Villa Fontana Relais Suite & Spa

Many amongst us are well accustomed to drinking wine, but I’ll bet substantially fewer know how to really taste it, to tease out all the notes and experience it as the sommeliers do. Luckily for us all, the Villa Fontana Relais Suite and Spa will guide you through the finest wines in Italy.

Look:
As with food, wine tasting starts with the eyes, not mouth. So what do you first see? Perhaps you are immediately taken with the stunning landscape views, the picturesque vista of the hills of Langhe and Monferrato, both UNESCO sites? When you look a little closer, you may instead be taken with the historic country house setting, restored to its 18th-century glory. There are unexpected hints of modernity in the old elegance, though, that complement the history of the Villa; antique furnishings mixing harmoniously with a contemporary palate and modern technology; all offset with subtle hints of provincial, artisanal delights, with artworks and decorative objects from local artists.

Smell:
Next, you smell the wine, begin to discern different notes and elements. The fragrance from the vineyard dominates, of course. The 5 different varieties of grape each have a different maturation time, ensuring the scent of fruit floats through the Villa Fontana all year long. Underneath this scent, though, there are others to be discovered – perhaps you can smell the perfumes and oils used in the treatments at the luxury spa? Or take a walk into the gardens. Beneath the dominant scent of the vineyard, you can just smell the herbs and spices grown at the Villa; the sage, rosemary, and bay leaves that will flavour and enhance your meals.

Taste:
The smell will whet your appetite, preparing you to taste! Naturally, the first flavours to hit your tongue will be from breakfast, the complementary continental offering of local cheeses and meats, mixed with fresh pastries, fruits, and cakes. Coffee, of course, features heavily. But after the taste of this has passed, you may pick up a few subtle hints of the restaurant; traditional, Italian, family food with a gourmet twist, local delicacies created from the ingredients grown seasonally in the garden. And then, finally, you can discern the lingering final taste of Villa Fontana – the rich, deep wine, a blend of subtle but powerful flavours that come together and underpin your holiday at the Villa Fontana Relais Suite and Spa.