Brainstorming can be thirsty work, and knowing this, a number of wine resorts in some of the world’s most breathtaking places have been quick to seize on and develop a prime commercial opportunity. The result –a growing number of venues made conducive for productive thinking and letting go afterward.We’ve shortlisted a couple for your consideration.
AUSTRALIA
Novotel Barossa Valley Resort
THE PLACE: Located in the heart of the world famous Barossa Valley wine-making region and adjacent to Tanunda Pines Golf Course, this property has all the ingredients for mixing business and leisure. On site is a wide range of conference facilities that include eight function rooms – the largest able to take up to 340 delegates – as well as the latest technology to ensure efficient proceedings. All the famous wineries such as Penfolds are within 10 to 15 minutes of the resort. Penfolds has no meeting space but does have a restaurant, which provides another dining option for the group should participants want a change of scenery from the hotel. The Barossa Valley is not only celebrated for its wines but also for its cuisine, a legacy of the English and European settlers who arrived in 1850s. Their influence remains strong until today, manifesting itself in the rich spread of specialty foods, festivals held throughout the year and legacy buildings and houses. More likely than not, the vineyards are tended by 6th generation grape growing families.Maggie Beer, one of Australia’s most famous chefs, a writer and champion of Barossa’s regional cuisine, lives here.Visitors can partake of her cooking and buy homemade products at her farm near Nuriootpa, overlooking a lake.
THE WINE:Winery tours in a vintage car or limousine can be easily fixed up, or for a different kind of perspective, one can go for a ride on a hot air balloon. Other activities include wine tasting, bush walks, helicopter rides and sampling the local produce.
THE PRICE: Besides the conference rooms, there is also a foyer, which can hold up to 170 people for cocktails, and the poolside. Rent for the largest meeting room per day is US$1,447. The resort also offers meetings packages, which include room hire, lunch, coffee and tea, audio-visual equipment at US$37 per person. Rates are subject to change.
CONTACT: Novotel Barossa Valley Resort Golf Links Road, Rowland Flat, Barossa Valley, tel 61 8 8524 0000,www.novotel.com
CHILE Viña Bisquertt, Colchagua Valley
THE PLACE: This perennial award winner – it came away with Best Merlot in the 2002 International Wine and Spirit Competition in London for its Merlot Reserve – is located in the Colchagua Valley, one of Chile’s important vinicultural districts and home to over a dozen prestigious vineyards.Vina Bisquertt is renowned for managing to combine a successful business with time-honoured traditions of hard work and close family ties. The Bisquertt clan became wine entrepreneurs a century ago. Their vineyard now occupies about 800ha of land, producing Sauvignon Blanc,Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon among others.Vina Bisquertt, housed in a 200-year old colonial structure, is a popular tourist attraction.
The Bisquertts also own a collection of handsome antique carriages, which is another reason to visit. It’s also earning a name as a place to hold meetings and events,with venues able to accommodate up to 200 people.
THE WINE: After business, guests are taken on a tour of the wine production facilities, escorted by an experienced guide, and then invited for wine tasting sessions. Tours of the surrounding areas and special activities can be organised upon request.
THE PRICE:Not available at press time.
CONTACT: Carmen Luz Geisse, catering division. Padre Mariano 401 Providencia, Santiago, Chile, tel 56 2 946 1540, fax 56 2 431 0552, email [email protected]
FRANCE
Centre Vinicole-Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte
THE PLACE: It’s located in Epernay, which lays claim to the title,“Capital of Champagne”, because of the famous Champagne producers who line the Avenue de Champagne. The place is about one and a half hour’s drive from Paris. The wine house is owned by an association of producers, consisting of 4,500 growers representing 85 cooperatives. This group controls nearly 2,200ha of vineyards. Facilities include two reception areas to stage meetings, dinners, seminars and gala events. One venue, Tradition Champenoise, has a capacity of 80 persons, while the multipurpose Salle Panoramique has a capacity of 1,000 persons.
THE WINE: Cellar tours are only by appointment with the opportunity to taste up to three cuvees, as well as learn about the process of making Champagne.
THE PRICE: The whole-day rate for the Tradition Champenoise is US$613, while a whole day for the Salle Panoramique is US$2,085 or half day at US$1,349. A cellar tour, plus a tasting of the Réserve Particulière costs US$79.9 per person, based on a group of 25 to 200 persons. If it involves a tasting of a Réserve Particulière, Blanc de Blancs Vintage and Cuvée Spéciale Vintage and the gastronomical experience, Saveurs Gourmandes, it will cost US$4.84 per person, based on a group of 25 to 200 persons.
THE CONTACT:Marie Lapchuk, Chouilly BP210 F51206, Epernay, France, tel 33 3 2659 5550, fax 33 3 2659 6373, email [email protected], www.feuillatte.com/sensations
Chateau Giscours
THE PLACE: In the heart of the Medoc wine region is this grand dame, standing solidly in the midst of 80ha of vineyard. In the Fe’ret (considered the bible of Bordeaux wine lore), it is said that Louis XIV,who once stayed here, appreciated the wine.
Passed on from owner to owner, the chateau finally ended up with a Dutch businessman, who, to this day, still owns it entirely. Chateau Giscours has moved with the times, offering meeting and event facilities as well as vast exhibition spaces.An interesting option is La Ferme Suzanne built like those villas found along the Basque coast. It contains a main banqueting hall, a covered “market place” and an enormous inner courtyard. Events for up to 2,000 people can be held here. Les Anciennes Ecuries, the former horse stables, is ideal for the meeting and dining activities of 70 delegates. The chateau has three guestrooms, two of which have double beds and the third one with triple beds. Bordeaux is only 30 minutes away by car and the Bordeaux Congress Centre only 20 minutes.
THE WINE: Staff at the wine-making area always welcome visitors year round, and after the complimentary tour, there’s a tasting session.Groups of up to six can taste one of the wines produced, and for more than six, it’s two wines plus a free souvenir. THE PRICE: Not available at press time.
THE CONTACT: tel 33 55 797 0920, email [email protected]
HONGKONG
Crown Wine Cellars
THE PLACE: Located in the exclusive Hongkong suburb of Shouson Hill,Crown Wine Cellars is a top-notch wine storage facility and private members’ club, offering Gold, Platinum and Corporate membership. Outsiders can only enter upon invitation from someone belonging to this elite group. The facility has three distinct reception areas: the Conservatory, a 1,500sq ft venue, surrounded by natural foliage; the Main Underground Bunker and the Library,which are outfitted with serving counters and an extensive range of wine bottles and goblets. If there is an air of nostalgia that pervades the place, that’s because the 70-year-old property was originally used by the British military forces to store weapons and ammunition.
THE WINE: Wine tasting and networking.
THE PRICE: The rate for each person depends on the catering requirements and wines selected. Each of the venues can accommodate up to 100 persons.While Crown Cellars operates on a members-only basis, it offers a one-off membership scheme to accommodate corporate or private events.
The monthly membership fee starts from US$88,with perks such as storage privileges of 95 bottles of wines and use of the club’s facilities.
THE CONTACT: Ingrid Chan, club manager, tel 852 2580 6287,www.crownwinecellars.com
NEW ZEALAND
Mission Estate Winery
THE PLACE: New Zealand’s oldest winery (established in 1851) is found in Napier, Hawke’s Bay on the North Island.Housed in a beautifully restored former seminary, it has built a reputation for quality and innovation. The estate provides a year-round wine experience,which can be combined with conference and meetings. The estate has a few conference facilities. One is the renowned Mission Restaurant, an L-shaped room with views of the vineyards and city. It can be divided into two rooms for separate private dinner or breakout sessions.
The restaurant has a capacity of 70 persons, seated dinner-style. The adjoining Chapel is an ideal venue for reception and conference. With high ceiling and arched windows, it is self contained with its own toilet and bar facilities. It also has a raised stage for entertainment or presentations. The capacity is 200 persons theatre-style or 180 persons for seated dinner. Two other smaller rooms are available.
The Smythe Study which is located between the cellar door and open deck overlooking the vineyards, can host up to 50 people. The Library,which is for boardroom-style conferences, can hold up to 20 people. It is on the second floor and features a ceilingmounted projection screen with remote control.
THE WINE: A visit to the cellar door provides an opportunity to try the extensive range of wines, and for those interested in history, the twice daily Estate tour is a must.Visitors are encouraged to explore the gardens and soak up the ambience of the place.
THE PRICE: Each package can be tailored specifically to individual needs. Book in advance to ensure no other activities are taking place on site.
THE CONTACT: Erin Speakman, tel 64 6 845 9350,www.missionestate.co.nz
Villa Maria Estate Winery and Vineyard Park
THE PLACE: This 40-hectare property boasts a truly unique location – it stands within the crater of an extinct volcano, surrounded by Auckland’s breathtaking Manukau Harbour. From the Jean Batten International Airport, it’s about a five-minute drive.
Villa Maria, which is planted with Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Merlot grapes on its north facing slopes,widened its appeal last year, opening up to conferences and events. Planners are offered the landscaped grounds for outdoor concerts easily accommodating 6,000 people and four function rooms for board meetings and workshops.
There’s also Barrel Hall, a contemporary space with vaulted ceilings, skylights and views through the main Barrel Cellar, that can sit 240 people banquet style. For cocktails – the perfect way to end a day of heavy brainstorming – the Cellar Door provides a light and airy ambience, enhanced by floor-toceiling windows and sliding glass doors that invite guests to step into the open. In the future, there will be guestrooms and a restaurant available.
THE WINE: After business, guests can learn more about the art of wine making in the wine producing room from extremely knowledgeable staff.
THE PRICE: Barrel Hall can be rented for a full day at US$1,469 and half-day rent is US$734. The Cellar Door is US$734 for a full day with no half day available.
THE CONTACT: Kathy Paterson of Events – Food and Wine Department, tel 64 9 255 1763, email [email protected]
SPAIN
Hotel Marques de Riscal
THE PLACE: This soon-to-open hotel is located within the Marques de Riscal, one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries in the celebrated Rioja wine region of Spain. On the outskirts of Elciego town, it’s about 110km from Bilbao International Airport. Designed by the trend-setting Frank Gehry (who was also the architect of the controversial Guggenheim Museum Bilbao), the property, belonging to the far-reaching Starwood chain,will have 43 suites, each with a bay window overlooking the vineyards. Other onsite facilities include a fine-dining restaurant,wine tasting corner, rooftop bar and lounge, spa and cooking academy. Banquet and meetings will take place in an ancient 1,200sq m wine cellar that has been converted into a banquet and function room, an auditorium set up for 100 persons and several function rooms with a maximum capacity of 1,500 persons.
THE WINE: Visits to the Marques de Riscal vineyards are high on the activity list. There, guests can witness state-of-the-art winemaking process, tour the museum and browse around the well-stocked shop. Those with more time can experience the Rioja region further, hiring a car or playing a round of golf.
PRICE: None available at press time.
THE CONTACT: Beatriz Herrero, marketing dept, [email protected], tel 34 91 745 1738
SOUTH AFRICA
Morgenhof Wine Estate
THE PLACE: Located on the southwestern slopes of Simonsberg Mountain in the Stellenbosch district, this 212-hectare estate boasts a history dating back to 1692. Now owned by Madame Anne Cointreau from France, who bought the farm in 1993, it has reinvented itself as a site for small corporate events. It is certainly well equipped to do so, boasting even a helipad. The meeting options include The Tower, which can be arranged theatre style for 20 delegates and U-shaped style for 15; the larger Old Chapel in theatre-style for 80 and Ushaped style for 30.
THE WINE: Tours ofMorgenhof’s octagonalshaped underground maturation cellar can be arranged, followed by wine-tasting sessions and dinner attended by the resident winemaker who will walk guests through a menu,which pairs unique gastronomic creations with wines of the estate naturally led by Morgenhof and others such as Gosset French Champagne,Vedrenne French liqueurs and Cognac Frapin.
THE PRICE: The conference package is US$29 per delegate per day,with lunch, coffee and tea, and snacks. There’s also a half-day package costing US$24 per delegate, including lunch.
THE CONTACT: Shelley Bester, banqueting manager, tel 21 4 889 5510, fax 21 4 889 5266, email [email protected].
