BY
CLAY LARROY
Make The Most Of Your Travel Experiences. Taking a cruise
is a great way to see many different places when you travel. Cruises offer many
activities and things to do while on the ship, while offering you the
opportunity to explore different locations each time you arrive at a port. Travel
is a great opportunity to learn more things. Time spent abroad helps you
understand and appreciate diverse cultures. In addition, it encourages an
acceptance and tolerance of ways of life that differ from your own. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!
A
tour of any of the great wine country regions of the world is an opportunity to
explore culture, history, cuisine and wine in a single trip. Without exception,
the scenery is beautiful, the people passionate, and the wine - nothing short
of phenomenal.
What
is a wine tour? It’s a tour through a region that has developed a substantial
vineyard and winery presence. Usually, a wine tour consists of visiting the
wineries and tasting rooms to sample their current wines, often paired with
food. Sometimes, a tour of the winery itself is included, and visitors can see
where the wine is grown, processed, barreled, aged and eventually bottled.
Most
people would first think of areas like the Napa Valley region of California or
the Burgundy region of France as ideal locations for wine tours, and that’s
with good reason, as those are outstanding locations. However, there are
vineyards the world-over. For the majority of United States travelers, wine
regions are within a few hours driving distance of their homes or an easy
weekend fly-drive retreat, providing plenty of options. And if you are looking
for a truly great epicurean vacation, you’ll pleasantly discover that the
experience ends up being about much more than the wine.
A
number of tour operators specialize in regional wine country tours. Chances
are, your travel consultant has access to excellently priced tours of wine
regions throughout the world, offering a variety of accommodations from
luxurious villas to budget hotels. In many wine regions, wineries have formed ‘wine
trails’ to make it easy for visitors to find the participating wineries and to
sample the wines. Often, tour operators can provide discounted passes to each
of the tasting rooms at the different wineries. Along with a good travel
consultant, you are sure to create experiences that would be hard to find on
your own. On the best tours, you’ll discover small, unknown producers,
meet top winemakers and in some cases, even receive an invitation into a home
of a Vigneron. Top tour operators can give you the opportunity to enjoy meals
and tastings as guests of the estates - just one example of the kind of event
often not available if you travel on your own, even if you visit the same
cellars. However, many tour operators can even arrange independent, self-drive
opportunities with the same privileges as their group tours.
Top
Regions to Tour
If
you want to tour some of the finest wineries and taste some of the world’s
finest wines, certain regions are considered the regions to
tour. They consistently produce excellent wines year after year, and some have
been doing so for literally thousands of years.
Tuscan,
Italy –
Italy’s most famous wine region has over 157,000 acres of vineyards throughout
its picturesque countryside. The Italians have been making wine for thousands
of years, and Italy boasts the largest output of wine in the world. Its climate
and soil are ideal for growing grapes, and nowhere is the setting more ideal
than Tuscany. The region is most famous for producing Chianti, a wine that
pairs naturally with most Italian foods.
Bordeaux,
Burgundy and Rhone, France - France has many wine growing regions, and each is
worth a visit. The Burgundy region is especially popular because it is
legendary for producing both excellent red and white wines. The rich history of
wine making dates back to when the Romans first invaded the area. Visitors can
tour old and new wineries that produce several well-known wines like Pinot
Noir, Chardonnay, and Beaujolais.
Australia - In the past
few decades, Australia has emerged as one of the fastest growing wine regions
in the world. Although many wineries have been around for over a hundred years,
the public has only recently taken a serious interest in this region. More than
70 wineries in the New South Wales region are located just a few hours’ drive
from Sydney. Wineries here are best known for producing excellent Shiraz and
Sauvignon Blanc.
USA - In the United
States, the most popular region is certainly California’s Napa Valley, which is
also one of the world’s newer wine regions. Its wine making history dates back
less than 200 years, but those years have seen the birth of more than 260
wineries famous for producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, and
Sauvignon Blanc. Not to be outdone, however, Oregon, Washington State and New
York all boast thriving wine industries and vineyards. Smaller regions include
the Texas Hill Country, as well as areas in Connecticut, Michigan and
Pennsylvania.
Germany - German wines
have historically been mostly white, made from Riesling grapes more suited to
the northern climate. German wines are produced around the Rhine and its
tributaries, and the vineyards are sheltered by mountains so steep that while
they catch the most sunlight, they are difficult to harvest mechanically. Germany’s
13 regions include Ahr, Baden, Franken, Hessische Bergstrasse, Mittelrhein,
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Nahe, Pfalz, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Saale-Unstrut, Sächsische
Weinstrasse and Württemberg.
South
Africa -
Cape Town is the trailhead of the South African vineyards. The local wine
industry has become a global force, producing approximately 3% of the world’s
wine production, ranking as 9th largest producer in the world. New wineries are
opening at a fast clip. Pinot Noir and Reisling varietals are predominant.
But
this list is far from comprehensive. Chile, Spain, Portugal and dozens of other
countries have robust wine economies where local vineyards have adapted
varietals to changing climates and soil conditions.
REFERENCE SITES:
http://www.travelresearchonline.com/
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