Image Name: Best Wine Destinations for a Cozy Fall Break
This autumn, forget mushroom foraging and DIY pumpkin picking. The only harvest you should be interested in is the bacchanalian sort. It’s the season of wine, and nothing beats traveling to the origin to sip plummy Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux or zingy Riesling in Austria while staying at a vineyard hotel. You’ll tour the cellars, meet the winemakers, and toast with house-made bottlings to your heart’s content. Then, retreat to a chic, comfy room to sleep it all off. All the vinous stays below are within a weekend’s distance from London. However, after sinking a few glasses, you may want to linger longer.
La Maison D’Estournel, Bordeaux, France
Tell the most obnoxious ‘oenophile’ you know that you’re spending a weekend at this Bordeaux Left Bank hotel, and they’ll turn an envious shade of vert. Set on the estate of the prestigious Château Cos d’Estournel, famed for its powerful red wines, it combines the gilded glamour of an 18th-century elite home with the mod-con cool of an exclusive Parisian club. Velvety scalloped headboards, flickering fireplaces, and wine-soaked meals all feature, as does the most aspirational of experiences: a tour and tasting at Cos’s winery, normally closed to the public.
Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino, Italy
Tuscany’s most luxurious wine hotel gets full points for drama. Occupying a 2,000-hectare medieval hilltop hamlet, it’s surrounded by sloping vineyards, ancient olive groves, and towering pines. Swish American hotel brand Rosewood now runs it, seamlessly combining historic feels with no-holds-barred luxury — and some mighty good vino produced in the on-site winery. This September 17, you can join in harvesting and stomping grapes for the acclaimed Brunello di Montalcino. Or visit later in the autumn to enjoy the variegated vineyard tones and the chance to uncork a spectacular old vintage on an atmospherically chilly evening.
Tinwood Estate, Sussex
For pup-owners that know their Sauvignon from their Chardonnay, Tinwood’s eight wood-framed lodges — set among manicured vineyards in the South Downs — provide a paw-some getaway. Spend a weekend together chilling in your dog-friendly cabin overlooking the vines, or walking or cycling through vineyards or to the nearby Halnaker Windmill. Humans can enjoy on-site Jacuzzis and, on dates through mid-October, join a harvest experience where you’ll help pluck grapes for the estate’s sparkling wine.
Quinta da Pacheca, Portugal
The journey from Porto is half the fun: a scenic train ride into the UNESCO-listed Douro Valley that races you past steep schist terraces, century-old vines, and a snaking blue river. The other half? Sleeping inside a giant wine barrel. Quinta da Pacheca might have serious historic credentials, growing grapes for Port wine since 1738, but it’s not staid. The contemporary on-site hotel dishes up a local twist on shepherd’s huts, with barrel-shaped pods among the vines featuring double beds and compact terraces.
Image Name: Must-Visit Wine Weekenders for Autumn
Cava & Hotel Mastinell, Penedès, Spain
Just a cork’s toss from Barcelona, Penedès is a Spanish fizz country. Among the crop of local Cava producers, Mastinell is one of the most respected, with a bursting awards cabinet and a pedigree dating back more than four decades. But for design-minded travelers, the primary draw is the hotel, inspired by Gaudí’s fluid Modernism and mimicking an oversized row of aging bottles. Soaking tubs and beds gaze out circular windows framing grape vines and the bodega beyond, while a swimming pool and terrace bar let you sip sparklers in the sunshine.
Oxney Estate, Kent
What’s better than a weekend away with mates? A weekend away with mates and great wine. Make your base this vineyard in the scenic High Weald, and as well as organic sparkling vino produced from a Grade-II-listed oast house you’ll get a glut of big-format accommodation options to choose from — the largest sleeping 14. Bookings include a winery tour and tasting but also be sure to save time to explore what’s on your doorstep. Kent has around 50 vineyards, including some of the best-known names in English wine, from Chapel Down to Balfour.
Les Sources de Cheverny, Loire Valley, France
Is it a holiday if you haven’t enjoyed a Cabernet-infused body scrub? The people at Les Sources de Cheverny don’t think so. Here in the Loire Valley, their Caudalie vinotherapy spa brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘wine-soaked break’. Crowned by an epic renovated château and dotted with new contemporary lodges, the rambling estate is just a couple of hours from Paris and has its own seven-hectare vineyard for producing organic Romorantin. Get to know the obscure white grape over a bottle in the on-site bar — once a wine storehouse — or at dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant.
Denbies, Surrey
Denbies is the OG of English Wine Tourism. Back when many of the wineries that carpet Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire were just a twinkle in their owners’ eyes, the folks at England’s largest vineyard were already pulling in visitors with tours, tastings, and the annual Bacchus Wine Half Marathon. As it’s less than 90 minutes from Waterloo, you can just come for a day out to ride the estate wine ‘train’ or eat at one of four restaurants. But better to make a weekend of it and book into the Vineyard Hotel, which serves prime views over the 265 vineyard acres from an 1850s farmhouse.
Conclusion
This autumn, take the opportunity to experience the best of the wine harvest season by booking a stay at one of these exceptional vineyard hotels. Whether you prefer the historic elegance of Bordeaux, the luxurious charm of Tuscany, or the scenic beauty of Portugal’s Douro Valley, there is a wine escape perfect for you. Immerse yourself in the culture, adventure, and flavors of these renowned wine regions, and create unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime. Cheers to a wine-soaked autumn mini-break!