Briones is one of Spain’s most beautiful medieval villages and is also home to the superb Vivanco bodega- museum. Named after a local Rioja word that means “to scrape the plate clean”, “allegar” is the perfect way to define the approach to food at this restaurant inside the Santa María Briones hotel, where the culinary focus is on an updated take on Rioja cooking, featuring intense flavours and even the occasional hint of trompe-l’oeil. The restaurant is also home to an old and typical wine cellar, known locally as a “calado”.