My Favorite Wine Destinations Around the World
Italy | Napa Valley | France
Travel and wine are two of my favorite things, and I combine both of them whenever I can. There is something completely different about drinking a wine in the place where it was made, surrounded by the vineyards, food and people that are part of its story.
I love visiting wine regions around the world, and they are some of my favorite places I've ever traveled. Depending on the destination, wine country can be the focus of the trip or an easy addition to an itinerary you're already planning.
And you definitely don't have to be a wine expert to enjoy them. Great wine regions also tend to have incredible food, beautiful scenery and interesting towns to explore. For me, that's a big part of what makes wine travel so much fun.
When I'm helping clients plan a wine-focused trip, I look at more than which wineries to visit. Where you stay, transportation, the time of year, and what else you want to experience all matter. The best wine trips are about enjoying the destination with some really great wine along the way.
Tuscany & Piedmont, Italy
Italy is one of my favorite wine destinations because it offers so much beyond the wine. It's a great choice for a first trip to Europe, with incredible food, beautiful scenery, history, and charming towns to explore along the way.
I've explored Tuscany's vineyards and countryside firsthand, and the rolling hills really do look just like you imagine. Sangiovese is the grape Tuscany is best known for and foundation of wines like Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino. I also love wines known as Super Tuscans, which are red wines made in Tuscany that broke from the region's traditional winemaking rules. Many combine Italian grapes with varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, creating some incredible wines.
Piedmont is in northern Italy and offers something completely different. It's home to world-famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines, both made from Nebbiolo grapes. Piedmont feels quieter, with vineyard-covered hills, views of the Alps and a huge focus on food, particularly the region's famous white truffles.
If you love Italian wine and food, both regions are worth considering. Tuscany is easy to add to a classic Italy itinerary with destinations like Florence and Rome, while Piedmont is a great choice if you want food and wine to be a bigger focus of your trip. Piedmont is also a great addition to a Lake Como or Switzerland itinerary. And Venice is a great option to pair with either Tuscany or Piedmont.
Next month, I'll be visiting Sicily and experiencing another Italian wine region for the first time. It's become an exciting wine destination with grapes and wines you don't see nearly as often at home.
Burgundy, France
Burgundy is one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited.
Burgundy is a wine region southeast of Paris that is planted almost entirely with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. But one of the things that makes the region so interesting is the history behind the grapes, vineyards and winemaking. These Pinots and Chardonnays taste completely different from the ones I've had from California. I'm not normally someone who gravitates toward either one, but I absolutely love the wines in Burgundy.
The countryside is beautiful, with vineyards connecting small villages and wineries throughout the region. It's also really fun to see names like Gevrey-Chambertin, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet on the villages themselves when you've seen them on wine bottles and restaurant wine lists.
The charming town of Beaune is a great base for exploring the Burgundy region. You can also visit Burgundy as a day trip from Paris by high-speed train.
Burgundy and Dijon, France are great to visit during the Christmas season with festivals and beautiful holiday lights. And New Years Eve in Paris deserves it's own post.
Napa Valley, California
My love for Cabernet Sauvignon keeps bringing me back to California, and my husband and I visit Napa Valley every year or two. It's a classic wine destination for a reason, and with hundreds of wineries in a relatively small area, you can have a completely different experience each time you visit.
One of the things I love most about Napa is getting to know some of the local winemakers over the years. You'll also find incredible restaurants, beautiful hotels, vineyard views and charming towns like Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga. It's easy to turn a few days of wine tasting into a fantastic vacation.
Napa is also a destination where planning ahead really matters. Many wineries require reservations, and I don't recommend simply choosing a list of popular wineries and trying to fit in as many as possible. Where they're located, appointment times, driving distances and where you want to stop for lunch all affect how much you can realistically do in a day.
This is where having someone who knows the destination can make a difference. I can help choose wineries that fit the types of wine and experiences you enjoy and put the days together so you spend more time enjoying Napa and less time worrying about logistics.
Portugal & Spain
I'm heading to Portugal and Spain for the first time next month, and of course wine country is part of the plan! I'm especially excited to experience two of Europe's best-known wine regions, the Douro Valley in Portugal and Rioja in Spain.
The Douro Valley in Portugal may be one of Europe's most beautiful wine regions. Vineyards climb the steep hillsides above the Douro River, and the region is famous for Port along with some excellent dry red and white wines. You can also experience the region on a Douro River cruise, traveling through the heart of the wine country with winery visits and stops in small towns along the way. I've river cruised in Europe and love the experience, and I'm especially interested in the Douro because the river itself is such a big part of the wine region. It's a great way to combine the scenery, wine and villages of the Douro Valley in one trip.
Rioja is one of Spain's best-known wine regions and is especially known for Tempranillo. You'll find everything from historic underground cellars to contemporary wineries throughout the region. Rioja is also easy to incorporate into a trip through Spain with destinations like Madrid, San Sebastián or Bilbao, making it a great addition even if wine isn't the main focus of your trip.
I can't wait to experience both of these regions for myself and share more details and recommendations.
Ready to Plan a Wine Vacation?
A wine trip doesn't have to mean spending your entire vacation going from one winery to the next. My favorite trips combine wine with great food, beautiful hotels, local experiences and time to explore the destination itself.
Whether you want to spend a few days in Napa, add Tuscany or Burgundy to a European vacation, take a river cruise through the Douro Valley or build an entire trip around food and wine, I can help you figure out what makes the most sense for you.
At JFord Travel, I'll help you choose the right destination, hotels and experiences and take care of the logistics that bring it all together. If wine and travel are two of your favorite things too, let's start planning!
Cheers!