Wine tours
South Australia
South Australia contains the country's premier winegrowing areas all within an easy drive of the state capital, Adelaide.
The Barossa Valley, about 65km from Adelaide, is known for its German heritage and its most famous whites are Riesling. In the mid-north, the Clare Valley is very scenic with hilly landscapes, historic buildings and more great wines. Further afield in the state's south-east is the Coonawarra region, famous for its reds.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
California, United States
Most of the state's table wines are produced in Central Valley but the quality stuff comes from the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
The Napa Valley Wine Train, with its 1917 Pullman dining car, runs daily lunch and dinner trips up the valley. The Sonoma Valley has an interesting Spanish and Mexican heritage and the town of Sonoma has lots of Hispanic-style buildings. Many of the wineries are within easy cycling distance of Sonom.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
Douro Valley, Portugal
Start in Oporto and work your way upriver through the Douro Valley in northern Portugal, which produces the famous fortified wine, Port. It comes in ruby, tawny and white. Stop off en-route at Lamego, known for its sparkling wine.
At Penafiel, not far from Oporto, you can taste the lovely light Vinho Verde wines. Further up is the famous Mateus Palace. The Douro valley runs 200km from the coast to the Spanish border.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
Loire Valley, France
The scenic Loire Valley produces some of France's finest wine. Winemaking has been popular here since the 5th century. Most widely known are the dry whites - notably Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume and Muscadet but the Loire also produces some excellent reds.
Visit a Maison du Vin in Angers or Saumur and taste wine from different growers. The main centres include Sancerre and Montlouis in Touraine, Angers, Saumur and the Nantes area.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
New Zealand
Recognised particularly for its Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, New Zealand has some 260 vineyards. The three main grape-growing areas are on North Island's east coast around Gisborne (which has great coastal scenery) and Hawke's Bay and at Marlborough on South Island.
Most of the Marlborough wineries (most famous for their floral Sauvignon Blancs) are within easy reach of Bleinheim.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
South Africa
Set in some of the world's loveliest landscapes, South Africa's wineries produce some big Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, Pinotage and Shiraz and whites including Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Colombard. Enjoy a day trip from Cape Town or book a stay in the region.
The main regions are in the Western Cape, no further than 100 miles from Cape Town, and include Stellenbosch and Paarl.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
Washington State, United States
This Pacific Northwest state is rapidly catching up with California and is noted for Semillon, Riesling, Chardonnay and Merlot. The Yakima Valley, Puget Sound, Columbia Valley, and the Walla Walla Valley are notable wine-producing areas.
Yakima Valley is a three-hour drive from Seattle over the scenic Cascade Mountains, but there are more than 25 wineries in the Puget Sound area which are within a half hour's drive of the city.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
Italy
Tour beautiful Tuscany and try the soft Chianti. In picturesque San Gimignano, sample the white Vernaccia and try crisp Orvieto in Umbria. Sicily produces some good soft reds as well as Marsala.
In Venice, go for the Valpolicella and when in Rome, try the local Frascati. Soave is good in Verona, and Barolo in Piemonte. In short, just about everywhere in Italy offers good wine - be adventurous and go with what's local.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
Champagne, France
Champagne was invented by a monk, Dom Pierre Perignon, back in the 18th century. Only that produced in the areas around Reims or Epernay in the Champagne region is recognised by the French as true champagne. It's only 90 miles east of Paris and can be reached by train or car in under two hours.
Take the Route Touristique du Champagne - some 600km long - and wander through scenic champagne country.
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
Germany
Top of the wine pops here is probably Riesling, closely followed by the spicier Gewurztraminer. German reds are generally on the light side. Many of Germany's best wines are produced in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region around the scenic Moselle river.
The pretty Pfalz area runs from the Rhine Plains to the Vosges mountains in France and the eastern part of it is known as the German Wine Road - often called "Germany's Tuscany".
Book a holiday
Book a hotel
Book a flight
End of content. You can:
