Room + Vineyard: Soil, Wine, Place
There’s wine travel, and then there are wine hotels—places where the glass in your hand is inseparable from the land beneath your feet. Room + Vineyard is about more than tastings and tours; it’s about waking up inside the terroir, where the morning light falls on the same vines that will fill your glass at dinner. It’s wine as landscape, as architecture, as culture—wild wine in wild places. From sun-baked islands in the Mediterranean to glass cabins in the Uruguayan hills, these are stays where the vintage is part of the view.
Here, a glass is a map of soil, wind, and time. Each pour is tied to the surrounding earth, from the volcanic slopes of Pantelleria to the oak-dotted hills of South Africa. These are destinations where you don’t just sip the wine—you live in its story. Whether it’s a boutique lodge framed by olive groves or a modern hideaway on the edge of a vineyard, each hotel offers a way to taste place in its purest form.
Babylonstoren, South Africa
Photos by Babylonstoren
Photos by Babylonstoren
At Babylonstoren, wine is a living expression of soil, history, and place. On the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains, vines climb up to 600 meters above sea level, their roots anchored in a patchwork of soils that give shape to elegant whites, bold reds, and sparkling Cap Classique. The cellar itself, designed by renowned Cape architect Gerard de Villiers, bridges past and present: Cape Dutch inspiration meeting modern, gravity-fed winemaking. Inside, clay amphorae sit alongside stainless steel tanks, oak foudres, and cement eggs—a palette of vessels as diverse as the wines they hold. From crisp Chenin Blanc to the complex Nebukadnesar Bordeaux blend, each bottle is guided by a philosophy of simplicity and truth to the land, capturing the essence of this historic Cape farm in every pour.
The experience of Babylonstoren wine extends well beyond the glass. Guests can walk the Story of Wine museum, where centuries of viticulture unfold in artifacts, aromas, and terroir maps, or gather in the Tasting Room to sample the farm’s ten wines paired with seasonal platters. A daily cellar tour reveals the craft behind the vintages, from the harvest of grapes to the hush of the underground barrel room. Whether sipping a salmon-pink Mourvèdre Rosé—the official rosé of the Chelsea Flower Show—or a Sprankel Cap Classique crowned South Africa’s best in 2024, the journey is immersive, sensory, and deeply rooted in place. At Babylonstoren, every tasting is an invitation to cultivate not just a garden, but a way of life.
Delaire Graff, South Africa
Photos by Delaire Graff
Photos by Delaire Graff
High in the Helshoogte Pass, Delaire Graff is a South African wine estate where art, architecture, and viticulture meet under mountain skies. Between the Stellenbosch valleys, its lodges spill out onto private decks and plunge pools, overlooking vineyards that glow gold in the late afternoon sun. Here, wine isn’t just poured—it’s showcased alongside contemporary African art, manicured gardens, and a culinary program rooted in the estate’s own produce. At Delaire Graff, the experience is as much about what’s in your glass as the beauty of the place that made it.
The estate’s award-winning winery is the heart of it all, producing vintages that reflect both the power and elegance of Stellenbosch terroir. Known especially for its Bordeaux blends and Chardonnay, Delaire Graff wines capture the balance of mountain slopes, ocean breezes, and rich valley soils. Guests can join guided tastings that unfold against a backdrop of vineyard views, where each glass tells the story of its land. From crisp whites alive with minerality to deep reds layered with spice and dark fruit, the portfolio is a sensory map of South Africa’s most celebrated wine region.
Sacromonte, Uruguay
Photos by Sacromonte; Leonardo Finotti, Tali Kimelman
Photos by Sacromonte; Leonardo Finotti, Tali Kimelman
In the rolling hills of Maldonado, Uruguay, Sacromonte is a vineyard retreat where glass-fronted cabins float above the vines, each one framing the quiet drama of the surrounding landscape. Minimalist in form yet rich in atmosphere, the architecture allows nature to take center stage—sunrise spilling across the hills, the scent of fresh grass after rain, the silence broken only by birdsong. Here, the wine is organic, the design is intentional, and the pace is dictated by the rhythms of the land.
The vineyard itself is as much a part of the experience as the stay. Sacromonte produces small-batch organic wines that carry the character of Uruguay’s wild terroir—fresh Atlantic breezes, mineral-rich soils, and the warmth of the southern sun. Guests are invited to taste directly from the source, each glass telling the story of a landscape where sustainability and tradition meet.
Lilelo, Italy
Photos by Atelier Lavit
Photos by Atelier Lavit
In the heart of Monferrato, where vine-striped hills ripple into the horizon, Lilelo (Little Leisure Lodge) reimagines vineyard stays through the lens of design and stillness. Its trio of elevated wooden lodges—Vigna, Rosmarino, and Quercia—hover lightly above the landscape, inspired by traditional haystacks but pared back into minimalist retreats. From their terraces, guests soak in uninterrupted views of vineyards, orchards, and forest, the kind of panorama that shifts with every season, from spring’s emerald green to autumn’s golden haze.
Here, wine is not just poured, it’s lived. The vineyards of Grazzano Badoglio stretch at your doorstep, offering walks, tastings, and a direct link to Monferrato’s rich viticultural heritage. Days unfold at an unhurried pace—cycling country lanes, savoring local Barbera and Moscato, slipping into the hot tub as the hills fade into dusk. At Lilelo, the architecture is quiet, the landscape is loud, and the wine is the thread that ties it all together.
Encuentro Guadalupe, Mexico
Photos by Hotel Encuentro, Resguardo Silvestre
Photos by Hotel Encuentro, Resguardo Silvestre
Across the Atlantic in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, Encuentro Guadalupe feels like a vineyard outpost at the edge of the earth. Perched among giant granite boulders, twenty steel-and-glass eco-lofts are scattered across the hillside, designed to disappear into the desert landscape. From each terrace, the view unfolds in long, golden rows of vines stretching toward the mountains, with the valley floor shimmering under the Baja sun. The architecture is stark yet sensitive, a modern gesture that frames rather than competes with the land. Here, silence reigns—broken only by the rustle of desert winds, the hum of cicadas, and the occasional crack of a cork pulled from a bottle.
Yet the experience is as much about the wine as the view. Valle de Guadalupe has become one of the most dynamic wine regions in the world, celebrated for its bold blends, organic methods, and experimental spirit. At Encuentro, tastings move effortlessly between cellar and open air, pairing local varietals with the scent of sagebrush and the warmth of the desert evening. The wines are an expression of place—sun-soaked, earthy, and untamed—best enjoyed as the light softens and the stars begin to bloom above the valley. To drink here is to taste Baja itself: raw, elemental, and unforgettable.
Sikelia, Pantelleria
Photos by Sikelia
Photos by Sikelia
On the remote volcanic island of Pantelleria, Sikelia is a sanctuary of whitewashed domes and modern minimalism, set against the stark beauty of black lava rock and cobalt seas. Here, vines grow low to the ground in hollows carved into ancient terraces, protected from relentless winds by stone walls. It’s an agricultural technique as old as the island itself, recognized by UNESCO as a living heritage. The result is wine that could only be born here—shaped by fire, sea, and centuries of care.
Days unfold slowly: soaking in natural hot springs, diving into crystalline coves, wandering the island’s jagged landscapes. And always, there is the wine. Passito di Pantelleria, made from Zibibbo grapes dried in the sun, carries the island’s soul in every sip—golden, honeyed, and layered with volcanic minerality. Tasting it at Sikelia is not just about flavor but about place: a rare sweetness forged by the raw power of Pantelleria’s elements.
Les Sources de Caudalie, France
Photos by Les Sources de Caudalie
Photos by Les Sources de Caudalie
Tucked into the heart of the Bordeaux vineyards, Les Sources de Caudalie is a French countryside escape where vinotherapy takes center stage. Built from reclaimed local materials, the property blends rustic elegance with world-class spa experiences, many of them harnessing the antioxidant power of grapes. Days are spent wandering among vines that have shaped centuries of winemaking tradition, before returning to a spa where crushed seeds, skins, and extracts are transformed into rituals of renewal. It’s a stay where the vineyard becomes both medicine and muse.
Wine, of course, is at the core of the experience. Guests can taste Grand Cru vintages straight from the cellars of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, the family estate that surrounds the property. Pair each glass with farm-to-table dishes in the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, or join a guided tasting that unravels the layers of Bordeaux terroir—its gravel soils, Atlantic breezes, and centuries-old savoir-faire. Here, every pour feels like a journey through the land itself, a reminder that at Les Sources de Caudalie, wine is not just something you drink—it’s something you live in.
Conti di San Bonifacio, Italy
Photos by Conti di San Bonifacio
Photos by Conti di San Bonifacio
In the Tuscan Maremma, Conti di San Bonifacio is a hilltop wine estate where days are marked by the shifting colors of the sky over the vineyard. With only a handful of rooms, the stay feels intimate, almost like a private home—stone fireplaces, wooden beams, and endless vineyard views inviting you to slow down. Every detail feels connected to the land, from the scent of rosemary drifting through open windows to meals built around what’s harvested that day.
The wines here are the heartbeat of the estate. Produced organically and in small quantities, each bottle carries the warmth of Tuscan sun, the richness of the soils, and the cool coastal winds that sweep through the hills. Guests can join the winemakers in the cellar, tasting directly from the barrel, or sip a glass of Sangiovese at sunset as the light softens over the vines. It’s not just wine—it’s the story of Tuscany distilled, poured, and shared in a setting that feels both timeless and deeply personal.
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