Beyond wine

IT'S afternoon in the comforting gloom of the Roman-inspired spa at the Grand Hotel de Bordeaux & Spa. Lined with dark tiles, the bijou pool shimmers with the light streaming in through the towering floor-to-ceiling windows. Two French matrons, cocooned in thick fluffy bathrobes, murmur appreciatively to each other about what an incredible retreat they've stumbled upon.

Not exactly the …