A small Irish hotel that was organized in a 13th century building has recently got an interesting addition to it its facilities. An old abandoned tunnel was found underneath the castle. The tunnel was discovered during renovation works at Ashford Castle, which is located in Mayo County in Ireland.
Ashford Castle is a part of Red Carnation Hotels. Currently, the castle hotel undergoes an extensive renovation with the budget of US$75 million. The tunnel was unearthed and it was detected that it had been used first as bunker for limestone coal and then as entrance for servants. It was decided to use the tunnel as one more facility for the 85-guestroom hotel, which is now a member of Leading Hotels of the World. A part of the tunnel was turned into a wine storage with temperature control function, and the rest of the tunnel became guest entrance lobby and tasting room for the wine. Visitors are welcome to sample best wine using the Coravin system, which enables tasting by the glass. The original wine cellar of the castle was built in 1615. For many years it was used to keep rare wine of the Guinness family, members of which owned the castle before. Nowadays, Ashford Castle has become a hotel, where guests are welcome to enjoy vintage wine selected by four professional sommeliers.