{"id":13871,"date":"2017-01-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-05T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/how-to-organise-your-own-wine-tour"},"modified":"2017-10-05T14:44:37","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T12:44:37","slug":"how-to-organise-your-own-wine-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/en\/how-to-organise-your-own-wine-tour","title":{"rendered":"How to organise your own wine tour"},"content":{"rendered":"
Wine tourism<\/strong> is a seriously popular pursuit. Every year, wine lovers from all over travel near and far to visit wineries, vineyards, museums and other wine destinations. There are tons of such destinations throughout Europe and the rest of the world, so there is no shortage of places from which to choose. <\/span><\/p>\n Some top European destinations include <\/span>Rioja<\/a>, Champagne<\/a><\/strong> and <\/span>Bordeaux<\/a><\/strong>. Further afield, there are must-see regions like <\/span>Napa Valley<\/a><\/strong> in California and <\/span>Marlborough<\/a><\/strong>, New Zealand. You could literally spend your entire life travelling the world\u2019s wine regions and still not see them all.<\/span><\/p>\n If that sounds tempting, you\u2019re in luck: In this guide, we’ll give you everything you need to organise your very own wine tour, anywhere in the world!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n First things first: Where would you like to visit?\u00a0This is entirely up to you, and will depend on your own preferences, budget and geographical location. Ask yourself a few questions and things will become clear quickly enough!<\/span><\/p>\n This one might seem obvious, but it’s important. Visit the wine region that makes your favourite wines, and avoid places whose wines you don’t like.<\/p>\n Advocates of Albari\u00f1o<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0should probably be looking at Rias Baixas<\/a><\/strong>, while champions of Chenin Blanc<\/strong><\/a> should head for South Africa<\/strong> or the Loire Valley<\/strong>. That sort of thing.<\/p>\n Of course, there’s not much sense in visiting Jerez de la Frontera<\/strong><\/a> or Porto<\/strong><\/a> if you can’t stand fortified wines!<\/p>\n It’s important to be realistic here. Some wine tours will cost more than others, dramatically so in some cases. Part of this will come down to expenses like travel and accomodation, but there’s more to it as well.<\/p>\n Some regions are more expensive than others.<\/p>\n If\u00a0money is no object, fine. Plan all the winemaker dinners, overnight ch\u00e2teau stays and helicopter rides that you like. These things don’t come cheap though, so be warned! It pays to do your homework and look at different options before deciding on a place to go.<\/p>\n Location matters.\u00a0If you live in the north west of Spain and like fine red wines, consider somewhere like <\/span>Rioja<\/a><\/strong> or even <\/span>Bordeaux<\/a><\/strong>. If you\u2019re in the UK and like sparkling wines, there are plenty of vineyards in England, though you could certainly make the short trip to <\/span>Champagne<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0too. If you live on continental Europe, many excellent wine regions are easily accessible by car, train or plane. Do a bit of research and see where you\u2019d like to go first.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Broadly speaking, you have two options here:<\/span><\/p>\n The benefits here include the experience and expertise<\/strong> that these companies have, the relationships<\/strong> they have with top wineries and the fact that they will take care of most of the tricky parts for you, leaving you to enjoy yourself. The primary downside is that this can be something of an expensive<\/strong> option.<\/span><\/li>\n Book flights, rent cars and accommodation and everything else, and more importantly: Book your own winery visits. On the plus side, you are your own boss and the schedule is up to you. If you\u2019re flexible about travel dates and have an eye for a bargain, this can be a much cheaper option. On the other hand, booking winery visits is not always the easiest thing for a member of the public to do. Some regions are better than others for this, though even within regions there will be some variation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n Every region is different, but there are a few rules of thumb that will be useful no matter where you go.<\/span><\/p>\n This will guarantee that you will actually be let inside, and often will give you more choice when it comes to different packages available. Certain packages may require advanced planning or preparation, and simply won’t be possible if you just show up on the day. Some top wineries have very long waiting lists, too, so keep that in mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n Look up individual regions, wine tour operators and wineries on Google or TripAdvisor. Learn from others\u2019 mistakes!<\/span><\/li>\n Wine tourism is global. If you’re visiting a foreign country and don’t speak the local language, do a little planning in advance. Most Bordeaux ch\u00e2teaux<\/em> will have some English speakers on hand, smaller Burgundy domaines<\/em> may not.\u00a0Knowing some basic phrases certainly won’t hurt, though in some cases it may be necessary to hire an interpreter or bilingual tour guide to join you.<\/li>\n Wine tasting is fun, for sure, though a full day of tasting measures can add up. Wineries provide spittoons, don\u2019t be afraid to use them!<\/span><\/li>\n Most wine regions are in rural areas, which may be poorly served – if at all – by public transport. You may need to rent a car or hire a driver of some sort. Keep in mind that you may want to buy wine from individual wineries, so be sure you have somewhere to transport it too. Remember to never drink and drive.<\/span><\/li>\n Some regions and producers love to welcome tourists, some less so and some not at all. Don\u2019t be disheartened, the wine world is big and most people in it are very welcoming. And just to save you the trip: No, <\/span>Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e Conti<\/span><\/a> probably won\u2019t let you in!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n [cta_generico id=2584]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wine tourism is a seriously popular pursuit. Every year, wine lovers from all over travel near and far to visit wineries, vineyards, museums and other wine destinations. There are tons of such destinations throughout Europe and the rest of the world, so there is no shortage of places from which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[344],"tags":[490],"class_list":["post-13871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-wine-tourism"],"yoast_head":"\nDeciding where to go<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Where do you want to go?<\/h3>\n
What’s your budget?<\/h3>\n
\n
Where do you live?<\/h3>\n
How to book a wine tour<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Book your tour through a licensed wine tour operator.<\/b><\/h3>\n
Make all the arrangements yourself. <\/b><\/h3>\n
What you need to know<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Book winery visits in advance, where possible. <\/b><\/h3>\n
Do your research.<\/b><\/h3>\n
Mind your language.<\/h3>\n
Drink responsibly.<\/b><\/h3>\n
Make suitable transport arrangements to and between wineries.<\/b><\/h3>\n
Be realistic<\/b> in your expectations<\/b><\/h3>\n