Unmissable winter food and wine escapes to see in 2026

The first hint of chestnuts roasting over open fires and holly garlands sheathing street lamps began well before December was even underway – and we’re not complaining. With 2025 now at an end and temperatures dipping to frosty negatives, the holiday season adds a much-needed infusion of cheer and festivities that encourage fêting both the past year and the one to come. We’ve found a few ways to ring in 2026 in the most stylish of settings, from lavish caviar pop-ups in Paris to sky-high dining in the Swiss Alps – plus the most sumptuous new suites to snag for a ski getaway – these haute happenings are sure to get you in the holiday spirit. Unmissable experiences [subscriber-content] Toast 2026 at celebrity chef Scott Conant’s new hotspot Leola at Baha Mar in The Bahamas [caption id="attachment_572596" align="alignnone" width="630"] Leola at Baha Mar[/caption] Nassau’s Baha Mar, an over-the-top resort perched along the Caribbean’s famous white-sand Cable Beach, is a year-round party thanks to events like the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival , where Bahamian Lenny Kravitz recently performed for the first time in his native island country. For New Year’s Eve , Jamaican Grammy Award-winning artist Sean Paul will rang in 2026 with a live performance, fireworks, and dancing under the stars. Before the show, sample a selection of plates from Baha Mar’s 40-plus restaurants bearing some of the biggest names in the culinary world, including Daniel Boulud and Marcus Samuelsson, or take a seat at two-time James Beard Award-winning chef Scott Conant’s newest eatery, Leola . Inspired to evoke the feel of a 1920s speakeasy, Conant’s sultry space is outfitted with velvet furnishings, gilded design details, and extravagant chandeliers. For the ultimate New Year’s indulgence, order the foie gras-filled tortelli in balsamico tradizionale and the rigatoni with jumbo lump crab, which of course pairs best with a robust Italian Barolo – and the old world-heavy wine list has plenty of standout vintages and producers to choose from. Savour seasonal truffles during an intimate Sunday lunch at Mirazur in Menton [caption id="attachment_572591" align="alignnone" width="630"] La Puerta dining room[/caption] Lauded chef Mauro Colagreco’s three Michelin-starred Mirazur , suspended over the Mediterranean Sea in Menton, on the French Riviera, has claimed a coveted spot as one of the world’s top restaurants. On the cusp of its 20th anniversary, chef Colagreco shows no sign of slowing down – he’s even bringing in a 'gastronomic curator,' Ferran Adrià (of the now-closed El Bulli) to assist with an anthological menu revisiting two decades of the eatery’s culinary creations. If you can’t wait until April for the month-long anniversary edition, sample the chef’s locally focused cuisine in one of the restaurant’s most intimate of spaces: La Puerta, a private dining room and chef’s table where you can watch the master at work in the open kitchen. Wines are pulled from the space’s cellar and vinyl records set the tone for the chalet-like experience that would feel just as fitting in Courchevel as on the Côte d’Azur. Gift a collector-worthy cuvée from Château Lagrange [caption id="attachment_572595" align="alignnone" width="630"] Château Lagrange limited-edition cuvée[/caption] Château Lagrange ’s history in Médoc’s St-Julien appellation runs deep, with a heritage dating back to the 16th century. While the grand cru classé vineyard hasn’t changed since the 1855 classification, the estate, along with the help of winemaker Matthieu Bordes, has been incorporating more sustainable viticulture practices such as biodiversity regeneration and plot-by-plot vinification since Japan’s Suntory Group took the reins in 1983. To honour the anniversary, Château Lagrange has released a limited-edition cuvée as part of its Heritage Collection: a 2023 magnum modelled after vintage Bordeaux bottles and crafted from historic parcels. The blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Merlot nods to when the vineyard was more Merlot-heavy at the start of the estate’s Suntory chapter. Presented in a minimalist oak case with a trio of leather straps, this subtle celebration of the art of wabi-sabi adds a Japanese twist to the classic Bordeaux. Sleep in a sumptuous Lalique-filled suite in Courchevel’s newest boutique hotel [caption id="attachment_572592" align="alignnone" width="630"] MayaBay restaurant at Maya Hotel Courchevel 1850[/caption] Monaco-based Maya Collection ’s haute restaurants have expanded everywhere from Dubai to Montenegro, and the latest address on the list is one just as lauded: glamorous French ski town Courchevel 1850. A first for the collection, Maya Hotel Courchevel 1850 is in a category of its own in Courchevel, with just 14 rooms styled in a minimalist, Japanese aesthetic by celebrated architect and interior designer Sylvestre Murigneux. Lalique is prominently on display throughout the boutique hotel, but the dedicated Lalique Suite and Apartment is entirely outfitted in the French maison’s legendary crystal – which you’ll find everywhere from the sculpted headboard and sink to the deconstructed prism chandeliers floating above the dining room table and bar. At the first alpine outpost of MayaBay , locally sourced ingredients are woven into the menu of elevated takes on classic Japanese and Thai fare – one of the standouts being the Choo Chee lobster, grilled and coated in a Thai red curry with pineapple and red bell peppers. Ski like (and with) an Olympian on an alpine escapade in the Italian Dolomites [caption id="attachment_572593" align="alignnone" width="630"] Indoor swimming pool at COMO Alpina Dolomites[/caption] After catching pros during the Winter Olympic Games in Milano and Cortina, jet off to join racing legends and Olympians Travis Ganong and Marie-Michèle Gagnong in Italy’s South Tyrol for a five- to seven-night retrea t at COMO Alpina Dolomites . Call the Alpe di Siusi – dotted with mountain huts serving up South Tyrolean specialties - your base as you perfect your techniques on Val Gardena’s iconic pistes. After a day on the slopes, recovery comes in the form of restorative yoga, sledding under the stars, and dinners designed around local alpine cuisine (mountain herbs, meadow-raised beef) at both the One MICHELIN Key hotel and an authentic, rustic rifugio . Indulge in Paris’s most iconic caviar during a winter pop-up at Hôtel de Crillon [caption id="attachment_572599" align="alignnone" width="630"] Cavia Kaspia at the Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel[/caption] Savoir-faire is a term often reserved for chefs and vintners, but century-old Caviar Kaspia has rightfully earned a reputation as a master in the art of caviar. The Parisian institution has collaborated with everyone from Giambattista Valli to Jacquemus, but this season, it’s popping up in space that couldn’t be more fitting: Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel . Taking over the gilded Bar Les Ambassadeurs and adjacent Jardin d’Hiver, Caviar Kaspia is adding its signature pop of teal to the marble-clad spaces. Co-branded winter white matryoshka dolls open to reveal selections of caviar served with signature mother-of-pearl spoons and paired with Kaspia’s iconic vodkas (the cherry is a favourite) and Duval Leroy-crafted house Champagne. While Kaspa classics like caviar grilled cheese, caviar-topped gamberoni carpaccio, and the caviar-stuffed baked potato are must-orders, try one of the newer plates like the agnolotti del plin with king crab – which pairs beautifully with Kaspia’s Joseph Mellot-crafted Sancerre. Dine & drink above the Alps at Six Senses Crans-Montana [caption id="attachment_572597" align="alignnone" width="630"] Food at Wild Cabin[/caption] Swiss hideaway Six Senses Crans-Montana , perched above the main gondola in Crans (half of the swish ski resort duo) is known for spectacular skiing and standout Valais wines, which you can sip on a gourmet snowshoeing tour along woodland trails or at the redesigned Ora Bar. Here, cocktails and mocktails are infused with ingredients sourced from within a 100-mile radius – and the sweeping mountain views are just as impressive. Start with a sundowner after a day on the slopes, or end the evening at the dedicated cigar and cognac lounge. To really embrace the alpine feel, ski right in to the expansive, forest-encased terrace of brasserie Wild Cabin, another newish addition to the property, where wood-fired fare is the star of a slopeside lunch that blends the best of local and seasonal ingredients for plates like braised leg of lamb with pumpkin purée and Swiss filet mignon with homemade chimichurri-yoghurt sauce and pearl onions. Sip Simon Porte Jacquemus’s latest creation delving into the world of champagne [caption id="attachment_572594" align="alignnone" width="630"] Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2018 by Simon Porte[/caption] The French designer behind the eponymous mega-hit brand keeps churning out hit after hit, whether it’s on the runway in Paris or transforming a lavender field in Provence into the ultimate catwalk. For his latest creation, Jacquemus has reimagined Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2018 , a limited-edition bottle embossed with Simon’s handwritten logo and signature, wrapped in a couture-like Toile du Marais gauzy fabric. While the bubbles certainly steal the show, Simon enlisted Camille Orfèvre, one of Paris’s last master metalsmiths, to design a sculptural rafraîchissoir (cooler) inspired by Medici vases that’s handcrafted from silver-plated metal – a work of art that takes more than 40 hours over the course of several weeks to create. Only 50 (manufactured on request) will be available, and the collector-worthy piece includes a glass set and flight of La Grande Dame vintages: a bottle of 2018 (the 25th vintage of the cuvée originally launched in 1972), a magnum of 2012, and a jeroboam of 1990 – Simon’s birth year. [/subscriber-content] Related articles Festive wine quiz: 10 questions to test your knowledge Sweet treats: 20 great sweet wines for Christmas California winemakers share their top wine gifting picks

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