Pulling a prized bottle of, say, a 2018 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon out of the cellar to relish with friends can be thrilling. But think about the bragging rights of pouring your own blend, which you personally crafted at a famed winery in the heart of Tuscany or in the hills of Argentina.
Members of The Vines, a private travel club dedicated to the art of winemaking, have the opportunity to learn and craft wines alongside world-renowned virtuosos. There are two tiers of membership: Explorer requires a $100,000 initiation fee with annual dues of $6,000 (includes a $2,500 credit for the experience of choice), and Adventurer involves a $20,000 initiation fee with annual dues of $2,500.
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Over three or four days you’ll stroll vineyards, gain inside knowledge about the craft, inhale the enchanting aromas inside renowned barrel rooms and sip treasured wines. Members also have the option of creating their own personal barrel (25 cases, priced from $6,000-$40,000), which will be bottled, adorned with a bespoke label and shipped to your home after maturation. Intimate and masterfully executed, these “Blending Escapes” are the pinnacle of wine-tasting bliss for any oenophile.
“Through The Vines, we share winemaking experiences with others who are passionate about wine and the cultural and travel experiences that accompany it,” founder and CEO Michael Evans tells THR. “Drinking wines from a region, with the people who make them, and enjoying the unique foods of each locale is an unparalleled experience.”
Studded with culturally rich activities designed to deeply connect members with each region thanks to the meaningful relationships Evans and his team have cultivated, excursions are carefully curated. In addition to the deep dive with winemakers, expect dinners at off-the-beaten path cafés and trattorias, bountiful lunches set on sprawling vineyards, cooking classes with revered chefs, and gatherings with resident authors and artists.
The Vines’ itinerary centered in Montalcino, Italy, is composed of hotel accommodations at the impossibly charming La Bandita Townhouse in the ancient hilltop village of Pienza (owned by John Voigtmann, a former Sony music executive who is now a beloved local), blending sessions with such renowned masters of Brunello as Roberto Cipresso, Giacomo Neri and Andrea Polidoro of Cupano, along with an afternoon Tuscan feast on an organic farm, Podere Il Casale. There’s also a chestnut soup- and mushroom pasta-fueled lunch with Elisa Sesti on her family’s spellbinding estate grounds, a chat with Under The Tuscan Sun author Frances Mayes, and plenty of toasting and bonding with fellow members who hail from all over the world.
Current destinations where members can globetrot and vine hop include: Priorat, Spain; Mosel, Germany; the Champagne and Burgundy regions of France; Mendoza, Argentina; Oregon’s Willamette Valley; Duoro Valley, Portugal; Napa Valley; Sicily; and Piemonte, Italy.
South Africa, Bordeaux and Georgia in Eastern Europe are currently being plotted for 2025. Plenty of scintillating activities are forthcoming as well, to include truffle hunting in Tuscany, clamming on the Oregon coast, and making one’s own perfume in Spain.
Those who are yearning to delve further into the terroir and grow their own grapes, literally, have the option to purchase an acre of mature vineyards in Argentina at The Vines of Mendoza for $120,000, plus additional farming fees. “Winemaking is a la carte and starts at $4 per bottle,” says Evans, who also owns The Vines Resort & Spa, the private vineyard’s sleek retreat delivering majestic views of the Andes Mountains and surrounding vines.
Monika Parekh — executive producer of the documentary Plan C (nominated for an audience award at SXSW) and president of P-Squared Philanthropies — and her husband Deven are passionate about wine and make their own in Argentina with The Vines of Mendoza. “When Michael launched The Vines, it seemed like a natural progression for us,” says Parekh. “We get to travel to some of the best winemaking regions in the world with other like-minded wine enthusiasts and build relationships with some of the greatest local producers to create our own custom blend. It is truly a unique experience.”
A version of this story first appeared in the April 10 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
