Our guide to some of the most spectacular vineyards in the world
Claire Webb - 11 May 2019
California’s most prestigious wine region, Napa Valley, steals the show in Netflix’s latest film, Wine Country. Starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, it’s about a group of old friends who spend a weekend quaffing their way around its lush vineyards and first-class restaurants, toasting memories and spilling secrets.
Less than an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, Napa Valley is only 30 miles long but has more than 500 wineries that produce fulsome chardonnays, zesty sauvignon blancs and bold cabernet sauvignons. Its reputation was established in 1976, when a “cab sav” bagged the top prize at a blind-tasting in Paris, beating Bordeaux’s finest wines.
This valley now attracts more than 3.5 million wine lovers a year and quickly bounced back after wildfires tore through it in 2017. Visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to slick tours and tastings, while its quaint towns are stuffed with galleries, boutiques and bistros. Don’t go there in search of a bargain tipple, though. Hotel rooms and organised tours start at $100 and signature cabernets are upwards of $50.
If you like the idea of a vine-themed getaway but fancy a more rustic experience, there are a wealth of possibilities closer to home. Wine tourism is booming – no longer the preserve of boffins who know their premier crus from their grand crus. For sublime scenery, it’s hard to beat Portugal’s Douro Valley or Germany’s Moselle Valley, while you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time sipping a dinky glass of fino in Andalusia’s old-school taverns, or cycling through Burgundy’s pretty villages.
SPAIN’S SHERRY TRIANGLE
Cádiz – Andalusia’s sun-baked south-west corner – is sherry country, where timeless bars serve bone-dry finos, nutty olorosos and sweet amontillados. Most quintessentially Spanish is Jerez de la Frontera, where flamenco guitarists play late into the night in barrel-lined taverns called tabancos. The northern tip, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is the birthplace of aromatic manzanilla, while the southern corner is El Puerto de Santa María – home to gorgeous Bodegas Osborne, which was set up by an Englishman in the 1770s.
RIDE THE RAILS IN THE DOURO
Although famous for port houses with British names, this Portuguese valley has a growing reputation for elegant red table wines. Yet the star attraction is the ravishing landscape: the vertiginous slopes are crisscrossed with neat terraces that plunge down to the fat, twisting river. Drink in the views at leisure by taking a trip on the single-track railway that hugs the river and meanders from picturesque Porto to a teeny village near the Spanish border – one of Europe’s most beautiful train journeys.
CROATIA’S TUSCANY
Most tourists visit Istria – Croatia’s strawberry shaped north-westerly peninsula – for its craggy beaches and delightful coastal towns. Head inland and you’ll find undulating vineyards, olive groves and hilltop medieval towns; its nickname is “new Tuscany”. Soak up robust reds and fruity Malvasia Istrianas – the kingpin of Croatia’s whites – with plates of the local pasta, garnished with truffles from oak forests. Hike or cycle between towns on the Parenzana trail, an old railway line.
BURGUNDY BY BIKE
Bordeaux might be the world’s greatest wine region, but Burgundy offers a more bucolic experience thanks to its small family-run estates. The best way to explore it is by bike. Base yourself in Beaune, arm yourself with a baguette and a slab of comté cheese, and pootle along the Voie des Vignes (vine route) to gorgeous stone villages that produce some of France’s most expensive crus: Pommard, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay.
RIESLING COUNTRY BY RIVERBOAT
Germany’s noblest wine region, the Rheingau, sits on the Rhine’s sunny, south-facing slopes and produces floral, bright rieslings and velvety pinot noirs. Sprinkled with medieval castles and monasteries, this stretch is a highlight of Rhine river cruises and many itineraries also include the Moselle – its stunning tributary – which twists and turns past half-timbered villages and hilltop castles. The lush vineyards date back to Roman times and are so steep, the grapes are still picked by hand.
WINE AND WATER IN CANADA
Four hours’ drive from Vancouver in British Columbia, Okanagan Valley offers expansive scenery: a sparkling 83 mile-long lake, hills carpeted in thick forest and endless sky. Before 200 vineyards sprang up here, this was ranch and orchard country, so the wineries serve fantastic farm-to-table menus with their crisp rieslings and sun-ripened reds. Work up a thirst exploring the lake’s sheltered coves and bays in a canoe, sailing boat or powerboat.
SAVOUR SUSSEX’S BUBBLY
The soil in Sussex is similar to that of the Champagne region and its fizz has won a glut of international gongs in recent years. The Government has even granted it protected regional status. Named the UK’s best winery last year, family-run Wiston Estate near Worthing does wonderful tours. Over in East Sussex, you can make a weekend of it by staying in a luxury shed in the UK’s largest organic vineyard, Oxney Estate, or newcomer Rathfinny’s Flint Barns B&B.
California’s most prestigious wine region, Napa Valley, steals the show in Netflix’s latest film, Wine Country. Starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, it’s about a group of old friends who spend a weekend quaffing their way around its lush vineyards and first-class restaurants, toasting memories and spilling secrets.
Less than an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, Napa Valley is only 30 miles long but has more than 500 wineries that produce fulsome chardonnays, zesty sauvignon blancs and bold cabernet sauvignons. Its reputation was established in 1976, when a “cab sav” bagged the top prize at a blind-tasting in Paris, beating Bordeaux’s finest wines.
This valley now attracts more than 3.5 million wine lovers a year and quickly bounced back after wildfires tore through it in 2017. Visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to slick tours and tastings, while its quaint towns are stuffed with galleries, boutiques and bistros. Don’t go there in search of a bargain tipple, though. Hotel rooms and organised tours start at $100 and signature cabernets are upwards of $50.
If you like the idea of a vine-themed getaway but fancy a more rustic experience, there are a wealth of possibilities closer to home. Wine tourism is booming – no longer the preserve of boffins who know their premier crus from their grand crus. For sublime scenery, it’s hard to beat Portugal’s Douro Valley or Germany’s Moselle Valley, while you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time sipping a dinky glass of fino in Andalusia’s old-school taverns, or cycling through Burgundy’s pretty villages.
SPAIN’S SHERRY TRIANGLE
Cádiz – Andalusia’s sun-baked south-west corner – is sherry country, where timeless bars serve bone-dry finos, nutty olorosos and sweet amontillados. Most quintessentially Spanish is Jerez de la Frontera, where flamenco guitarists play late into the night in barrel-lined taverns called tabancos. The northern tip, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is the birthplace of aromatic manzanilla, while the southern corner is El Puerto de Santa María – home to gorgeous Bodegas Osborne, which was set up by an Englishman in the 1770s.
RIDE THE RAILS IN THE DOURO
Although famous for port houses with British names, this Portuguese valley has a growing reputation for elegant red table wines. Yet the star attraction is the ravishing landscape: the vertiginous slopes are crisscrossed with neat terraces that plunge down to the fat, twisting river. Drink in the views at leisure by taking a trip on the single-track railway that hugs the river and meanders from picturesque Porto to a teeny village near the Spanish border – one of Europe’s most beautiful train journeys.
CROATIA’S TUSCANY
Most tourists visit Istria – Croatia’s strawberry shaped north-westerly peninsula – for its craggy beaches and delightful coastal towns. Head inland and you’ll find undulating vineyards, olive groves and hilltop medieval towns; its nickname is “new Tuscany”. Soak up robust reds and fruity Malvasia Istrianas – the kingpin of Croatia’s whites – with plates of the local pasta, garnished with truffles from oak forests. Hike or cycle between towns on the Parenzana trail, an old railway line.
BURGUNDY BY BIKE
Bordeaux might be the world’s greatest wine region, but Burgundy offers a more bucolic experience thanks to its small family-run estates. The best way to explore it is by bike. Base yourself in Beaune, arm yourself with a baguette and a slab of comté cheese, and pootle along the Voie des Vignes (vine route) to gorgeous stone villages that produce some of France’s most expensive crus: Pommard, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay.
RIESLING COUNTRY BY RIVERBOAT
Germany’s noblest wine region, the Rheingau, sits on the Rhine’s sunny, south-facing slopes and produces floral, bright rieslings and velvety pinot noirs. Sprinkled with medieval castles and monasteries, this stretch is a highlight of Rhine river cruises and many itineraries also include the Moselle – its stunning tributary – which twists and turns past half-timbered villages and hilltop castles. The lush vineyards date back to Roman times and are so steep, the grapes are still picked by hand.
WINE AND WATER IN CANADA
Four hours’ drive from Vancouver in British Columbia, Okanagan Valley offers expansive scenery: a sparkling 83 mile-long lake, hills carpeted in thick forest and endless sky. Before 200 vineyards sprang up here, this was ranch and orchard country, so the wineries serve fantastic farm-to-table menus with their crisp rieslings and sun-ripened reds. Work up a thirst exploring the lake’s sheltered coves and bays in a canoe, sailing boat or powerboat.
SAVOUR SUSSEX’S BUBBLY
The soil in Sussex is similar to that of the Champagne region and its fizz has won a glut of international gongs in recent years. The Government has even granted it protected regional status. Named the UK’s best winery last year, family-run Wiston Estate near Worthing does wonderful tours. Over in East Sussex, you can make a weekend of it by staying in a luxury shed in the UK’s largest organic vineyard, Oxney Estate, or newcomer Rathfinny’s Flint Barns B&B.