EVERYDAY EXCHANGE TRAVELS: 5 REASONS TO TRY WINE TRAVEL (AS IF YOU NEEDED THAT MANY)
I'll be doing a little segment on here all about traveling including a special hobby of mine - wine travel. My husband and I discovered a love for good wine about two years after we got married. It's something we love to learn about together, and we enjoy collecting bottles of our favorites from our travels around the world. Each year we choose a wine region to visit - just the two of us - anywhere in the world.
NON-WINE DRINKERS: HEAR ME OUT. Here's the deal with wine travel - even if you don't have a great appreciation for wine {yet}, you'll never visit an ugly wine region. You can enjoy beautiful scenery and all that the region has to offer without even taking a sip (e.g. Tuscany - EXCELLENT olive oil grown right from the groves surrounding the vineyard & delicious fresh baked bread at every tasting. Carb lovers unite!) And normally, there's a lot more than vines & dirt nearby. Keep reading to see what I mean. And before you head anywhere take a peek at what you'd be missing just because you're "not a wine drinker."
Auntsfield Estate Vineyards, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rotta Winery, Paso Robles, California
Gorgeous, right? The scenery and the atmosphere of wine country can't be beat.
So without further ado, here are 5 reasons to consider wine travel for your next vacation:
1. Your Bucket List. Normally you are visiting somewhere that should be on your travel bucket list anyway (Italy, France, New Zealand, California, Argentina.....need I say more?). Our first wine vacation was when we decided to head down under to Australia & New Zealand. I knew I loved Marlborough region sauvignon blanc so we decided to swing through the region and stay a few nights. We booked an all day wine tour (and did some free-range touring of our own) and it ended up being our favorite part of the whole trip. We were completely hooked.
2. Surrounding area perks. Did I mention we swam with wild dolphins in the Pacific Ocean while we were in NZ wine country? Had our own private guided tour of ancient Rome before visiting the Chianti region in Italy? Besides the gorgeous photo ops you'll get in wine country, you can always count on tons of activities and things to do in the surrounding areas. Last May we visited the Central Coast of California to tour the wine region but we also went to the beach, the mountains, and visited the most amazing farmers market in ultra chill college town of San Luis Obispo. We hiked the giant redwood forest and made our way up Highway 1 to visit Big Sur and then went down into Carmel Valley where we stayed at this gem of a spa resort for a few nights. Everything was a stone's throw away from the wineries we were visiting.
3. Amazing food. Because of the abundance of rich farm land surrounding any given wine region you will find that restaurants in the area strive to produce delicious, rich farm-to-table menus that pair well with the region's grape varieties. In other words, wine country is a foodie's paradise.
4. Did I mention the resorts? Some of my favorite hotel stays/resorts have been in wine country like here and here. Part of the allure of wine travel is the relaxing atmosphere that begs you to slow down. The hotels & resorts cater to this philosophy and many offer in-house spas or recommendations for spas nearby. It's almost impossible not to indulge in a little self-care while you are visiting the gorgeous countryside.
5. Unique History/Unique Wine. Vineyards are steeped in history. I especially love hearing the stories behind how they came to be, how they survived war, depression, droughts and how each vintage has it's own specific flavors because of this history. You'll also find bottles of wine that you can't find anywhere BUT the winery itself so make sure to grab a couple of bottles you love and ship them home to save for a special occasion.
Happy Travels!
Talk Soon,
Casey