Sleep in a Giant Wine Barrel at this Beautiful Portuguese Vineyard

By Mike Richard Published April 21, 2021

At some point in their misspent youths, most red-blooded men have found solace or a good night’s “rest” at the bottom of a wine bottle. So, it’s reasonable to think you might also find both inside of a wine barrel. One Portuguese vineyard is giving wine-lovers the opportunity to do just that.

Owners Paulo Pereira and Maria do Céu Gonçalves personally designed each of the 10 wine-barrel-inspired guest suites at the Quinta da Pachecha estate. From the outside, they resemble giant pine wine barrels, complete with a large round glass entryway, a private deck, and even a “bunghole”-inspired skylight. Inside, the 270-square-foot floor plans feature all the trappings of a boutique hotel room including a round bed, en suite bathroom with high-end fixtures and a walk-in shower, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning.

Quinta da Pachecha — Quinta da Pachecha/Facebook

Most connoisseurs will appreciate overnighting in a giant wine barrel as a bucket-list-worthy experience unto itself. However, the grounds of the 140-acre vineyard estate are the real star of the show. Even amid Portugal’s iconic Douro Valley wine region, Quinta da Pachecha stands out. Just steps from each suite, guests can tour 116-year-old grape vines, sip whites, reds, and ports in one of 15 wine-tasting rooms, and sample other boutique items like olive oil and fresh jams.

Quinta da Pachecha

Quinta da Pachecha

Quinta da Pachecha

Sleeping inside an industrial-sized booze barrel isn’t an entirely new concept. Germany’s boutique Schlafen im Weinfass (literally translated: “sleeping in a wine barrel”) winery offers similar barrel-inspired suites amid the country’s famous Baden wine region. All of the 8,000-liter barrel rooms feature a bed, en suite bathroom, modern amenities, and a garden patio overlooking the Rhine Valley. If tequila is more your speed, Mexico’s Matices Hotel de Barricas has you covered. Situated in the town of Tequila, the only place in the world allowed to produce the beverage officially, this distillery offers guest the opportunity to crash in a tequila-barrel-shaped guest room. All feature similarly modern amenities, plus a private deck overlooking acres of agave fields.

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A stay in Quinta da Pachecha’s wine barrel suites starts at $285 per night. If it’s a bit too kitschy for your liking, there are also traditional hotel rooms just steps away from the estate’s wine-making rooms.

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Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…

Food & Drink

Horton Vineyard’s Petit Manseng Is Officially the Best Wine in Virginia

A red wine glass and wine.

Trust me, Virginia wine is coming. Not in droves, mind you, but here and there, on the shelves of your local bottle shop or on the list of your neighborhood’s most adventurous restaurant.
Here’s why: The state is presently at an intriguing crossroads. It’s been in the wine game long enough to know what works and, after many additional years of fine-tuning its treatment of the most suitable varieties, finds itself in a certain sweet spot. This is the fork in the road where labels decide to go for broke and appeal to the masses or continue the pioneering projects that got them to this very point (or some combination thereof).
Quite a few of the wines from the Commonwealth are good. Others, not so much. Perhaps more importantly, they’re fairly intrepid, just about across the board. In other words, while the region has achieved some noteworthiness among inner circles and at a few stray competitions, Virginia is not yet known for its wine (even though it produces the 8th most in the country). That translates to some freewheeling winemaking that can lead to interesting grapes and unexpected blends, all within a time frame wherein the state is still carving out its own, still-to-come legacy.

A lot of states we now know to be excellent wine outlets had similar phases — stretches of obvious emerging talent framed by a Wild West, DIY sort of sensibility. For consumers, it’s one of the coolest times to explore a region, as it typically lacks the crowds and commercialization that can come with fame. Some would argue that California had that in the 1970s and 80s, Walla Walla in the early aughts, and the Willamette Valley up until about a decade ago.
Presently, there are about 300 producers in the state and counting, pulling from about 4,000 acres of planted vineyard land. They exist all over the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to diverse valley floors and shorelines. Virginia’s wine history goes way back to the Founding Fathers era, when folk like Thomas Jefferson dabbled in the craft, with Jefferson even establishing his own estate vineyard (a pair of them at Monticello, in fact). The oldest wine grape planted in American soil, Norton, hails from Virginia.
Virginian winegrowers deal with their share of hardships. They come in the form of hot, humid summers and blisteringly cold winters. Picking times become crucial as moisture can cause rot and high temperatures can lead to over-ripening on the vine.
Every year since 1982, the state has put on what’s called the Governor’s Cup. Judged by a panel of wine pros, the tasting whittles down hundreds of entries made within the state to the top dozen Virginia wines. In 2019, some 510 wines were tasted from about 100 producers, all crafted from 100% Virginia fruit. The winning dozen included a mix of Bordeaux-style red blends (or “meritage” wines), Cab Franc, Tannat, and more.

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