La Rioja may be known for many things, but if something takes the biscuit in this northern community of Spain it is wine. So when the French in Bordeaux invented beauty therapies using the liquid of the god Bacchus as the main element, La Rioja decided that they could also jump on the bandwagon of treatments featuring wine. Wine therapy is based on the antioxidant properties of wine and polyphenols, molecules with the ability to neutralize free radicals. These are responsible for cell oxidation, i.e. aging. So the idea is that skin application of the best Riojas can prevent growing older as much as delighting the palate. A good treatment in this new technique should start with c

  The Spanish businessman and hotel magnate Kike Sarasola says guests only look for a hotel to sleep, have breakfast and shower. But this is only sometimes true. Sometimes the property becomes an experience in itself and adds a fourth element: enjoyment. The wine hotels are the best example. Sleeping between barrels is fashionable. The traveller’s profile is national and their stay is usually limited to short trips or weekends. These are guests who are not satisfied with uncorking a bottle; they want to see the vintage, tour the wineries and see firsthand the preparation of the alcoholic broth. And the hotel-wineries have used their imagination to show them the magic of