Best Wine Hotels in Piedmont: 10 Hotels, Villas & Vineyard Stays

Set among the vineyards of Gavi, Locanda La Raia is an intimate 12-room relais on the biodynamic La Raia wine estate. This boutique hotel offers 12 rooms and a country-house feel. Once a post office, the building was carefully restored into an elegant, intimate hotel whose decor blends historic and contemporary design.

No detail was left to chance, from super comfy beds to stylish bathrooms, the aromatic herb garden, and a rich and tasty breakfast. There is a small but well-equipped spa, a heated outdoor swimming pool, and an art park with works by the most famous international artists, such as Francesco Jodice, Michael Beutler, Remo Salvadori, and Koo Jeong A.

The on-site restaurant is supervised by Michelin-starred Chef Tommaso Arrigoni, who strictly follows a farm-to-table approach. Many ingredients come directly from the estate’s farm and vegetable gardens, supplemented by carefully selected local producers. It offers traditional mouthwatering dishes, including anchovies, soft farinata, and fennel; creamy Risotto with Castelmagno cheese and Locanda’s aromatic herbs; rabbit with Taggiasca olives, plums, and pine nuts; potato dumplings with beef ragout and black summer truffle.

Gavi is one of Piedmont’s least-visited wine regions. What a pity, as the countryside is pristine. Set among the vineyards near the historic town of Gavi, L’Ostelliere is part of the Villa Sparina wine estate, with its renowned winery and La Gallina restaurant. As with most wine hotels, the best months to visit are September and October (harvest time), when the vineyards are at their best, and the weather is still nice enough to sit outside on the terrace, sip a glass of wine, and take it all in. The resort also offers a range of non-wine-related activities, including bike tours of the area, posh picnics on the river, cooking classes, truffle hunting, and visits to rice producers. In 2020, the resort underwent a significant renovation.

Monferrato – especially Lower Monferrato – is a hidden gem for gourmands and wine lovers, with great wines, authentic cuisine, a warm welcome, quaint villages, and castles. One of these is the fairy-tale Castello di Gabiano. You can live the dream here, sleeping in one of the luxury suites, dining at the on-site restaurant Tre Orologi, wandering the historic maze, and fishing on the estate lake. You can tour the cellar and enjoy a full tasting of their wines, discovering and sampling two of the smallest and off-the-beaten-track appellations of Italy: Gabiano DOC and Rubino di Cantavenna DOC (Both denominations are based principally on Barbera, with permitted proportions of other local varieties)

In the Basso Monferrato, near the town of Asti, at the wine estate Tenuta Santa Caterina, you can find an elegant country house immersed in the gentle hills covered with Freisa, Grignolino, and Barbera vineyards.

The estate offers six large, elegant suites (each named after the estate wines), plus a cozy living room with an antique, grand fireplace, lounges, and libraries. A large pool overlooking the vineyards invites you to relax completely. But there is also plenty to do if you prefer to be more active: cooking classes, truffle hunting, horseback riding, bike tours, golfing, sightseeing (not to be missed: the impressive Grazzano Badoglio abbey founded in 961 by the Marquess of Monferrato or the “big benches” trail), grappa tours and tastings. Tenuta Santa Caterina offers a wonderful wine experience, including a tour of the vineyards and historic winery, a visit to the estate’s historic infernot, an underground wine cellar carved into the local stone.

Langhe is one of our favorite Italian wine regions, and Villa d’Amelia is one of our preferred hotels. What used to be a 19th-century farmhouse is now a luxury hotel, with breathtaking views of the Langhe hills and vineyards, with the Alps in the background. You will feel pampered and spoiled by the attentive and helpful staff. Indulge in the heated outdoor pool and small spa, and enjoy dining at Villa d’Amelia. Its DaMà restaurant offers contemporary takes on Piedmontese classics, paired with an extensive wine list. The chef and the hotel organize special gourmet events, the most famous being “La Nocciola in Tavola” (Hazelnut on the Table), held yearly in November and featuring more than 20 Michelin-starred chefs and wine producers.

In Verduno, overlooking the celebrated Monvigliero vineyards, Scarpa Villas offers four beautifully restored independent residences. Each villa has a well-equipped kitchen, outdoor barbecue, deluxe interior, and lush private garden with views of the Nebbiolo vineyards and Langhe hills. Owned and managed by Scarpa Winery, Scarpa Villas offers many activities: truffle hunts, vineyard walks, picnics, and wine tastings, with a private sommelier and personal chef at disposal for cooking classes or gourmet dining. And relax at the highest level.

Palàs Cerequio—owned by Barbera, Barbaresco, and Barolo producer Michele Chiarlo—is literally in the vineyard, and what vineyards! We are talking about the crème de la crème of Barolo crus Cerequio and Brunate, with spectacular views of the nearby Cannubi hills. This is a wine-lover’s paradise!

Michele Chiarlo restored this palace (thus the name, palàs in the local dialect) and turned it into a boutique hotel. The relais has eleven suites: four decorated in a traditional Piedmontese style and seven with more contemporary interiors; each room has a small en-suite spa. At La Corte Restaurant, chef Vincenzo La Corte offers a contemporary interpretation of Langhe cuisine, with particular respect for the region’s ingredients. You can also enjoy what they call “Apericrus” (Piedmontese tapas), a selection of cheeses, cured meats, and tapas-style bites paired with Barolo or Barbaresco by the glass. The highlight of any stay at Palàs Cerequio is the wine cellar, where you can enjoy a guided wine tasting of the best Barolos you’ve ever dreamt of with a private sommelier.

Are you looking for a luxurious experience with a hint of nobility? Look no more; Castello di Guarene is the right place for you. Located in the Roero wine region, just a stone’s throw from Alba and Langhe, Castello di Guarene offers twelve large, exquisite rooms with original antiques and aristocratic details, such as elaborate silk or velvet tapestries. The hotel spa is terrific, with a stunning swimming pool carved into the rock and beautiful Italian-style gardens designed in the 18th century—the on-site restaurant serves local cuisine with hints of creativity. There is only a downside: would you be able to leave the castle?

Alto Piemonte is a wine region on the rise, a hidden gem that the most well-known and reliable wine magazines and writers are talking about, from Tom Hyland to Antonio Galloni, from Decanter to Wine Advocate, from Kerin O’Keefe to Eric Asimov. If you love Nebbiolo, Barolo, and Barbaresco, the next wines you must try are Lessona, Carema, Gattinara, Ghemme, Boca, and Bramaterra. Overlooking romantic Lake Orta, La Darbia is a delightful apartment hotel and a wonderful base for discovering several of Alto Piemonte’s lesser-known wine appellations. A small Nebbiolo vineyard is on site. They produce a sparkling rosè brut wine from its grapes. In early October, you can experience the harvest firsthand; after grape picking and a visit to the small cellar, you enjoy a convivial lunch to celebrate this special event.

You can enjoy the saltwater heated pool, e-biking, and wine tasting in the cantina. The on-site restaurant features chef Matteo Monfrinotti, who creates delicacies made with products from the vegetable garden and the region’s specialties: cheese (Gorgonzola, anyone?), rice, salami, and freshwater fish, paired with excellent local wines, of course.

In 1946, husband and wife Gino and Clelia Bagnod brought their herds down from Val d’Ayas in Valle d’Aosta to the Canavese countryside for the winter. It was the beginning of the family’s agricultural business, built around artisan cheeses and premium meats. Over the years, the Bagnod family grew and expanded their business, founding three agriturismos (farm stay resorts), a “bar à fromage,” and a wonderful winery. Located in an atmospheric, 11th-century former Benedictine monastery, Cellagrande’s small wine cellar produces unique and relatively rare wines: Erbaluce di Caluso and Carema. Erbaluce is a native white grape from Upper Piedmont, known for its fruitiness, freshness, and rich, intense flavor. It is a versatile grape that makes dry, sparkling, and sweet wines. Erbaluce Passito is a fascinating dessert wine that is not always easy to find outside Piedmont.

The beautiful, palatial-style inn also offers nine rooms, facing Lake Viverone. Guests can enjoy the small spa, which includes a private experience in the former large wine casks; what a treat! There is also an on-site Bistrot (naturally with a farm-to-table ethos), wherein, in their pretty, brick-vaulted dining room, you can taste their cheese in mouthwatering dishes like Carnaroli rice with Erbaluce wine and creamy robiola cheese, slow-cooked locally-sourced lamb with Carema wine sauce, and beef seasoned with mountain herbs, mesclun (a mix of assorted small baby greens) and Gran Gessato d’Ayas cheese.