Wine Tourism Archives

January 2026 Reset: Top Wine Spas to Start the Year in Balance (Part I)

January is the quiet inhale after the excess of the holiday season. Vineyards lie dormant [depending on the hemisphere] travel slows, and intention replaces indulgence. It’s the moment when wine travellers stop chasing novelty and start seeking meaning, and this is where wine spas come into their own.

Wine spas sit at the intersection of wellness and terroir. Drawing on vinotherapy, treatments that use grape skins, seeds, vine extracts, and mineral‑rich waters, they offer an experience that is restorative rather than performative. These destinations don’t simply pamper; they recalibrate.

Part One of this two‑part series explores five of the world’s most iconic wine spas, each offering a January escape that blends vineyard culture, spa science, and place‑driven calm.

Les Sources de Caudalie – Bordeaux, France

Why Les Sources de Caudalie leads the category

Often cited as the birthplace of modern vinotherapy, Les Sources de Caudalie is woven into the vineyards of Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Treatments are grounded in rigorous research into grape polyphenols and antioxidants, delivering results without theatrics.

Why winter matters here

Winter in Bordeaux is reflective and restrained. With fewer visitors, tastings become conversations, and spa rituals feel deeply personal.

Recommended January–April
3‑night itinerary

A three‑day stay at Les Sources de Caudalie is designed around gentle immersion. Day one begins with arrival among the vines, followed by a vinotherapy bath and grape‑seed body wrap to unwind after travel. Day two balances wellness and wine culture: a morning facial using grape extracts, a private château tasting in the afternoon, and an elegant dinner paired with Bordeaux crus. Day three is deliberately unhurried, with a final spa ritual, a walk through the winter vineyards, and a relaxed lunch before departure – restored rather than rushed.

Website: https://www.sources-caudalie.com

ADLER Thermae Spa & Relax Resort – Tuscany, Italy

Why it’s exceptional

Set in the Val d’Orcia, ADLER Thermae merges ancient thermal bathing traditions with vineyard‑inspired wellness. The landscape includes rolling hills, stone villages, and winter light – quite magical.

Why go early in the year

Steam rises from outdoor thermal pools as frost settles over the vineyards, creating one of Tuscany’s most cinematic winter moments.

Recommended February–April
3‑night itinerary

At ADLER Thermae, three days unfold at a Tuscan pace. Day one centres on the thermal pools and a grape‑infused massage, best enjoyed outdoors as steam rises against the Val d’Orcia hills. Day two ventures beyond the spa with a guided Brunello di Montalcino tasting, returning for vinotherapy facials and yoga. The final day is reserved for slow rituals – thermal soaking, countryside walks, and a long, unhurried Tuscan lunch that allows body and mind to recalibrate before departure.

Website: https://www.adler-thermae.com

Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa – Champagne, France

Why it belongs on this list

Royal Champagne redefines Champagne tourism through wellness. The spa is contemporary and expansive, with vineyard panoramas that reframe the region beyond celebration.

Why visit early in the year

The region slows dramatically after the holidays, offering intimate cellar visits and uninterrupted spa time.

Recommended January–April
3‑night itinerary

A three‑day escape at Royal Champagne blends restraint with indulgence. Day one begins with the thermal spa circuit and a sunset aperitif, followed by dinner overlooking grand cru vineyards. Day two pairs a private Champagne house visit with a bespoke spa treatment, ending with an elegant dégustation dinner that reframes Champagne as contemplative rather than celebratory. Day three offers a final swim, a leisurely breakfast with vineyard views, and a late checkout—proof that winter in Champagne is as much about calm as sparkle.

Website: https://www.royal-champagne.com

Entre Cielos Wine Hotel & Spa – Mendoza, Argentina

Why Entre Cielos Wine Hotel & Spa stands out

Entre Cielos blends modern design with traditional vinotherapy against the dramatic backdrop of the Andes. Treatments highlight Malbec grape extracts and regional ingredients.

Why this season is ideal

It’s midsummer in the Southern Hemisphere. Vineyards are vibrant, and wellness is paired with energy rather than hibernation.

Recommended January–April
3‑night itinerary

Three days at Entre Cielos capture Mendoza’s energy and elegance. Arrival day includes a grape‑seed scrub and a Malbec‑inspired wine bath to ease into the rhythm of the Andes. Day two explores high‑altitude wineries, followed by a traditional hammam ritual that blends heat, water, and aromatherapy. The final day slows the pace with a vineyard‑view breakfast, light spa treatments, and time to absorb the mountain landscape before departure.

Website: https://www.entrecielos.com

Awasi Mendoza — Argentina

Why Awasi Mendoza is a classic

A Relais & Châteaux property where spa treatments are discreet, personalized, and inseparable from the surrounding vineyards.

Why the early‑year months shine

Warm evenings, private plunge pools, and alfresco dining elevate the sensory experience.

Recommended January–April
3‑night itinerary

A three‑day stay at Cavas Wine Lodge is intimate and deeply personal. Day one begins with an arrival massage and private wine tasting as the Andes glow at dusk. Day two is devoted to vineyard exploration and spa immersion, alternating between Malbec‑focused treatments and long, leisurely meals. The final morning is intentionally quiet – breakfast overlooking the vines, a final soak, and a departure that feels unhurried and complete.

Website: https://www.cavas-wine-lodge.com

These first five wine spas share a seductive commonality: they treat wine not as ornament, but as a tactile, transformative material. The winter months, with their instinct for pared‑back beauty, only heighten their allure. Each destination leans into a kind of quiet luxury – treatments infused with craft, spaces washed in intentional light, and an atmosphere where refinement feels less performed than lived‑in and luminous.

Part Two continues the journey, shifting to Portugal, Spain, Burgundy, and California, where wine spas offer a different expression of wellness shaped by history, architecture, and landscape. Stay tuned!

Perrier-Jouët was my final Champagne of 2025 + the perfect beginning for 2026

The final dinner of the year always feels symbolic, a quiet threshold between what has been and what is about to begin. To close 2025 and welcome 2026, I chose Perrier-Jouët. Some Champagnes feel like an occasion before the cork even moves, and Perrier-Jouët belongs to that rare category, a house whose history is inseparable from the aesthetics of refinement.

Perrier-Jouët manages something timeless: honouring tradition while moving confidently into the future. That is exactly the energy a turning year deserves.

A House Defined by Grace

Founded in 1811 in Épernay by Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose-Adélaïde Jouët, the house was shaped from the beginning by discipline and precision. Vineyard selection, controlled yields, and meticulous blending became its quiet signature. Over generations, Perrier-Jouët developed a deep affinity with Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, prized for its floral character, purity, and mineral drive.

In 1902, artist Émile Gallé created the iconic anemone motif that now adorns Belle Époque bottles. Far more than decoration, it reflected the philosophy of Art Nouveau: harmony with nature, craftsmanship, and beauty with intention.

Beneath Épernay, Perrier-Jouët’s chalk cellars cradle the wines, regulating temperature and allowing time to do its patient work. The resulting house style is unmistakable: shimmering freshness, fine-boned structure, and delicacy with poise.

Tasting and Food Pairing: Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut Champagne, Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut Rosé Champagne 2014 and Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut Champagne 2016

Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut

Grand Brut is the introduction to the house style. The blend brings together Chardonnay with Pinot Noir and Meunier, balancing lift and generosity.

Aromas recall citrus blossom, white peach, brioche, and a subtle almond note. The palate shows fine mousse, orchard fruit, and a touch of toast, finishing with bright, linear acidity.

Pairing:
We opened this early in the evening with oysters and seafood canapés, effortless, conversational, quietly refined.

Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut Rosé 2014

Belle Epoque Rosé always carries a lyrical quality, and 2014 adds precision and tension. Its pale salmon hue conceals layered depth.

The nose suggests strawberry, blood orange, pomegranate, and rose petals, with delicate pastry tones. The palate is textured and mineral, structured yet graceful.

Pairing:
This was the centrepiece at dinner: duck breast with cherries and roasted potatoes. The wine elevated the dish, harmonizing rather than overpowering.

Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut 2016

Belle Epoque 2016 feels composed and confident. It opens with pear, lemon zest, acacia, and fresh hazelnut. The palate is crystalline and precise, finishing with a saline whisper, proof that great Champagne doesn’t need volume to make its point.

Pairing:
Our midnight bottle. We served it with aged Comté and caviar-topped blinis, salt, richness, and bright acidity coming together in an elegant, poetic final act.

Pre–New Year’s Dinner: Why Louis Roederer Collection 245 and Cristal 2016 Redefine Celebration

Some evenings feel like prologues. The eve before New Year’s Eve is one of them, less noise, more contemplation. It’s the space where conversation deepens, and Champagne becomes less of a party trick and more of an essay in liquid form.

This year, my pre–New Year’s dinner is guided by the ethos of Louis Roederer: discipline in the vineyard, patience in the cellar, and a refusal to perform theatrics for their own sake. To explore that ethos at the table, I’ve chosen two Champagne classics whose architecture and restraint echo this sensibility: Louis Roederer Collection 245 and Louis Roederer Cristal 2016.

The House: Louis Roederer – Precision as Philosophy

Founded in 1833 and based in Reims, Louis Roederer evolved from a respectable maison into one of Champagne’s most quietly rigorous estates. By the mid-19th century, Roederer did something radical for the time: it began purchasing vineyards rather than relying solely on growers. Controlling fruit quality became a long game, not an annual negotiation.

Today, the estate owns almost 250 hectares, with an increasing emphasis on organic and biodynamic practices. This underpins the house’s unmistakable personality: depth without heaviness, tension without austerity, and a calm, almost meditative finish.

Wine Tourism: Less Spectacle, More Insight

Visiting Roederer isn’t about neon-lit cellars and selfies with sabres. Experiences tend to privilege understanding over spectacle.

The estate provides guided vineyard walks, cellar visits, and tastings that unpack:

The role of reserve wines
The quiet architecture of blending
How climate change is reshaping decisions in real time

These experiences feel more like seminars than shows – the kind of visit that leaves your notebook full and your mind happily buzzing.

On the Table with Roederer’s Spirit

Louis Roederer Collection 245

This is Roederer’s perpetual-reserve concept in motion – perfect rhythm and balance. In the glass, the bubbles are fine and controlled. Aromatically, there are hints of ripe pear, Golden Delicious apple, lemon zest, and a faint line of brioche. There’s a saline whisper running underneath. On the palate, it moves with precision: orchard fruit, a touch of almond, subtle creaminess, and a clean, linear finish that leaves a chalk-dust memory.

Pairing for our pre–New Year’s dinner

This is the “conversation starter” wine. I paired this wine with oysters, with a light mignonette, and scallop carpaccio – dishes that respect the structure without overpowering it.

Louis Roederer Cristal 2016

The 2016 is sculpted: luminous citrus, white peach, subtle apricot skin, and that crystalline chalk character that defines Roederer’s grandest vineyards. There’s also a hint of hazelnut and delicate pastry, sitting quietly behind the mineral spine. The palate feels both weightless and deep, with a long, resonant finish. That’s power.

Pairing for a pre–New Year’s dinner

This wine was served later in the progression. I paired it with butter-poached lobster and roast capon with thyme and lemon. Perfection.

Why Louis Roederer Collection 245 and Louis Roederer Cristal 2016 Before New Year’s?

Because the night before the noise deserves reflection. Louis Roederer’s philosophy grounds the evening – time and patience.

And as the calendar inches toward midnight the next day, this pre-new year’s dinner became a quiet rehearsal, acknowledging change -reviewing the year before we write the next chapter.

Champagne Deutz: A Holiday Standard

Nestled in the premier cru village of Aÿ, in the historic Champagne region of northeastern France, Maison Deutz occupies a place in the pantheon of classic Champagne houses that feels both rooted and unexpectedly electric. Founded in 1838 by William Deutz and Pierre-Hubert Geldermann, this house emerged from the great era of négociant ambition, carving out a reputation for finesse and stylistic consistency that has endured for nearly two centuries.

Location and Tourism

Aÿ sits like a jewelled hub just west of Épernay, think of it as Champagne’s scholarly precinct, where chalky soils and Pinot Noir harmonize across the landscape. Tourists, sommeliers, and curious travellers come here to explore terroir and technique. Tasting experiences in the Deutz cellars are examinations in slow maturation: centuries-old chalk caves that feel like cathedral crypts dedicated to bubbles, each bottle a lesson in time, texture, and terroir. Visiting Champagne Deutz is an immersion in the geography and geology of effervescent elegance.

Acquired in the late 20th century by the Rouzaud family, custodians of Louis Roederer, Deutz has blended its legacy with renewed vigour while preserving traditional techniques. The house today balances respect for its heritage with an eye toward how modern palates approach complexity, balance, and pleasure.

Champagne Deutz stands as a living museum of viticultural tradition: chalk labyrinths, vineyard tours through storied parcels of premier and grand cru, and tastings that pair textbook technique with experiential delight.

Celebrate the Holidays with Deutz Classic Brut

If you gravitate toward Champagnes that feel both classic and stimulating, not loud, simply intellectually stylish, Deutz Classic Brut is for you. This non-vintage blend is built on a near-perfect equilateral triangle of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, each contributing about a third of the whole. Around 20–40% reserve wines are folded into the blend to maintain house consistency and depth year after year, an oenological time capsule that speaks to complexity without pomp.

Deutz Classic Brut: Tasting Notes

In the glass, it shows a deep golden hue with an ultra-fine mousse, the effervescent whisper synonymous with long cellar ageing. On the nose, it reveals delicate white florals offset by richer aromas of toasted brioche, marzipan, and ripe pear.

The palate brings crisp freshness from Chardonnay, wrapped in the supple richness that Pinot Noir provides so well. Integrated fruit notes lean toward apple and pear, with hints of citrus and an underlying mineral clarity. The finish lingers with textured elegance.

Why Champagne Deutz?

Drinking Deutz Classic Brut during the holidays is like revisiting a trusted chapter in a favourite book: it brings comfort, stylistic integrity, and small surprises with every sip. This is the Champagne that feels like a warm toast among old friends and new ideas, a bottle that honours the past while sparkling fully in the present.

Why Zenato’s Amarone 2019 and Zenato’s Lugana Brut Make the Perfect Holiday Wine Pairing

Why I Chose Zenato’s Holiday Gift Pack

Holiday wine choices need range, not redundancy. Zenato’s two-bottle holiday gift pack, which includes Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019 and Zenato Lugana Brut Classico, delivers that: a refined sparkling white for celebratory openings and a powerful, age-worthy red for the table’s main event.

Lugana Brut Classico brings freshness, finesse, and aperitivo appeal, while Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019 offers depth, warmth, and long-form pleasure. Together, they cover the full arc of the holiday season, from first toast to final pour, making this pairing both practical and elevated.

Roots + Terroir

Zenato was founded in 1960 by Sergio Zenato and his wife Carla on the southern shore of Lake Garda, in the village of San Benedetto di Lugana.

From modest beginnings, the estate expanded steadily over the decades. Today, Zenato owns approximately 95 hectares across two key sites: the Santa Cristina estate in Lugana, devoted primarily to the indigenous white grape Trebbiano di Lugana, and the Costalunga estate in the hills of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, located within the Valpolicella Classico zone, where soils are rich in limestone and clay and distinctly mineral-driven.

This dual identity lies at the heart of Zenato’s philosophy: “The soul of Lugana and the heart of Valpolicella.”

The vineyards benefit from the moderating influence of Lake Garda for white wines, while the varied, elevated terrain of the Valpolicella hills provides ideal growing conditions for red varieties, contributing both structure and complexity.

Under the stewardship of Sergio’s children: Alberto Zenato, who manages production, and Nadia Zenato, who oversees sales and marketing, the estate has refined and expanded its portfolio, blending respect for tradition with modern winemaking precision.

Zenato stands among the most recognized family-owned estates in northern Italy, offering a range that spans crisp whites and sparkling Lugana to structured Ripasso and opulent Amarone, embodying both regional heritage and strong international appeal.

Wine Tourism

Zenato offers winery tours and tastings from San Benedetto, an ideal setting for wine tourism, combining lakeside ambience, vineyard tradition, and easy access from Verona.

With its dual terroirs, Lugana and Valpolicella, visitors can experience two distinct expressions of Veneto wines: refined sparkling and still whites from the lake region, and serious, age-worthy reds from the hills.

As global interest in Italian native grape varieties and sustainable, terroir-driven wines continues to grow, particularly among wine travellers and influencers, Zenato’s long history, regional focus, and family-run authenticity provide a compelling and credible narrative.

Tasting Notes + Holiday Pairings

Zenato Lugana Brut Classico

This wine is made from 100% Trebbiano di Lugana (Turbiana), sourced from lakeshore vineyards.

Tasting Notes:

Fine perlage and an elegant mousse. The colour is pale straw-yellow with subtle golden highlights. On the nose, the wine is bright and clean, showing notes of white flowers, green apple, pear, citrus, a hint of soft stone fruit, and delicate biscuity nuances. On the palate, it is vibrant, with a soft, pleasant mousse and a mineral-tinged finish.

Food Pairing:

Seafood, shellfish, light seafood pasta, and sushi. An excellent aperitivo for the holiday season.

Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019

Zenato’s flagship red is crafted from a selection of Corvina, Rondinella, Oseleta, and a small proportion of Croatina, sourced from vineyards in Sant’Ambrogio. The grapes are dried for approximately four months, pressed in January, and undergo slow fermentation with extended skin contact. The wine is aged for 36 months in large-format Slavonian oak casks, followed by further refinement in bottle prior to release.

This meticulous process results in a complex, full-bodied, and age-worthy wine that stands as a classic expression of Amarone della Valpolicella.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, the wine is elegant and spicy, with aromas of dark cherries, prunes, and dried fruits, layered with warm spice undertones. On the palate, it is full-bodied, rounded, velvety, and enveloping, offering layers of dark plum, cherry, and cocoa, with a long, lingering finish.

Food Pairing:

This rich Amarone pairs beautifully with grilled or roasted meats, hearty pasta dishes with meat sauces, game, aged cheeses, and rich risottos. It is also excellent as a contemplative “meditation wine” on its own.

Final Perspective

Zenato serves as a strong model for what a mid-century regional winery can evolve into: a producer that successfully balances tradition with modern marketing, local identity with global reach, and focused vineyard expression with diversified terroir experiences – appealing equally to seasoned connoisseurs and the next generation of curious wine travellers.