Wine therapy, known as ‘vinotherapy’, is summer’s wellness hack
I’M TIRED of the endless articles moaning about how unutterably terrible wine is. Four of the world’s ‘Blue Zones’ territories, where the population live the longest and healthiest lives, are areas in which a glass or two of wine are a part of daily life. Of course, one should listen to one’s body, so if booze makes you feel bad then abstain just as the coeliac avoids the baguette – but ultimately health is about balance and there are plenty of pros to a glass of vino.
But even a wine advocate like me had never considered that wine might be of benefit to my outsides as well as my insides. Until last week, that is, when I got my first experience of Vinotherapy at South Lodge in Sussex.
Vinotherapy is the use of grape-derived compounds in skincare and is said to offer powerful benefits due to its high concentration of ‘polyphenols’, antioxidants that help combat oxidative stress, reduce inflammation and support skin regeneration.
A weekend of wine therapy in Sussex? I went with the flow…
Antioxidants are a natural product of the grapevine and help protect and reverse the effects of the kind of battering our skin takes from things like pollution, UV radiation and convenience foods. Add to this the fact that massages, scrubs and facials are typically relaxing and help us all unwind from our stressful lives, and vinotherapy sounds like a boon.
Using wine like this is nothing new. Queen Cleopatra was believed to have bathed in wine and milk to exfoliate and brighten her skin, and grape seeds and oils were used in Ancient Egyptian cosmetics. In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates prescribed wine as a skin anti-inflammatory and in Ancient Rome wine-soaked cloths were used to refresh the face. Now there is a resurgence, with Bordeaux based Caudalie leading the way.
South Lodge, which is a beautiful place for a City break whether you’re into wine or not, has partnered with British beauty brand Pelegrims “as a response to the ultra-processed approach to both food and skincare, offering instead an approach rooted in the unhurried rhythms of English vineyards”.
For those who enjoy drinking English producer Westwell’s wines, this is the vineyard from which Pelegrims sources its grapes. “Pelegrims’ connection to Westwell, our local vineyard, is more than geographically convenient, it’s deliberate. This hyper-local footprint lets us stay close to our materials.” Located just 20 minutes from each other in Kent, the vineyard is the source of grape skins, seeds and stalks from its Pinot Noir and Ortega vines. These are carefully harvested and minimally processed, aligning with Pelegrims’ commitment to “local sourcing of our core ingredients and low-intervention skincare”.
This all chimes with South Lodge’s own ethos, being a B Corp certified hotel, with an extensive spa that was a finalist for sustainability at the Good Spa Awards 2024.
As well as indulging in vinotherapy there you can enjoy inside, outside and vitality pools (this latter essentially a giant hot tub with beds) as well as steam and sauna rooms of various aromas.
The six lakeside lodges are a mastery of space and design. Each feels totally remote, and a wall of glass means views out over the water lily-covered lake can be as easily seen from bed as from the wood-decked terrace. Outside you’ll find a marble topped dinner table and bronze outdoor bath with enough space for two and a button for bubbles.
These beautiful two-story cabins have all mod cons and come with a personalised butler-style service at the drop of a WhatsApp.
Skip breakfast at the hotel and order a hamper, delivered at your chosen time, before heading off for some wild swimming in the lake below. Revived, it is time for that bottle of Ridgeview English sparkling wine some kind soul left on ice in my room. Being in the heart of the wine county that is Sussex, the focus here is a combination of wine and wellness for an unhurried mental and physical reset. I am yet to experience anywhere that does it better.