Basque Country in the northeast of Spain, is a strikingly beautiful region, where green, thickly wooded mountains and hills dominate the landscape. A mostly rocky and wild coastline shelters the land from the Atlantic Ocean. The hillsides close to the sea are famous for the Txacoli vineyards, producing a fresh, lightly sparkling white wine low in alcohol but with good acidity. But perhaps the most renowned aspect of Basque Country is its cuisine: a plethora of innovative chefs have been creating innovative dishes of local ingredients for decades. The high quality of the frequently Michelin starred fine restaurants of this region is one of the pillars of the current international prestige of Spanish cuisine.

Basque Country is well-known too for its elegant and historic cities like Bilbao and San Sebastian. There are also notable lesser known historic towns like Victoria, Hondariba and Tolosa.

With a superb natural setting around a beautiful semicircular bay, San Sebastian may be one of Spain most appealing cities. The charming old town core and the Beaux-Arts quarters around it are awash with pinxtos (Basque-style tapas) bars serving creative and delectable finger food. Here traditional bar food is often elevated to a fine art. Then there is a constellation of classy one, two and three Michelin-starred restaurants, located in and around the city. San Sebastian is a delight for anyone who loves to eat.

The region’s biggest city, Bilbao, is real urban success story. Here one encounters striking contemporary, neo-classical, Beaux-Arts and medieval architecture, agreeably blended. It is also a serious food town with Michelin stars as well as a large number of pinxtos bars serving often extraordinarily innovative finger food.

Navarra is a small but delightfully diverse region in Northern Spain situated between Basque Country, Aragon and Rioja. For many centuries it was an independent kingdom, and these days it is a semi-autonomous province of Spain, where that independent feeling is still palpable. From the cool northern mountains to the dry more Mediterranean climate of the south, Navarra offers a landscape of forests and vineyards, whereby the hills are dotted with castles and medieval towns, like Estella and Tudela.

Tempranillo and Garnacha are the grape varietals we see most commonly planted, often leading to the production of serious red wines. The smaller, artisan produces often produce the finest wines, mostly with Garnacha, which local winemakers often refer to as the “Pinot Noir” of Spain. The region is renowned too for the quality for the freshness and quality of its agricultural produce. Peppers, beans, tomatoes and artichokes are favorites, grown in the warm south of the region. Stewed artichokes with soft cooked egg, tuna topped with Navarra tomatoes and braised oxtail with fresh peas are local favorite dishes.

Pamplona, the capital of the region, is worth a detour. It is a picturesque and atmospheric university town. Within the impressive city walls one finds a compact medieval center with some grand monuments, ancient streets, elegant squares and some good museums and galleries. One eats very well here too, both in traditional restaurant as well at the many tapas bars.

Rioja is Spain’s most famous wine producing area, located in the province of the same name. The region has a centuries old tradition of wine making. With the arrival of French merchants in the late 19^th century, Rojas’ name really took off, as the area gained expertise from Bordelaise winemakers, including their use of small oak barrels.

This beautiful wine region with its beguiling landscapes is divided into 3 vine growing areas, all producing rather different wines. In Rioja Baja, the Granacha grape variety thrives in warm, relatively low altitudes. Then there are the higher, cooler districts of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, where the Tempranillo and Graciano grapes flourish. The majority of Riojas are red but some white are made too, the main white grape varieties are Viura and Malvasía. There is a lot of good Rioja wine, but one can argue the most distinctive wines are made by vineyard-designated wine producers.

Rioja has some charming towns and villages. Places like Laguardia, Briones and Cenicero are charming historic hilltop settlements, overlooking the wide expanses of vineyards and forests, with high mountains as a dramatic backdrop.

Logroño, around 300 kilometers from Madrid, is Rioja’s capital and economical centre as well as its largest city. It is a pleasant place, with a charming old town, the “casco antiguo”, the epicenter of a busy tapas scene with many tabernas serving perfect local food and wines. Also worth a detour is the town of Haro, a lively little place, on the banks of the Ebro River. Already in the 19th century Haro had become one of the most important wine cities in Spain, as many companies established their bodega (winery) in or around the town.

When it comes to local gastronomy, this wine region has many simple but delicious treats. Rioja’s classic dishes include slow-roasted lamb over vine prunings, conjonudo (chorizo with egg and red pepper served on bread) and patatas a la riojana (potatoes with chorizo). A staple too is the menestra de verduras, sautéed local spring vegetables mixed with diced serrano ham.