Some of us love wine so much, we dream about swimming around in a barrel full of the stuff. And while that fantasy is highly unsanitary and probably a little dangerous (try a bathtub instead), certain wine-minded holiday-spot proprietors are offering an alternative that’s just as immersive: wine-barrel hotel rooms.
- Quinta da Pacheca, Portugal – The travel trend has been popping up around the world: In the village of Cambres, in Portugal’s Douro Valley, Quinta da Pacheca winery added 10 giant wine barrels to its on-premises lodging offerings in 2017. Each barrel room is outfitted with a double bed, a full bathroom, and a private terrace, and plopped among the quinta’s vines. “They are a real success in the high but also in the low season,” Ricardo Rebelo, a staff member at the hotel, told Unfiltered. “At this time we are already receiving bookings for 2020.”
2. Schlafen im Weinfass – In the small village of Sasbachwalden in Germany’s Baden region, visitors to the Alde Gott winery can experience Schlafen im Weinfass (that’s German for “Sleeping in Wine Barrel”), featuring eight 8,000-liter barrels, each with a charming vinous address, such as “Rieslingplatz” (“Riesling Place”) and “Burgunderplatz.” A one-night-aged experience for two includes two bottles of wine and breakfast, plus views overlooking the Rhine Valley, though bookings for 2019 are already almost topped up here as well.
3. Vrouwe van Stavoren – You don’t even need to be at a winery to get a turn in the barrel. At Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren in the Netherlands, guests can stay in one of the 12 novelty wine-barrel rooms that were shipped to the property from Switzerland. There are two different barrel room sizes—the smaller is 15,000 liters—and one of the larger barrels serves as a “wellness suite” for two, which could hold 23,000 liters of wine but instead has a couch, a Jacuzzi and a steam room.
4. Cava Colchagua – And it’s not just a Euro-centric trend. Chile’s Cava Colchagua is an all–wine barrel hotel, created by the Ravanal wine family using barrels that actually once held early vintages of their wine. With more than 12 acres of land, the property includes eight two-story barrels, a spa, a pool and a lagoon.
“Rooms” at all four human cooperages start at around a reasonable $200, so if you’re looking for hospitality sur lie, you won’t find yourself over a … well, you get the idea.
