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Riscal winery

Ask a group of leading international wine writers which country has made the most progress over the last few years and the answer that usually comes back is Spain. Some time ago, the great US wine critic Robert Parker predicted that Spain would be the next big thing on the world wine stage - and he was right.

In a recent edition of his Wine Advocate publication, he pointed out that his Spanish tastings "were the most exciting in 26 years". As a result he lavished a series of scores in the high 90s on dozens of exciting new and, in some cases, virtually unheard of wines.

On this side of the Atlantic, the praise has been just as fulsome. Decanter Magazine's Steven Spurrier has also described Spain as "the most interesting wine country in the world, at this moment".

Similarly, Jancis Robinson argued in the FT, "that it is difficult to think of another country whose wines have changed as radically in the last five years".

Certainly the pace of change has been nothing short of breathtaking in terms of investment, sales and quality. At first, it was led by places like Priorat, Penedes, Galicia, Ribera del Duero and Somontano. But in more recent years, up and coming regions include the likes of Castille y Leon, Jumilla, Toro, Bierzo and Campo de Borja are also grabbing their share of plaudits.

But what about Rioja? Where does the great Spanish Master sit within all this pioneering progress? For a while, Spain's most traditional and best-known region did tread water and possibly traded too much on its name and reputation. But more recently, it has been stung into action, partly by the step change in local competition.

Now a growing vanguard of more forward-thinking Rioja producers, such as Martinez Bujanda, Remelluri, Roda and Bodegas Palacio are also creating a host of ground-breaking reds with more fruit expression and less oak ageing.

In addition, some are dispensing with tradition by producing single vineyard wines rather than classically blending from the three Rioja regions. Others have even done away with its historic classification system of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva categories.

But even if you prefer old-style Rioja there is still plenty of choice and quality on offer from producers like Lopez de Heredia, La Rioja Alta, CVNE and Marques de Murrieta. Equally, Bodegas like Marques de Murrieta, Navajas and Marques de Riscal have been able to combine the best of both worlds, ancient and modern - to great effect.

Moreover, this combination isn't just reflected in the wines, but also in some iconic architectural projects that have literally helped transform the image and landscape of modern Spanish wine.

One example is the stunning Ysios winery at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria in Rioja. But the most dramatic is surely the new Frank Gehry hotel, which is part of the new City of Wine complex at Marques de Riscal, also in Rioja.

Riscal's heritage dates back to 1860, and is one of Spain's most revered wine producers. However, one look at Gehry's latest construction, with shades of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, shows that this producer is definitely not stuck in the past.

Instead, it has managed to build on its history, while looking very much to the future. If ever there was a physical metaphor for the current, dynamic state of Spanish wine, this is undoubtedly it.

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8:57am Friday 9th March 2007

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