Over the last decade, I’ve become kind of a wine snob. And living in California, near one of the most beautiful wine regions, I’ve had the pleasure of tasting many types of different wines. I particularly love the deep dark reds, like Syrah or Cabernet but I also love Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and I will not shy away from a good red blend, like a GSM.
But the more I learn and taste wine, the more I realize that I’m really a novice. For example, when I go to a restaurant, I cannot pick a non-California wine. I just don’t know the different varietals and I’m not familiar with their optimal pairing of flavor profiles. But I’m always open to learning more. And I love asking questions. I’m like the nerd that I was in school, standing at the tasting bar and asking the host/server/anybody who is willing to answer, a million questions about how they make them, where they grow them, how the season was, and my list goes on. I am genuinely curious. And to my luck, the purveyors of these vineyards are always very keen on answering me.
In my recent trips, I’ve added wine tasting to the list of things to explore. Yes, see the famous monuments, walk through the beautiful gardens, and explore the city centers. But now, I’ve added wine tasting. The best thing about wine tourism, or as I’ve just learned it, enotourism (not to be confused with ecotourism, which is great in its own way), is that as a traveler to these regions, I often don’t drive. Big bonus to wine tasting.
For example, on my recent trip to Portugal, my friends and I took a few days to explore Porto. And while it is a lovely city with a lot of must-see sights. When the weather cleared, we split up and some of us decided to go on a brief walk through Gaia – the area just across the river (literally across the walk bridge) from Porto – to taste and explore the 100’s of ports that the region is so famous for. And luckily for us, the area also houses WOW (World of Wine) https://wow.pt/. A destination where tourists on a short trip like mine who may not have the time to travel inland to the Douro Valley can explore and taste as many port-wines as their eyes can see, liver can handle, and feet can carry. Lucky, or unlucky for me, we had a dinner planned for that evening so we couldn’t get too carried away.
But carried away I must! I want to! And I will. So I’ll be starting a wine group to travel to the various regions of the world to explore various delicious wines and let my snobbery for good wine explore all that the world has to offer.
Of course, all things “should” be in moderation, plus I want to visit and explore the regions and enjoy all the other lovely experiences that it may offer. So, I’m going to pair the wine with my other favorite activity, walking! Or hiking! Depending on the region and where I go (and you can join me there – oh yes!) the itinerary will change from being a nature trail to city streets. And drinking is of course optional. But really, strongly encouraged.
I think I would like to start with New Zealand for the summer and add nature trails around the islands. I have never been but between strong Māori culture, gorgeous landscape, and hobbits, I’m sure I can squeeze in a few tastings along the way to taste the local potions and learn more about this faraway land.
I’d like to visit Argentina, where I’m sure to love the tango and the churrascarias as much as the wine. And if I have time I can venture to Chile and hike in Patagonia while tasting. Ooh, but my winter in the northern hemisphere is also prime time to go to South Africa. And based on the strong comments made about their local wine, by South African friends I made in Thailand, I must go to there as well.
But of course, I cannot skip out on the regions that have so masterfully paired wine with food – Italy, France, and Spain.
So, it sounds like I have my work cut out for me. And I’m already doing my research by drooling over regions to go to here https://www.grupovidasol.es/en/10-paraisos-enoturismo/
And if you read this far and this sounds like something that you’d like to do, send me an email (hacker@vacation-hacker.com) and tell me where you’d like to go.
You can also subscribe to my mailing list by simply putting “wine” into the subject. And I’ll add you to my future articles where I’ll be posting updates and sending special emails to those who have shown interest in enotourism.
I’m excited to set out on my new adventure and welcome you along for the ride either via the blog, or right next to me as we toast with a glass of something new and exciting.
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