Villa Ardore guest terrace, Tuscany
Vintage wine is always a treat, especially when you have the opportunity to drink it on site and spend a night or two immersed in the winery experience. These newly renovated and updated destinations offer the full winery visit experience along with luxe amenities such as a spa and cooking classes or farm-to-table meals and 18 holes of golf. Here’s where to fill your wine glass with some of the most updated, renovated wine country resort experiences for 2023.
Guestroom at Castelfalfi Resort
A member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, this sprawling Tuscan escape debuted a newly-renovated estate this year. The resort sits in the heart of a medieval village that is surrounded by 2,700 acres of protected vineyards, olive groves, lakes and a wildlife preserve. Here, it’s a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure setup with the option to book (or buy) one of the upscale villas or farmhouses. Or, you can simply go the standard route and reserve a room or suite in one of their two boutique luxury hotels.
Regardless of the choice, you’ll get a perfect hybrid of modern-day luxury laced with historic charm. The resort offers some of the best 18 holes in Tuscany on its 27-hole golf course, as well as a spa, three restaurants, 61 acres of vineyards, a winery and an olive farm. Wine tasting and exploring, of course, is always on offer – this is Tuscany after all.
More private hideaway than hotel, Villa Ardore is a newly-renovated, quintessential 16th-century Tuscan stone farmhouse located in the heart of the Chianti wine region. Transformed into a luxurious eight-room residence, the experience here is all about intimacy.
Start a typical day with fresh eggs from the estate hens, relax in the afternoon by the heated infinity pool and dine that evening on dishes prepared with ingredients sourced from the estate and paired with some of Tuscany’s finest hand-picked wines from their wine cellar. The resort is the triumph of California-based attorney Christian Scali and screenwriter Stephen Lewis—it’s worth noting that Lewis was instrumental (as part of the counsel for the City of West Hollywood) in legalizing gay marriage in California in 2008. Together, they worked with leading Florence architect Massimo Pieratelli to bring the project to fruition.
Como Le Montrachet guestroom
The family-owned Como Hotels & Resorts made their debut in France this spring with the opening of Como Le Montrachet. The design-focused brand utterly transformed an 18th-century property into a tranquil wine country escape with thirty rooms spread across three historic buildings. It’s located right in the heart of one of Burgundy’s most famed wine regions—the Côte-d’Or—and is an ideal starting point for wine exploring in Burgundy.
Surrounded by vineyards, you’ll have easy access to wineries (but will definitely need a car or a driver to get you around). The hotel’s 17,000+-bottle wine cellar is a treasure trove of Burgundian wine, and the restaurant, Le Montrachet, specializes in fine French cuisine. Dishes feature marvelous regional specialties such as locally-sourced Charolais beef and are modified seasonally.
Chile’s wine country is easily accessible from Santiago, and with the recent debut of seven freshly renovated and ultra-luxurious new casitas at Clos Apalta, it’s a must-see. The winery spent the past three years building and renovating, bringing a fresh new look that has foundations in landscape architecture, seamlessly integrating the comforts of luxury into the surroundings. Think glass walls, stone and wood finishes and enviable hillside perches that overlook the valley.
Each new casita is comprised of three individual spaces—a living area, a grand bedroom and a spa-like bathroom. A newly built demonstration kitchen is also available for cooking and mixology classes (they also distill Pisco). Three-course meals paired with wines are included in the stay, and endless vineyard views (with the Andes as your background) invite exploration on foot or by bike.