Laguardia

Laguardia sits on a ridge above the Ebro plain with the Sierra de Cantabria behind, enclosed by medieval walls with five gates, and the ground beneath it is hollow: from the fifteenth century families dug cellars under their houses, seven to ten metres down, for making and storing wine, and around three hundred survive, several open for tastings. Because of them, traffic is banned inside the walls, since vibration threatens the vaults. The church of Santa Maria de los Reyes has a Gothic portal of about 1400 with polychrome sculpture preserved under a later porch, its original paint largely intact, unusual in Spain. The surrounding Rioja Alavesa holds architect-designed wineries by Gehry, Calatrava and Zaha Hadid.

What you actually see

• The underground cellars - around three hundred hand-dug wine vaults.
• The painted portal - a Gothic doorway with its original polychromy.
• The walled village - five gates and a car-free centre.
• The designer wineries - Gehry, Calatrava and Hadid buildings nearby.

When to go

April to June and September to November; harvest in September and October is the liveliest. The church portal is seen on a guided tour at set times. Summer on the Ebro plain is hot.

Honest expectations

Cars cannot enter the walls and parking outside fills at weekends. Cellar visits are individually arranged and many are small family operations requiring booking. The portal is behind a locked porch and needs the tour.

Nearby

The Rioja Alavesa wineries surround the village; Logrono lies seventeen kilometres south.