Beyond the bottle

Atmosphere Core: Hand-picking and sourcing authentic wines to complement a Maldives’ private island experience.

While a glass of wine holds many secrets and many secrets get revealed over one, it is no secret that wine is enchanting more and more travelers every year.

Appreciating the nuances of wine culture, from harvesting to bottling techniques and from tasting notes to tropical dining experiences, these details are becoming increasingly appealing to the seasoned guest and international traveler. Tapping into changing guest expectations, international hospitality company Atmosphere Core has been quietly revolutionizing wine culture in the Maldives—a destination renowned for luxury hospitality.

Atmosphere Core’s wine program continues to disrupt the classic approach to wine in the Island-nation, by focusing on growing wine culture over prioritizing upselling and commercial aspects prevalent in the industry. At the company’s nine private islands, comfort and indulgence are further elevated with a curated wine selection, achieved by each private island resort sourcing directly from winemakers worldwide.

With a distinctive approach spanning across a portfolio of 3 brands and 9 resorts, wine not only complements the expansive menus and cuisines, it also creates authentic lifetime memories as sybarites are taken on a wine voyage while caressing the pearly-white sand beaches of the Maldivian archipelago.

Staying true to the company’s philosophy of ‘Joy Of Giving’, these wine experiences are seamlessly woven into fully encompassing Holiday Plans crafted for each resort. The Holiday Plans blend a private island stay with all-day dining, specialty dining, premium wines and spirits, spa and wellness, snorkeling, ocean excursions, water sports, and seasonal experiences.

Since 2021, THE OZEN COLLECTION, Atmosphere Core’s exceptional luxury brand, has been cultivating wine partnerships with artisanal winery owners of both Champagne Guy Charbaut (Mareuil-sur-Ay) and Bodegas Viñátigo (Canary Islands). This was enhanced in 2023 by fostering wine partnerships between vibrant wineries Glenelly Estate (Stellenbosch) and Bodegas Martín Códax (Rías Baixas) together with Atmosphere Core’s Maldivian lifestyle brands – COLORS OF OBLU and ATMOSPHERE HOTELS & RESORTS.

Each of the four wine partners were specifically selected based on years of research and consideration. Winery owners contribute significantly to growing wine culture by regularly traveling to host in-resort guest experiences, and facilitate resort culinary and service teams to visit their vineyards while also enjoying complete cultural immersion.

Nicolas Laguette is the Director of Wines at Atmosphere Core, “From the outset designing how we would elevate our wine program, it was clear that as a leading hotelier in the world’s most desirable destination, we had to challenge the status quo and expand our vision to curate wine lists that rival the uniqueness of the Maldives.

To achieve our goals, we needed to look curiously and source terroir and family-driven wineries that produce authentic wines as passionately as we service our guests. As a result, we are delighted to serve unique wine lists from unchartered regions that entertain and satisfy our guests with surprising experiences.”

Savour authentic wine encounters in 2024, at winemaker masterclasses with Glenelly Estate visiting ATMOSPHERE HOTELS & RESORTS from 24–30 of August, as well as Bodegas Martín Códax hosting at COLORS OF OBLU from 22–29 of September. The year-end will see Mr & Mrs Charbaut return to THE OZEN COLLECTION for champagne masterclasses from 21–27 October, and travelers can look forward to an extraordinary series of wine experiences graced by Bodegas Viñátigo winery owners from 18–24 November also at THE OZEN COLLECTION.