Elciego – Zieko

In 1067 the existence of a population called El Zieko was documented. Like the rest of the community, in the year 1200 the Castilians expelled the Navarrese, incorporating Álava to their kingdom. Elciego was dependent village of Laguardia until 1583, when bought its independence and King Felipe II recognized it as a village.  The population used the King’s shield as he granted them the villazgo (royal burgh privileges). Since the 17^th century wine activity began to emerge as the main source of wealth of the town. Between the 18^th and 19^th centuries of the history of Elciego, the village definitely stood out as the main producer of wine in the area. The economic prosperity that came from the oenologist business was translated into the urbanism of the town, in which numerous stately homes and palaces with coats of arms and sumptuous iron balconies were built.

From the end of the 18^th century, there was a modernization of production, achieved thanks to the efforts of institutions such as the Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País (Royal Basque Society of Friends of the Country). This trend was reinforced years later with private initiatives such as those of Camilo Hurtado, Marquis of Riscal (Marqués de Riscal), who opened his famous winery in 1860, using production methods from the area of Bordeaux.

Nowadays, life in Elciego continues to revolve around wine, having been able to combine this wine culture with tourism at the same time. Wine, its world and its cellars, are a main tourist attraction, which offers visitors a number of unique experiences related to its cultivation, its production and, of course, its tasting.

Most of the wineries are located on the outskirts of the town, and among them, Marqués de Riscal stands out, which has become the physical symbol of Elciego thanks to its modern structure, in which Frank Gehry, also architect of the famous Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao has also collaborated.

In 1998, Marqués de Riscal promoted the idea of creating a space for leisure around the 17^th century historic winery, which he named La Ciudad del Vino (The City of Wine). The aim is to make the wine, its history, culture and philosophy, well-known and the modern building of Gehry, inaugurated in 2006, is part of it. Nowadays, a hotel, it was built from a composition of rectilinear prisms that float upon the floor thanks to three big columns that support the whole building. It is actually a gorgeous metallic structure of titanium, twisted and colored in pink, gold and silver. At daylight, it reflects the reddish tones of the red wine, the gold of the mesh and the silver of the bottle cap of the Marqués de Riscal wine. The complex is complemented by various facilities such as a meeting, conference and banquet center, a restaurant and a Spa where, where visitors can experience enjoy a wine therapy, experiencing the therapeutic qualities of La Rioja wines on their skin. Access to the cellar is permitted.

Other wineries that can be visited: Aladro, Bauza, Diez Caballero, Luberri, Murua, Pago de Larrea, Rojanda, Valdelana, Viña Salceda, Viñadores Artesanos and Antion.

Art lovers also have a lot to see in Elciego, wandering through its well-marked streets, linked together by picturesque alleys full of palaces and emblazoned stone houses. The Parish Church of San Andrés (16^th century), a Gothic-Renaissance building with a single nave located on the banks of the River Mayor, is the building that stands out among Elciego’s historic artistic heritage. Take some time to admire the Neoclassical sacristy, with its two pentagonal towers and the series of lowered arches over the portico. Inside, it is worth stopping in front of its Main Altarpiece (17^th century), located upon a scalloped shell, totally polychrome covering the entire wall. The choir is plateresque, simple and elegant. As a curious fact we should mention that at the time of its construction it was necessary to level the church with a platform due to the unevenness of the ground at the place where it was erected. Therefore, its view from the perspective of the river is impressive.

The Town Hall, which presides over Plaza Mayor, was built during the 17^th century following the pattern of buildings with a portico and highlighting in its facade a colorful coat of arms. On its sides there are two semicircular archs that are used as doors and could be the remains of the previous town hall. In front of it we see the 18^th century Hermitage of Our Lady of the Plaza (Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Plaza) , built upon another 16^th century Gothic octagonal building in which the Romanesque-Gothic image of Virgen de la Plaza, patron saint of the town, was found.

Among the numerous palaces in the village, several stand out, such as the Zarate Nabar Palace, from the 18^th century, with excellent samples of blacksmith work on the balconies of its main facade; or the Navarrete Ladrón de Guevara Palace or Casa de los Hierros (House of Irons), in Calle del Norte, birth house of the once bishop of Mondoñedo and archbishop of Burgos, Francisco Manuel Navarrete Ladron de Guevara. It’s a baroque mansion that has an impressive straight-lined balcony with corner base through its façade, supported by several iron cartouches that rest on the stones. The Ramírez de la Piscina Palace, in Calle del Barco, is another perfect example of civil architecture, declared Qualified Cultural Property. Its carved wooden eaves, its forge balconies and its large corner shield really capture the imagination. In addition, it has a cellar located in the basements made by concatenating half-barrel vaults and pointed finished in voussoirs of elongated ashlars. This winery has galleries that go under the property, crossing the street and ending in the opposite block, where wine is still made.

In the northwest corner of the town is the Roll of Justice, erected to commemorate the independence of Laguardia, in 1583. Along with the emancipation, the monarch Felipe II provided gallows, knife, stocks and pillory as insignia of authority to Elciego. For this reason, we can contemplate La Picota or Pollo, a column topped by a truncated cone that represents the power that the village had acquired to exercise social and civil justice.

If we want to combine our visit with good atmosphere and the bustle of the festivities, we can visit Elciego at the beginning of September, coinciding with the feast of the Virgen de la Plaza, on the 8th, in which native dances are performed accompanied by the sound of the pipers and the tamboril (some kind of drum). Wine is also the reason for another of Elciego’s most outstanding festivities: La Fiesta de la Vendimia de Rioja, which takes place every year in mid-November, culminating with Thanksgiving, at the end of the same month. The celebration is dedicated to the Alava wine tasting. It attracts a large number of people, several Jota (Spanish folkloric) shows and Basque rural sports.