Crisp whites poolside in the scorching sun, spicy mulled reds at European Christmas markets and bubbly sparklings at milestone celebrations – the criteria for most getaways normally factor in a glass of wine or three.
But for the oenophiles and eager sommeliers out there, simply sampling the best pour your all-inclusive hotel has to offer might not quench your thirst for full-bodied, earthy and smooth fine wines.
Heading on a trip into the heart of the world’s most renowned wine regions such as Portugal’s Douro Valley and Chile’s Casablanca is the best way to get to know new grapes, and, even better, on a wine-centric holiday, it’s always five o’clock somewhere.
From cruising to try vintage grüners on the Danube to cycling Champagne for flutes of the famous fizz, here are the best wine tour holidays, tied in with tastings, tours and vineyard train rides.
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The Cotswolds, UK
English Wine Tour, Smooth Red
Family-run vineyards in the Cotswolds offer pairings of local wines and produce
(Getty Images)
Best for: English sparkling
For a long weekend of quintessentially English villages and award-winning wines, Smooth Red promises a privately chauffeured and historic wine holiday across sleepy hamlets, such as Blockley, and two local vineyards in Chipping Camden and the south Cotswolds. There’ll be time for relaxing in a country house spa, exploring cobbled market towns and admiring the Cotswold’s honey-coloured stone cottages between sips of sparkling wine.
Three nights’ B&B accommodation, bespoke wine tours and tastings from £859pp; smoothred.com
Casablanca Valley, Chile
Classic Chile, Abercrombie & Kent
Chile’s best chardonnay and sauvignon blanc is refined in the Casablanca Valley
(Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Best for: Chardonnay
The top wine-growing region in Chile, Casablanca Valley, is famed for its green landscape, climate and crisp white wines. With Abercrombie & Kent’s “Classic Chile” tour, a busy itinerary of personal wine tasting sessions, horseback vineyard visit and poolside lazing by the La Casona at Matetic wine lodge blends the trendy cities of Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama with a taste of chardonnay.
From £9,425pp for 12 nights between September and March, including flights, accommodation and most meals; abercrombiekent.co.uk
Champagne, France
A Taste of Champagne, Cycling for…
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