Flash Offer €29.95 1 yearSTOCK MARKET REPORT The Ibex tries to reach the ECB above 8,000 points.PÓDCASTLa Primera de Expansión on Spain's rebellion against Brussels, Euribor and the best pension plans.Welcome to the house of the Entrecanales.The family of businessmen opens in Laguardia (Álava) the first hotel that is offered in Spain completely and by invitation.Gonzalo Entrecanales, president of the family winery company, guides us through the accommodation, a jewel of the oenological history of our country.It has taken us just under four hours to get from Madrid to Laguardia, a medieval town, land of wine and capital of La Rioja Alavesa.There, between the Sierra de Cantabria and the Ebro valley, and just 500 meters after leaving behind the town's walled area, we take the detour that indicates Cosme Palacio, the second oldest winery in the area, founded in 1894 by Cosme Palace and Bermejillo.Mythical name in the country's oenological history, it is part of Entrecanales Domecq e Hijos, a family company that was founded in 1986 and that brings together five wineries in as many appellations of origin (Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Toro and Valdeorras).The company, which became independent a year ago from Acciona, a company chaired by José Manuel Entrecanales, has 1,215 hectares of vineyards and a production capacity of 24 million liters per year that they sell in 40 countries.Almudena Alberca operates as oenological director, the first and only woman with the title of Master of Wine in Spain.At the head of this winery conglomerate is Gonzalo Entrecanales Carrión (Madrid, 1992), the second of José Manuel's four children, a graduate in Economics and with previous work experience in the world of banking and investment in New York and London.But the pandemic brought him back to Spain and here he has stayed, a year ago becoming president of Entrecanales Domecq e Hijos.He is also our host in his latest great project: La Casa Cosme Palacio.This establishment joins two other hotel novelties related to wine tourism in this area of ​​La Rioja Alavesa.Just four months ago, the Santa María Briones was inaugurated, 16 rooms in a 16th century building, in the town of Briones (already in La Rioja, 21 km from Laguardia).And in the spring of last year, another family related to the world of wine, the Rothschilds, opened Samaniego Luxury Resort, a four-star palace in Samaniego, 9 km from La Casa Cosme Palacio.What is new, and not only in that region, but throughout Spain, is the way in which it will be managed.This building already functioned for a few years as a hotel.In fact, in 1991 it was the first winery in Rioja Alavesa to open its historic facilities as tourist accommodation."We continued to operate it like this until 2014. At the end of that year we closed it to do a major renovation in the house, but also in the entire winery, in machinery, in production methods, in the facilities...", explains Gonzalo Entrecanales .Once concluded, they have not just found a philosophy that fit completely with the group's strategy.They decide to keep it closed since 2016, and during this time it is only used by the family, some clients and little else.Until in 2021 they find that idea they were looking for."We didn't want to lose the sense of closeness, of things that were well cared for, of what we had been enjoying for five or six years," says Entrecanales.That is when they announce the first accommodation in Spain that works entirely under invitation.The request can be made by phone or through the web, and it is enough to give the name and the dates that interest us.Then the owners contact the interested party to find out what type of visit they want to make, how many people would go, what tastes they have, what other similar visits they have been able to make... "We want to filter in some way who goes because for us the most important thing is to maintain the essence of the site. It is a beautiful house with few rooms. We are not doing it to turn it into the business of the century, but we do want those who go to remember it for life", says the president of the company."In this way we can control how the guests are, we can offer them something more special, we flee from the concept that money buys everything".They make it clear that the determining factor is not the price, it is the interest.From the company they have begun to send their own invitations -to clients and direct contacts of the family- "to thank them for their commitment to our wines, giving them the opportunity to enjoy this great experience," he insists.The stone building, divided into three floors, was a winemaking center until 1970, maintaining the original structure.Thus, the deposit room is preserved (with twenty enormous containers embedded in the walls), or the room with six centuries-old openwork (or galleries) of ashlar stone that were used until 1977, and that "were minced by the same workers who made those of the Marqués de Riscal", according to Soledad Galar, responsible for visits to the winery, something that is only open to guests because "the important thing is the privacy of the house".You can also visit the museum, located in the old stables, and where tools used to make wine (presses, scales, stoves, ploughs, corking machines, old box staplers, trawl stoves, sailboats) have been collected. ...), and the historic bottle rack, on the ground floor of the hotel.After the reform, the house offers 13 rooms (four of them suites, and one of the rooms on the ground floor is adapted).Each one of them has its own style, although with much in common: spacious, noble materials, neutral colours, lots of light... Nothing is ostentatious, they have sought to value the essence of a place where between six and 12 people, depending on the season.Following the philosophy of the family business, maximum sustainability has been sought.Thus, for example, in the bathrooms, the amenities are from the Aesop brand, which only uses pure oils and natural ingredients.The rooms are spread over the three floors (there is an elevator) and the views can be of the Ebro valley or the new winery area.There are also three rooms, one of them on the ground floor that opens to the outside in the area through which carts loaded with grapes historically entered.Those who book a stay, from 5,000 euros a day depending on the number of people and the season, have what they have called "Courtesy of the House" service.With the same facilities as a five-star hotel, and a 24-hour butler, this includes breakfast, appetizers, lunch and dinner in its different rooms (for example, you can organize a meal in the centenary vineyard, bring lunch from excursion in picnic format, a pairing dinner in the historic cellars or requesting an outdoor barbecue).The wines, except for some vintages, and other drinks are also included in the price, as well as a visit to the winery and a tasting with the house winemaker, José Tejedor, with whose advice a coupage can be prepared to suit the guest.You also have access to the gym, equipped with Technogym machines, to the e-bike service, and to other options, such as "star-gazing" sessions during the summer season.So far the all inclusive.For other preferences, there is María de la Villa, the guest manager, who is in charge of making sure that "everything that the guests order happens."This ranges from getting a helicopter (there is a helipad 6km away) to dinner at Akelarre, bringing a Michelin star chef to cook at the house, taking a horse ride around the area, attending sunrise yoga classes. .. "Everything is possible if you ask in time," says this Madrilenian who moves to Laguardia whenever there are guests staying.During our visit we are served lunch at a long table set up next to the old wine cellars on the ground floor.It is a menu from Venta Moncalvillo (the restaurant of the Echapresto Brothers with a Michelin star located in Daroca de Rioja, just over 20 km from the house).From the premises they are responsible for bringing table linen, crockery and cutlery and the team of waiters.The menu consisted of natural asparagus with toasted garlic mayonnaise;Beef tenderloin with vegetables and, for dessert, Barrel of chocolate with textures.The wines, El Aeronauta 2020 and Cosme Palacio Reserva 2016. Guests can order lunches and dinners from Venta Moncalvillo, or from the nearby Echaurren de Ezcaray, although only in catering format.Although they already have reservations, there are still options to visit the property.Probably, the time with the greatest demand will be the harvest weeks.During those days it is planned to organize lunches in the vineyard fields, where guests will be able to choose the best bunches and taste the first must that comes out of the traditional press."That time is very special, but it is also the time when there are more people moving around the property, it can rain... it depends on what you are looking for. We adapt the experiences to the time of year and the size of the group, but You have to keep in mind that a meal in the vineyard for 26 is still a little less special than a dinner under the stars for six," says Gonzalo.The person in charge is clear about what potential visitors are like."This is a place for everyone. The beauty of this project is that it can be used to celebrate a family event; to live a quiet experience in nature in which you taste some great wines and have the privacy of a closed place; also you can come with friends to go on excursions, and then eat wonderfully in the bars or restaurants of Laguardia or Labastida... But it is equally perfect to celebrate a work convention.We have very large facilities, with meeting rooms in very special spaces , in rooms that are like a house, and at the end of the meeting you are in a perfect environment for team building", continues Entrecanales.We said goodbye asking about the profitability of such a romantic project."The economic sustainability of any business is important and the objective is to make money. That said, it is not the only motivation. Our idea is that it be a good business but above all durable, and that it build on the image and strategy of all our wineries, from Cosme Palacio first, but from Entrecanales Domecq and sons later".In 1987, Jean Gervais, at the time heading the management of the winery, and the oenologist Michel Rolland decided to found the Club de Amigos de Cosme Palacio with the idea, in the French way, that anonymous members could acquire the edition wine limited "Cosme Palacio Selection of Barrels" that is made only for the members of the club.Today there are 568 members who are entitled to 150 barrels per year.Its wines rest in a privileged area of ​​the cellar, are made with selected vineyards and mature in French oak barrels, which are released every year.© 2022 Editorial Unit Economic Information SLSign up for our newsletters