Wine tourism is growing in popularity across the globe, particularly as travel becomes possible once again. For those eager to escape the office for some far-flung vineyard, here are 10 destinations to stay from all four corners of the wine world.
Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, Champagne, France
The number of experiences this 47-room hotel offers is staggering: horse riding, hot air ballooning, river trips, fighter jet flights (yes, really) and pilates, to name a few. But, let’s be honest – if you’re in Champagne, it’s for one reason in particular. Chauffeur-driven tours of the region, with plenty of opportunities to taste the world’s most famous sparkling wines, are available. One package, tied in with Champagne Philipponnat’s 500th anniversary this year, includes a bottle on arrival, breakfast at La Bellevue restaurant, dinner at Le Royal Gastronomic Restaurant and a visit to Philipponnat’s Clos de Goisses vineyard. If you would rather just enjoy the room, the phones have a ‘Champagne, please’ room service button too. Rooms start around the €600 per night mark.
Lapostolle Residence, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, as her middle name suggests, has family in the Cognac business. However, it was on a visit to Chile that she decided to embark on the path of viticulture in South America. The wines from Clos Apalta have been lauded, with db editor-in-chief Patrick Schmitt MW referring to them as a “high point” of Chilean fine wine. The accommodation at the estate is also a high end offering. With views of the vineyards and the mountains, the property is actually the Marnier Lapostolle private residence, giving visitors a “uniquely personal experience”, according to president and CEO Charles de Bournet Marnier Lapostolle. There’s also a restaurant and state of the art tasting room housed within for good measure.
Spier Hotel, Stellenbosch, South Africa
A glass of wine on arrival and a full English breakfast the following morning is a recipe for happiness wherever you are in the world, but it’s that much better when it’s at one of South Africa’s oldest wineries. Spier Wine Farm recently joined the Freixenet Copestick portfolio, coinciding with its 330th anniversary. But the hotel is very much a place of pleasure, not business, for guests, with ample opportunity to paddle in one of the six pools before wining and dining the night away. It also offers a ‘Family Getaway Package’, with a kid’s clubhouse to keep those too young to enjoy the winery occupied.
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