Luxury travel: Spain & Portugal wine tour ideas

Highlights

Revel in the high-end wine lifestyle of Barcelona and Lisbon, or discover the untold pleasures of Douro and Galicia. From Moorish fortresses to modern art hotels, we’ve collected the best luxury places to stay in Spain and Portugal’s wine regions…

All the suggestions for this luxury wine tour of Spain & Portugal have been taken from existing Decanter.com travel guides, written by our experts.

W Hotel Barcelona

The landmark W Hotel overlooking Barcelona’s historic boardwalk. Image Credit: w-barcelona.com

Bustling Barcelona is great base from which to explore surrounding Cava country with its effervescent lifestyle. Don’t miss Alta Alella, the closest winery to Barcelona, with vineyards that drop down to the sea. A luxury treat, the W soars amid the swanky restaurants and nightlife of the old port. It was designed by architect Ricardo Bofill, and comprises of 26 floors — at the top of which is the Eclipse rooftop bar.

Recommended by Sarah Jane Evans MW, award-winning food and wine journalist

Nearest airport Barcelona

Mas de Torrent Hotel & Spa Empordà

Five-star poolside peace in Catalonia… Image Credit: hotelmastorrent.com

Whether travelling from Barcelona or perhaps be driving from the south of France, Empordà’s landscape, flanked by the shimmering Mediterranean and dominated by the Pyrenees, is equally distinctive whichever route you choose. Vines have been cultivated here since the sixth century BC, and the region has benefitted from the innovation of the wave of young winemakers establishing themselves in the region. In Baix Empordà, you’ll find an 18th-century stone-built masia (farmhouse), now converted into a Relais & Chateaux elegant five-star hotel, Mas de Torrent. Complete with pool, spa and two restaurants with Mediterranean-inspired food from the celebrated 2-star chef Fina Puigdevall.

Recommended by Sue Style, a food and wine journalist who writes for a range of publications and has her own website suestyle.com

Nearest airport Gerona-Costa Brava

Cap Rocat Mallorca

Enter the Mallorcan Moorish fortress… Image Credit: caprocat.com

For a taste of island life, why not head over to Mallorca, with its enticing array of food and wine destinations. Many of its wineries are clustered around Palma, where you can travel beyond the touristic facade to reach a hushed world of golden stone villages, silvery olive groves, almond and apricot orchards bounded by monasteries and carpeted with wild flowers. Base yourself at Cap Rocat, a classy 25-room hotel in a Moorish-inspired former military fortress dominating a point south of Palma with pools, spa, gourmet restaurant and Sea Club perched above the water.

Recommended by Sue Style, a food and wine journalist who writes for a range of publications and has her own website suestyle.com

Nearest airport Palma

Hotel Marques de Riscal Rioja

The otherworldly splendour of Hotel Marques de Riscal… Image Credit: hotel-marquesderiscal.com

Another route would be to journey inland to Rioja, where needless to say you will find some of the finest wines in the country. And it was at its UNESCO-protected Yuso monastery that the first words were written in Castilian Spanish about wine. Well-located between the two winery hubs of Logroño and Haro, the five-star Hotel Marques de Riscal is itself a architectural landmark. Frank Gehry designed its cascading steel ribbons to reflect the dazzling sunlight, in a way that bends the mind and tricks the eye, contrasting spectacularly with the surrounding vineyards. Equally unforgettable is its wine-themed spa, which offers treatments such as the ‘Barrel Bath’: a long soak in bubbly grape pomace.

Nearest airport Bilbao

SEE ALSO: Visit seven wineries in a day: Haro wine festival in Rioja

A Quinta da Auga Santiago de Compostela

Experience the best of Galicia at A Quinta da Auga. Image Credit: aquintadaauga.com

Known for its religious importance, UNESCO world heritage site Santiago de Compostela offers wine lovers their own pilgrimage through Ribeiro and Rías Baixas; along with the way sampling its signature Albariño and Godello wines. A Quinta de Auga sits in its own 1 hectare estate, and was originally a paper mill. It has been carefully restored by a local family, and is now a resplendent Relais & Châteaux hotel and luxury spa. With its own riverside Restaurant Filigrana, for upscale Galician specialities. There also organise visits to the surrounding wineries, where you can learn about the region from the producers themselves.

Recommended by Sue Style, a food and wine journalist who writes for a range of publications and has her own website suestyle.com

Nearest airport Palma

Six Senses Douro Valley

An opulent manor in the homeland of Port… Image Credit: sixsenses.com

Though it may be smaller, Portugal holds its own on the world’s stage as a beacon of fine wine. Take the train from Porto and you’ll follow the Douro river as it navigates its way between steep mountain slopes, where you’ll find thousands of intertwined vines and traditional stone terraces forming a tapestry of rare natural beauty. For the supreme scenic route, there is also a helicopter service available. Six Senses is a converted 19th-century manor in the midst of Douro wine country, with a pool that overlooks the snaking river. Its spa, restaurants and wine library are not to be sniffed at. Find yourself a glass of slightly chilled vintage Port, and sit outside on a warm evening.

Recommended by André Ribeirinho is a Portuguese food and wine entrepreneur who founded online wine platform adegga.com.

Nearest airport Porto

Memmo Alfama Hotel Lisbon

The wine-red infinity pool and gorgeous Lisbon views… Image Credit: memmohotels.com

No wine tour of Portugal could overlook the addictive authenticity of Lisbon, brimming with wine bars, food markets and restaurants. Not to mention the three wine regions just a short drive away — head north for the sea-influenced wines of Lisboa, south to Setúbal to taste the historic fortified Moscatels from José Maria da Fonseca’s 100-year-old cellars, or east to Altentejo for the 700-year-old oenotourism estate of Herdade do Esporão. For a city oasis, stay at the Memmo Alfama Hotel, which has an excellent terrace, infinity pool and views over Lisbon’s hot-potch rooftops. The bar serves delicious petiscos and has a good wine list.

Recommended by André Ribeirinho is a food and wine entrepreneur who founded online wine platform adegga.com