Are you a wine lover? Do you also love to travel? Would you like to get the best of worlds, which is traveling while enjoying a top-notch wine? Well, then a wine vacation is indeed right for you!
But there are a few essentials that you need to keep in mind when it comes to a wine vacation. And that includes top-notch vino, gorgeous vineyards, and, of course, delectable food. Going on a wine vacation is a splendid way to spend your free time or holidays.
It is undoubtedly a wonderful experience to get to enjoy your most loved vino while traveling. Wine and traveling are two beautiful things that, for sure, most of us would want. Imagine enjoying a glass while seeing the sun set below the hills of vineyards. To help you plan an excellent trip, we have listed the ten best wine travel destinations that showcase magnificent scenery and, for the most part, impressive wine culture.
Franschhoek, South Africa
Franschhoek is, believe it or not, a dream wine travel destination for wine lovers and enthusiasts as it is settled amidst the high mountains in the hub or core of Cape Winelands. This wine travel destination is founded and established in 1688 by French Huguenots, and the scenic village is swathed with vineyards where you can, without a doubt, enjoy various kinds of wines.
Let’s say, for example, full-bodied red wines such as Shiraz and Pinot Noir. Distinguished vineyards include Solms-Delta, La Motte, Allée Bleue, and Chamonix. Moreover, you can opt to get the famed food and wine tours that encompass everything from wine tasting, grape picking, to chocolate making, as well as olive tasting. The ideal time to go here is between September to February.
Douro Valley, Portugal
Situated over a hundred miles from the Porto city, this picturesque UNESCO World Heritage site showcases and flaunts of blissful and heavenly 18th and 19th-century wine estates and stone terraced vineyards that is nestled above the winding Douro River. Back in the third century A.D. after the Iberian peninsula conquest, Romans instigated vines to the Douro Valley.
Aside from the world-renowned Port, Douro Valley is, for the most part, known or famed for producing the Vinho Verde white wine. Additionally, several smaller wine estates serve or produce less popular wines made from local and native grape varieties such as Alfrocheiro.
Guests can opt for guided tasting and tours at historic wineries such as Quinta das Carvalhas, Quinta de La Rosa, and Quinta da Pacheca. The ideal time to here is early October or late September.
Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
Saint-Émilion is famed for its full-bodied and deep-colored red wines. Also, it is one of the most renowned and popular wine estates in the entire Bordeaux region. Its most beautiful tourist attractions include a rustic winery called Les Cordeliers that remains and prevails amidst the ruins and wreckage of a 14th-century Franciscan monastery.
This wine travel destination has been, for the most part, producing sparkling wines like Crémant de Bordeaux and Veuve Clicquot Brut in its old wine cellars for at least a century. The ideal time to visit is in April and May.
Barossa Valley, Australia
The impressive and magnificent vineyards of the Barossa Valley are, more often than not, popular for producing and making some of the most excellent bold Shiraz wines and Rieslings. You can be fond of a game of croquet after tasting some wines in the Château Tanunda’s grand barrel room.
On the other hand, you can opt to enjoy Mediterranean varietals such as Tempranillo and Sangiovese at the rustic Pindarie Wine. The best time to go here is in February and March.
Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
The booming and progressing wine region of Mexico deserves to be on the bucket list of everyone. The famous wines made here include red wines such as Zinfandel, Barbera, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon and white wines like Chardonnay and Colombard. The best to visit this place is early September or late August because you get to enjoy the annual harvest festival that includes live music, dancing, wine tasting, and many more.
Piedmont, Italy
Piedmont is among the classic and most famous wine estates in Italy. Its beautiful vineyards make two of the finest red wines in the world, which are the Barbaresco and Barolo. Moreover, guests can enjoy cold cuts, sample cheeses, and lunch picnics at the winery of the estate. The best time to go here is in April to the middle of July or late August to October.
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand is home to about a hundred vineyards and eighty wineries, making it the second biggest wine estate in New Zealand. The vineyard-swathed valleys are best known for making red wines like Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well with some premium white wines. The best time to go here is in late May, which is the harvest season.
Napa Valley, California, U.S
If you are a budding wine lover, then the Napa Valley is the best place to go. A lot of wineries such as Black Stallion and Alpha Omega, offer many tours and tasting experiences to walk you through flavor profiling and the process of winemaking. Tourists can also see more of the region by riding the Napa Valley wine train. The best time to visit is in late August to October.
La Rioja, Spain
Dotted with quaint wine towns, cathedrals, and castles, La Rioja is undoubtedly a paradise for everyone. Romans first instigated wine to the Spanish region, and the process of winemaking has been woven into the culture of La Rioja ever since. The best time to visit this place is in late September.
Moselle Valley, Germany
A placid river, rolling hills, and majestic castles, the scenic beauty of the Moselle Valley is enough to allure and attract anyone. Add a few top-notch vino to the mix, and you can get pure magic. This wine region produces some of the finest Rieslings in the whole world — the best time to go here from July to August or September to October.
Takeaway
So, here are some of the best wine travel destinations that you should visit, especially if you love wine and traveling. Plan a great trip with the help of this list.
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