twenty-first century avant-garde design. The hotel's spectacular curves, titanium roof and asymmetry of walls provide an elegant contrast to the historic wine cellars designed in 1858 by the architect Ricardo Bellsola. 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Enjoy a truly outstanding gourmet lunch at the acclaimed Marques de Riscal winery, tasting the creative and traditional Basque-Riojan cuisine of Michelin star chef Francis Paniego. 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Guided tour by a local expert of one of the most astonishing medieval towns in Europe. Walk the narrow cobble stone streets, enjoy stunning views of the surrounding vineyards and Cantabrian Mountains, and visit its small wine/food shops and bars. 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Transfer to Logrono, the capital of Rioja, and check-in to Hotel Marques de Vallejo, a boutique hotel in the historic center of town. Evening free Day 3, October 23: 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Buffet breakfast. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Private guided tour of Bodegas Viña Real, a winery designed for the production, aging and bottling of the Viña Real range of wines, using the most innovative methods of production. ARCHITECTURE: French architect Philippe Mazieres has combined the concepts of man, nobility and modernity with the use of concrete, wood and stainless-steel, the main components of this new cellar, an enormous building in the shape of an oak vat, made of Red Cedar wood from Canada. 12:15 - 1:00 p.m. Visit the fabulous Remelluri Estate, known for its successful blending of modern technology with traditional wine-making methods. One of the few Chateaux-style wineries in Rioja, it is located at the base of the spectacular Cantabrian Mountains. 1:15 - 3:30 p.m. Enjoy a superb typical local lunch accompanied by Remelluri wines, in a beautiful setting overlooking the vineyards. 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Private guided tour of the Ysios wine estate, producer of one of the best wines in Rioja, with wine tasting. ARCHITECTURE: Ysios is the work of another world-famous architect, Spaniard Santiago Calatrava, who designed the wing-like Milwaukee Art Museum and most recently the $2-billion Ground Zero Transportation Hub in New York. Wave-shaped cedar walls topped with a series of folded aluminum slats reflect the Cantabrian mountains behind them, almost to appearing to move in place and completely integrated into the surrounding landscape. The winery surprises and fascinates everyone who visits. 6:00 p.m. Return to Logrono and enjoy either a free evening or an optional tapas tour. 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. (Optional) Guided tapas tour of the best tapas in the area. Sample authentic food while mixing with the locals, a highly enjoyable experience. Day 4, October 24: 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Buffet breakfast at the hotel. 9:30 a.m. Depart for Bilbao 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Private guided visit of the Guggenheim Museum. ARCHITECTURE: Designed by Canadian architect Frank O. Gehry, this commanding building has the presence of a huge sculpture set against the backdrop of the city. Hailed as the first great building of the 21st century, this unique structure is clad in titanium, and is virtually without right angles or flat walls. 12:45 p.m. Transfer to Bilbao airport. Tour Includes: One night in a 4 star historic hotel, formerly a convent Two nights in a boutique hotel Transportation, including round trip airport transfers A dedicated expert guide for the entire tour Breakfast daily Five exclusive wine estate visits Three premium wine tastings Two gourmet lunches with wine Welcome dinner with wine Guided walking tour of a medieval village Private guided visit to the Guggenheim museum All entrances and fees A bottle of wine with your personal label Tax The following is not included: Travel Insurance Flights Meals not specified Optional tours (to be paid directly by the client) Tips Personal expenses Rate, per person, per night: $ 532 double occupancy $ 580 single occupancy