Think Outside the Box on a California Wine Trip
Matthew Ogborn takes a trip to SLO CAL to take a sideways glance at all the great California wine on offer in the region. When my wife and I were…
Travel Topics
Matthew Ogborn takes a trip to SLO CAL to take a sideways glance at all the great California wine on offer in the region. When my wife and I were…
After visiting some Loire Valley Chateaux and the Apocalypse Tapestry, Mark Bibby Jackson continues his French cultural Odyssey to Fontevraud Abbey and Saumur. The Loire Valley isn’t solely about wine…
Mark Bibby Jackson travels to France to traipse around Loire Valley chateaux, sample the local wine and stand in amazement. There are moments in your life when you enter a…
Irene Caswell travels to the Langueoc-Rousillon region of France to discover why such a fuss is made about Languedoc wine. In the Langueoc, France, winemaking is taken very seriously. It…
Sonoma County is one of California’s finest wine regions. Noted for the quality of its wines, especially chardonnay and pinot noir, and a 45-minute from San Francisco, the region has…
Steep wine terraces, a very special grape variety and wine growing going back to the 11th century – the Saxony wine trail is a treat not just for wine lovers, with enchanting …
On his trip to Moldova, Mark Bibby Jackson visits the Victory Day parade in Transnistria, meeting a hospitable people at odds with the rest of Europe, yet clinging on to…
Mark Bibby Jackson explores the former Soviet republic of Moldova, surprisingly discovering – and indulging in – a variety of Moldova wine. I never visited the Soviet Union, a family…
The Wine Day Moldova will see hundreds of wines from some 90 producers on display over the two-day Moldova wine festival celebrating the country’s centuries-old winemaking…
The vendimia is a generic word for harvests, though it usually refers to the grape harvest festival in Chile and Argentina. The festival is called la fiesta de la vendimia in both countries…
The shores of Lake Constance, or Bodensee as it’s known to the locals, fall in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; its waters flow into the Rhine, which forms a natural border…
Mark Bibby Jackson travels to the German capital to discover a city thriving as it approaches the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Discover things to do…
On a Douro river cruise in Portugal, Mike Pickup explores the region’s rich history as well as consuming an adequate amount of its major export – port wine. I always think…
The festive season brings a flurry of new wine tasting venues, taprooms, and restaurants to Sonoma County, adding to the region’s abundant mix of fine flavours and experiences. Here’s a…
Continuing his journey from Tuolumne County to San Francisco, Mark Bibby Jackson pops in on Tri-Valley California and discovers a thing or two about fine wines. “I can detect tobacco…
Throughout southern Spain the annual grape harvest is celebrated with festivals. The most vibrant of these is held in the city of Jerez de la Frontera, where the Vendimia Grape…
From wine connoisseurs and buffs to the lay person who likes a glass of plonk, wine has given a great deal of pleasure over the ages and can really complement food. The oldest known winery was discovered in Armenia in 4,100 BC, so wine drinkers have been going for quite a long time.
Wine tasting
Tasting wines can be fun. You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy an evening tasting, but it does help to have someone to talk you through them. Some tasting sessions are five star, with as many as ten courses of food accompanied by expertly chosen wines. These are often organised by an informed sommelier in a luxury hotel or at a vineyard.
Champagne
The French are clear that champagne grapes must be grown in the champagne region of France. They see prosecco, cava and other sparkling wines as a pale imitation of the original. A tour can be taken starting at Reims, in Northern France with the participants tasting the bubbly at various vineyards and cellars on a champagne route travelling through the idyllic rolling hills and vineyards.
Wine Tours
Tours are available in many countries and regions, including California, Tuscany, Spain, Hungary, South Africa and Australia. Some of the most popular grapes today are gamay, shiraz, tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon. Pinot noir has been immortalised by the film Sideways.
Chile is renowned for the quality of its wine, and one of the best festivals to participate in during your travels through the country is the Fiesta de la Vendimia, when the grapes are harvested.