When oenophiles plan a trip, access to novelty labels, special tastings, and sprawling vineyards all play a role in influencing one’s chosen destination. And while it might be convenient to book a trip to a winery or vineyard with onsite accommodations, wine enthusiasts seeking off-the-beaten path experiences don’t necessarily have to check into a wine hotel in order to encounter a unique bottle of vino.
That’s right: With epicurean happenings at the forefront of travel trends, a variety of hotels are investing in their own wine labels; partnering with winemakers both near and far to create liquids symbolic of their properties all while broadening guests’ horizons on different styles and regions of wine across the globe. Here are eight of those hotels, from Thailand to Mexico, where you’ll find such exclusive and unexpected labels.
Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas x Fighting Fish
Bangkok, Thailand
In 2020, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas — a collection of luxury resorts established in Thailand and since expanded worldwide — debuted a private wine selection in honor of its Thai heritage. Launched in partnership with the Thai winemakers at GranMonte Vineyard, the Fighting Fish wine label is Anantara’s dedicated label that poetically honors the kingdom’s native Siamese fighting fish. Expressing the depth and beauty of the collection are a 2013 Asoke Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah, 2019 Spring Syrah Cabernet, Spring Chenin Blanc, and Sakuna Rosé Syrah. Among the winemakers Anantara partnered with is Nikki Lohitnavy, Thailand’s first female winemaker, who ensures each wine in the collection is connected by the tropical Thai earth the grapes grow from. The wines are available in every Anantara Hotel in Thailand, including Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, Anantara Chiang Mai Resort, and Anantara Hua Hin, the brand’s founding property, to name a few.
Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal x Private Pedregal Collection
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
A trip to Mexico’s west coast undoubtedly conjures images of beachside Margaritas, but you can’t drink Margaritas all day. Well, perhaps you can, but if you’re anything like us and looking for variety, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal partners with Roganto Winery to offer a taste of one of Mexico’s less talked about alcoholic beverages, vino. The boutique winery is about 900 miles northwest of Los Cabos, acclaimed for its premium production of Baja wine. The resort’s sommelier team — together with the Rognato’s owner and winemaker Antonio Escalante — created a Chardonnay to complement the location’s seaside fare and a red blend that offers notes of rose, lavender, and dark berries, tied together with silky tannins, specifically for the Pedregal property. The collaboration is set to expand in 2022, with three more exclusive wines, including a rosé, Pinot Noir, and another red blend being added to the lineup.
Hotel Domestique x Pride Mountain Vineyards
South Carolina, USA
Nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina, Hotel Domestique likens its accommodations to the modern country house of a well-traveled friend. And if you think about any of your friends who fit this description, it should come as no surprise that Hotel Domestique emphasizes world-class offerings when it comes to dining, including its private wine label. Exclusively produced for the resort by Pride Mountain Vineyards in Napa Valley, the 17 Enzo Blend is a Cabernet-forward red, named after owner George Hincapie’s son, while the 17 Bella Chardonnay is an ode to his brother and co-owner Rich Hincapie’s daughter. Rich describes the wine as an extension of the property: “A well-designed logo, high-end glass, cork — even the colors we used for the label are a great representation of our look.”
Katikies x Selene
Santorini, Greece
Though wine’s origins trace back to ancient Greece, the majority of travelers to the country opt solely for island, rather than vineyard, hopping. However, at Katikies — a portfolio of luxury hotels and villas in Santorini and Mykonos — guests are exposed to the best of both worlds as the Santorini hotel introduces them to the region’s most popular grapes, including Assyrtiko and Mouhtaro, with Katikies’ private wine label, Selene. The Selene Santorini Cuvée Privée 2021 uses Assyrtiko with a small percentage of Athiri for a white wine with high minerality and herbal notes of green tea and sage — a quintessential quality of the island’s terroir. Katikies shows off one of Greece’s rarest indigenous grapes, Mouhtaro, in the Selene Rosé Cuvée Privée 2021 blend with local Athiri and Sauvignon Blanc for a perfect pairing with meze. Finally, Selene Santorini Cuvée Privée Tradition 2020 pays homage to the winemaking origins of the island, using Assyrtiko, Athiri, and Aidani to produce a brousko style — allowing skin contact with must. The taste of local varieties may whet your palate to plan a return trip, this time following a Greek wine trail.
Rosewood x Thibaut-Janisson-Wolfgang Puck
Washington, D.C.
Visiting the nation’s capital calls for celebration, and what better way to do so than popping a bottle of regionally produced bubbly? Made with 100 percent Chardonnay grapes using the traditional method, the Thibaut-Janisson-Wolfgang Puck private label was created in partnership with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and Charlottesville, Va.-based winery Thibaut-Janisson for Puck’s restaurants CUT D.C and CUT Above, located at the Rosewood hotel. The established Virginia winery is renowned for its sparkling wines; its first release in 2007 was a non-vintage Blanc de Chardonnay, which has since been joined by a collection of Extra Bruts and Blanc de Noirs.
The Principal Madrid Hotel x Finca Serena
Madrid, Spain
In the heart of Spain’s capital city, The Principal Madrid’s wine list shows off one of the country’s lesser-known winemaking regions, DO Tierra de Mallorca. Finca Serena is not just a label, but a wine brand created by and named after the property it’s grown on. Owned and operated by Único Hotels, the hotel group that owns The Principal Madrid, the portfolio only uses autochthonous varieties — including Premsal Blanc, Callet, Giró Ros, and Monastrell — a decision that ensures an authentic portrayal of the local land. The Finca Serena vineyard is sustainably farmed, and the wines are presented in unconventionally shaped bottles with glass stoppers.
Grand Velas Riviera Maya x Sophie Blanco
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
A Caribbean sunset beckons a frosty glass of white wine, and the Grand Velas Riviera Maya resort offers the perfect blend. Created exclusively for the AAA Five Diamond Resort, Sophie Blanco is a refreshing white blend that perfectly balances fresh citrus with tropical fruits. Composed of Viognier and Chenin Blanc grapes, Sophie Blanco is produced at Vinícola Santa Elena in the Montegrande Valley in Aguascalientes, Mexico; introducing guests’ palates to a different part of the country that’s one of central Mexico’s high-altitude wine regions (with an average elevation of 6,500 feet above sea level). The label is a peak into the robust work of the resort’s master sommelier Eduardo Quiroga, who, since beginning at Grand Velas Riviera Maya in 2016, has expanded the property’s wine program to include 44 complimentary sparkling, white, rosé and red wines — and over 150 bottles available at an additional charge.
Amavia Collection x Domaine des Mapliers
Villa Gaia, French Riviera
Sometimes, the privacy of a hotel isn’t enough to really leave reality behind. Enter: the Amavia Collection of luxury villas. At its inaugural 5,000-square-foot property, which accommodates up to 12 people, Villa Gaia is equipped with the best of its founding French philosophy, l’art de vivre. This includes a signature rosé produced at Domaine des Mapliers, a vineyard owned by Amavia Collection’s co-owner, Herve Gallo. Located in the heart of Provence Var in Lorgues, the organically treated estate produces a dry, berry-forward rosé, dubbed Abacus, using Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. An added bonus? Copious bottles of the rosé are also an included amenity throughout your stay.
