What's new in Spain: top tips from the culture editor of El País

The sculptural icon One of New York artist Dan Graham's signature pavilions made of wood, steel and glass is the improbable new icon of La Vera region, a countryside gem that Spaniards are slowly discovering. Two hours from Madrid, La Vera is home to art collectors, eccentric sculptors and gallerists and even pop stars such as Shakira, who have fallen in love with its dramatic landscape and mild climate. The next Bilbao It's not an easy task to match Bilbao's art success in the last decade, nonetheless Murcia is trying hard. The capital city of the region, thanks in part to government money, is now a hot spot for top curators. A dozen new galleries, museums and art spaces have popped up. One is La Conservera in Ceutí, a tiny town near the city. Music festivals like La Mar de Músicas (July), in Cartagena, and art biennials such as Pac Murcia (events all this year) and Manifesta 8 (19 April–19 May) have all increased the cultural pedigree of the region. The new Rioja Toro, Madrid and Bierzo are all capturing the attention of fancy restaurants' sommeliers and of highly reputed critics such as Robert Parker . These regions used to produce rough red wines, but a new generation of winemakers is putting these organic cellars on the international map. Three to watch are Tagonius winery near Madrid, Bodegas Fariña , Toro, and Bierzo's Descendientes de J Palacios. The next Ferran Adrià? Andoni Luis Adúriz is a Basque cook, restaurant owner, gastronomic opinion-former and alumnus of the greatest of them all, Ferran Adrià. Adúriz's Mugaritz (in Renteria, with three Michelin stars) is rated as the world's fourth-best by Restaurant magazine. A fire destroyed the kitchen, but it will reopen in June. The rebuilding of his stove has been passionately documented in a blog .