Many travel agencies are finally realizing that travelers are not just interested in visiting famous landmarks and museums on their vacations. Agencies are creating tours that are focused on specific traveler interests. Wine and culinary tours of regions are becoming more and more common itineraries for tourists. Those that are passionate about unearthing new and interesting foods and wines find these tours across some of the world’s most beautiful countryside a welcome alternative to the typical vacation circuits. Vacationers need only bring along a passion for fine dining and exotic wines; the tour companies will take care of the rest. Of course, a reasonable trip can also be self booked.
Wine-Knows Travel, Inc., offers wine tours of either France, Italy, or Turkey. Like many other wine tours, Wine-Knows Travel centers many of their tours around prime harvest time. Their Bordeaux expedition includes an insider look at how the grapes are harvested and made into wine. The tours are all private, so vacationers are free to enjoy themselves within a small group. Travelers get the opportunity to visit the Languedoc-Roussillon region and the Dordogne Valley, places that normally would not be included on a vacationer’s itinerary. Accommodations are provided at luxury wine chateaus in the heart of the wine country. Visitors also receive wine-making classes and cooking lessons. Michelin star dining is furnished either at the wine chateaus or spectacular area restaurants. For wine connoisseurs, a wine tour through the French countryside is a sublime retreat.
If food is one’s primary passion, Epiculinary Distinctive Cooking Journeys might become his or her travel guru. Epiculinary provides incredible gastronomic tours of Europe and North America. Their “Secrets of Venice” trip brings travelers to the Venetian culinary underbelly, exposing the mysteries of Italian cooking with expert training from some of Venice’s most esteemed chefs. Dishes specific to Venice are created and are sometimes even served on romantic piazzas overlooking the picturesque canals. Tourists are fortunate to be able to shop in one of Europe’s best outdoor markets, the Rialto, for their ingredients. Participants experience Venice like a local and stay in beautiful apartments that are close to both the market and other attractions. Epiculinary Distinctive Cooking Journeys offers a multitude of tour options ranging from wine tasting and cooking in several regions of France to castle tours and culinary delights in Madrid, Spain. Wine and culinary tours are also offered in places such as Napa Valley and New Orleans, Louisiana.
If a traveler would rather leave all the cooking to the chefs, Artisans of Leisure offers a “Flavors of Southeast Asia” tour that will delight any foodie’s palate. Participants are taken throughout Malaysia, Saigon, Hanoi, and Bangkok, among other areas. Asian delicacies are enjoyed in outdoor cafes and marketplaces. Private boat rides, luxury accommodations, outdoor theater performances, and travel through the exotic river markets are provided as well. Cooking classes are offered throughout the 16-day tour, but travelers are not obligated to participate.
Overall, wine and culinary tours abound amid any world travel destination. Wine connoisseurs have their choice of many regions and a vast array of luxury accommodations. Culinary enthusiasts will be enchanted by the selection of appealing options available, whether they like to cook the food themselves or not. Many travel agencies recognize that scores of wine devotees are just as crazy about fine dining and have combined tours that include both wine tasting and top-quality dining. A tourist need only point and click to find a multitude of opulent hotel options available to fulfill their every wine and culinary desire.
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This entry was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 5:32 am and is filed under Travel Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Great idea to shop for wine while you’re travelling - we certainly do, especially when travelling in France and Oregon. A word of caution, though, make sure you keep your wine purchases protected from the heat. We buy a styrofoam (or whatever) cooler when we want to buy more than a bottle or two, and ice the wine down in the car, when necessary. One hot afternoon can destroy that wine that you just had to take home with you. And, when you do get home, be sure to store it in a reliable wine cooler/fridge, so it’s as good as you remember it, when you do break into it.
October 6th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
As with Steve I also carry a nice Styrofoam cooler while I travel.
Love the photos — those are some great shots.
November 13th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
There’s nothing like a wine tour for vacation - great scenery, great tastes and aromas - and, you can bring a bit of it home with you, to relive the experience later. Be prepared, though, especially in summer - you don’t want to leave your prized souvenirs in a toasty car, and have them cooked. We always buy a cheap styrofoam cooler at a grocery store or convenience store, toss in some ice, and store our wine purchases in there. Of course, when we get home, we immediately transfer our wine to the wine cellar. If you don’t already have one, you should get one - you can get a 12 bottle capacity wine cooler for around $100 - and it’s well worth it. Of course, once you have one, you’ll likely fill it up very quickly, so you should get the largest cooler that space and budget will allow. Then, you can relive that great vacation at your leisure.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:09 am
Welcome to beaches of exhilarating beauty!
Many of Thailand’s beaches are literarily paradise on earth. You will be awed by the palm-fringed, delightfully powdery white sandy beaches surrounded by crystal clear sea abound in delicate colourful coral. As for beach accommodation, the services offered are world-class at the fraction of the cost you would pay back home. And believe it or not, if you book from here, the prices get even cheaper!