Wine tours of the world

 

Wine Tours

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 of is of course wonderful.

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.

Here are some of the top wine-producing areas in the world; 

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.

Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone, France - France has many wine growing regions, and each is worth a visit.

Australia - In the past few decades, Australia has emerged as one of the fastest growing wine regions in the world.

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.

Germany - German wines have historically been mostly white, made from Riesling grapes more suited to the northern climate.

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.

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.