_Europe's very best vineyard holidays

by Chris Madigan

Champagne, France:

Moët et Chandon could be a royal château; Pommery a wealthy monastery. And then there’s the modest family home of Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Adélaïde Jouët. Today the house is a living museum of Art Nouveau masterpieces, with works by Lalique, Rodin and, of course, Emile Gallé, who painted the anemones on the Perrier-Jouët bottle. Lucky visitors can enjoy dinner and a tour of the cellars with chef de cave Hervé Deschamps and taste some rare vintage champagnes. perrier-jouet.com

^{Above: The House of Perrier-Jouët, Champagne}

^{Oppède, Provence, France. For sale through Knight Frank}

Tuscany, Italy:

Formerly owned by the Medici and then the Savoia family, Il Borro is a mediaeval Tuscan estate. Il Borro produces a range of highly regarded reds, including Polissena Sangiovese, as well as a sparkling rosé left on lees for four years. Visits to the cellars are by appointment only. In addition to Relais & Château suites in the main villa, more traditional homes, including a farmhouse and a mill, can be rented for a stay on the estate. ilborro.it 

^{Il Borro, mediaeval Tuscan estate}

Ribera del Duero, Spain:

Salas Studios’ designs for the Vega Sicilia winery, near Valladolid in Ribera del Duero, are as expressive of terroir as the wines it produces – including the celebrated blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, only produced in the best years, Único. Close by, Abadia Retuerta Le Domaine is a five-star hotel in a converted 12th-century abbey. As well as Marc Segarra’s Michelin-starred restaurant, the hotel also contains a spa complex in former stables, where treatments include vinotherapy. vega-sicilia.com, ledomaine.es

^{Hotel Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine}

Bordeaux, France (St Emilion):

heval Blanc is the leading producer in St Émilion. The current winery, designed by Christian de Portzamparc and completed in 2011, is a sinuous flow of concrete, which melds with the old sandstone of the château and is planted on the roof to create a continuation of the garden. Visits are strictly limited to wine professionals; stay at another St Émilion château – the four-star Grand Barrail hotel – instead. chateau-cheval-blanc.com, grand-barrail.com

^{Cabrières-d’Avignon, Provence, France. For sale through Knight Frank}