Ah, the pure joy of travel!
Wine is grown is so many countries throughout the world that doing wine tastings and winery visits are a great addition to any trip itineraries and a great way to connect with the local culture, cuisine and people.
I have been fortunate throughout my life to taste wine in many of these regions and countries, including Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Germany, France, South Africa, Canada and many of the wine growing regions in the United States.
Each time I taste wines, I learn something new about winemakers view of the region, varietal and how they wish to express the wines in their own style, sometimes honoring tradition and other times breaking the conventional rules of winemaking.
My most recent trip had me tasting wines in the Mittle Rhein region of Germany as well as Burgundy, France.
The vineyards along the Rhein River are a sight to see as they are planted on some of the steepest slopes in the world which requires some adaptative farming practices such as using helicopters to spray for mildew and winches to pull sleds up the slopes for pruning and harvesting. The wine grown here are mostly Reisling, Grauburgunder (AKA, Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio) and Dornfelder, Muller-Thurgau and Silvaner. Wines are crisp, acidic and delicious. The scenery, history and hiking are equally spectacular.
Our time in Burgundy this trip was woefully short, just spending a one day outing from our base in Dijon. We visited some great Grand Cru producers and witnessed some fascinating farming practices including horse drawn plows to till the soil between the rows of vines. Excellent lunch with wine tasting at Maison Chanzy and in-depth tasting and cellar tour at Yves Boyer-Martenot .
If you are visiting Amsterdam, you may be surprised of how great the wine lists are at the restaurants. A vibrant and edgy wine culture, willing to embrace emerging wine regions and styles. A particular gem was the list at Bar Pif and the wine shop down the street run by American ex-pat A.J. called Benelux Wine Co.
In Paris, it is hard to make a wrong turn with wine as even the house wines at restaurants are of high quality and reasonably priced. Allowing your waiter to choose something for you will always reveal something new and interesting.
Travel is a wonderful thing and wine only opens up conversations and your mind to the wonderful world ready to explore. Hungry for intimate wine travel? Check out the Memphis Wine Society’s travel programs for more information. Until then, safe travels and keep being wine-curious!
