5 Great Hotels in European Wine Country

Especially for a first-time visitor to a country, one of the more daunting tasks can be one of the most important: determining where to stay.

Travel & Leisure magazine provided a big assist to European wine country visitors in its January issue, recommending five exceptional hotels—four in France and one in Italy.

Here’s the list, along with each property’s vinous highlights…

  1. Hotel Crillon le Brave in Crillon-le-Brave, France, is a Provence property with an 18th century cellar boasting 2,500 bottles of Rhone wines. Imbibers often gather on the hotel’s terrace, soaking in views of olive groves while sipping wine.
  2. You may feel as if you’re in Napa Valley when staying at Domaine des Hauts de Loire in Onzain, France. Reason: The hotel coordinates hot air balloon rides over Touraine Mesland and Amboise vineyards for its guests.
  3. For sparkling wine aficionados, Le Chateau Les Crayeres in Reims, France, is the place to stay. Once each month, guests enjoy a private dinner with bubbly pairings. The rest of the month, a cellar holding 60,000 bottles of Champagne beckons.
  4. Back in Provence, L’Oustau de Baumaniere & Spa in Les-Baux-de-Provence also has 60,000 bottles on hand—more than enough for its 30 guest rooms. One-sixth of those bottles are crafted by the hotel’s owner, Jean-Andre Charial; it’s a tasty Grenache-based blend.
  5. Finally, Travel & Leisure recommends the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze in Florence, Italy. Described as “over-the-top opulent,” it’s housed in a former palace, and its concierge happily arranges exclusive tastings at Chianti region estates.

Do you have a favorite place to stay in one of the “winelands” of Europe? Share your tips with fellow wine travelers in the Comments box below.

Posted in Our Wine Travel Log
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