Travel

These are the best vacation spotsfor wine lovers

image of a hotel with a bed shaped like a wine barrel

Give us wine and give us a night away and we are in glory. It just so happens that our friends from online food magazine FavorFlav combine the two into a delicious list.

If you love wine, then these grape escapes are really something for you. From a weekend break to a longer vacation and from America to Portugal, these are the best places to drink and experience wine.

Just around the corner from San Francisco, California

In California, about an hour and a half drive from San Francisco, Francis Ford Coppola not only makes world-famous films but also world-famous wine. And he presents it in a delightful way. At his winery, you will find among other things a swimming pool – and the cabanas by the pool sell out faster in the summer season than tickets for the Champions League Final. Swum out? Then dive into the film museum, complete with the desk of mafia boss Corleone and other famous film props. And then: a wine tasting. Definitely try: the Director’s Cut Chardonnay, with a label like a… film reel!

hotels with rooms decorated with wine and such

Sleeping in a wine barrel, swimming in the carafe, Portugal

Port is undoubtedly Portugal's greatest asset. The wine comes from the Douro Valley, one of the most spectacular wine landscapes in the world, but is named after the port city of Porto. Here, enormous quantities of port are maturing in the cool cellars. The wine cellar of The Yeatman Hotel houses one of the largest port collections in the world. And of course, you can taste it here, with a bizarrely beautiful view over the old city. You swim in a life-sized carafe, and you can sleep in a wine barrel. Kitch or corny? A bit, but it's fun (and super chic!).

hotels with rooms decorated with wine and such

An architectural masterpiece, Spain

The Spanish winery Marqués de Riscal insisted on top architect Frank Gehry for the makeover of the old bodega from 1858. To please Gehry, famous for ‘his’ Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, he received a bottle of Rioja from his birth year 1929. And it worked: with his elegant design for the five-star hotel as an addition to the bodega, the oldest wine house in Rioja became completely future-proof. The ribbon-like titanium and stainless steel plates mimic flowing wine, dining is with a star. And a glass of Rioja, of course. The red pearl of Spain.

hotels with rooms decorated with wine and such

Barolo and truffles, Italy

In late autumn, it is even more delightful in the Northern Italian Piedmont, famous for the wines Barolo and Barbaresco, than the rest of the year. Not only because the hilly landscape around the Langhe, with the medieval villages on the peaks, is colored in flames by the high vines. But especially because this is the period of the white truffle. In Piedmont, the very best are found. And they are lovingly served to you in the Michelin-starred restaurant of the chic Il Boscareto. Barolo on the side and heaven opens up. And after dinner? Into the impressive wine cellar!

hotels with rooms decorated with wine and such

Swimming in island wine, Italy

The famous Sicilian family Tasca d’Almerita not only makes delicious wine in Sicily but also has a resort on the small island of Salina. Travelers with taste are more than welcome. Surrounded by sea and vineyards, relaxation is guaranteed. Want a bit more adventure? Take a stroll with Capofaro’s sommelier and learn all about the divine island wine Malvasia.

hotels with rooms decorated with wine and such

Text: FavorFlav

Image: Instagram The Yeatman