Wine travel for oenophiles

Globetrotting oenophiles can stop by The Ritz London to taste a glass of the hotel’s signature Pauillac wine, bottled by Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the first ever partnership between the prestigious label and a hotel. The hotel is part of a new movement by luxury hotels to offer guests bespoke, customized house wines. Likewise, The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida has custom Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc in its 28,000-bottle wine cellar. The Grand Del Mar in San Diego has created 13 custom vintages over the last two years, while Hotel Vitale in San Francisco features a California Syrah made from grapes on plots in Carneros or Santa Barbara. And at Keswick Hall in Virginia last autumn, staff actually sorted the grapes from local vineyards, pumped juice into barrels and fermented the wine on site. The result? The release of the first private-label Edith’s Chardonnay and Edith’s Petit Verdot in September, which can be enjoyed in Fossett’s restaurant (Edith Fossett was Thomas Jefferson’s cook at Monticello.) This spring, the resort will plant its own one-acre vineyard and guests are invited to join the grape-stomping.

If that’s not enough, there’s Quintessentially’s plush wine tour of Napa Valley. Since its start in 2000, the high-end lifestyle concierge service Quintessentially has indulged members with tailored luxury experiences in a range of cultural fields, including art, travel and fashion. Quintessentially Wine, part of was co-launched four years ago by Chris Orr and Matthew Jukes, one of the UK’s leading wine critics. Jukes selects the most desirable vintages and heads up bespoke wine tours each year in France, with sister company Quintessentially Escape.  “The really interesting stuff is tucked away where even the locals can’t find it,” Jukes says. “That’s what makes visiting the Napa Valley such a wonderful experience.” The following itinerary, ideal for a long weekend, offers a whistle-stop tour of the region’s sun-kissed vineyards and sublime hotels, with Jukes himself on hand to bring out all the flavors of this tranquil area.