DESTINATIONS 7
WINE HOLIDAYS | FOOD AND DRINK BEST OF THE REST
Canada:Canadian wine might not get the hype of its fellows, but don’t overlook the dark horse. Direct fans of dessert wine to the town of Niagara- on-the-Lake, famous for the region’s honey-sweet icewines and the annual Icewine Festival in January. For an alternative, suggest Nova Scotia, home to Tidal Bay, a white wine appellation produced only there.
CYCLE THE VINEYARDS OF BORDEAUX
For a classic French wine experience, look to Bordeaux, home to an astonishing 6,000 vineyards, producing more than 9,000 varieties, amid fairytale landscapes of turreted chateaux, mirror-flat lakes and flower-filled gardens. Visitors can stay on vineyards or take off on a group tour, but for those wanting to get a little more active suggest Inntravel’s six-night self-guided Bordeaux and St-Emilion cycling holiday. This takes guests through the rolling hills of Bordeaux, Romagne and Cadillac via remote villages, ornate estates
and verdant vineyards, where there’s ample chance to fuel up for the journey ahead. Book it: From £945 including accommodation, some meals, bike hire, luggage
transfers and maps.
inntravel.co.uk
La Rioja: Boasting more than 600 wineries, Spain’s oldest official wine region deserves a place on the list for any budding connoisseur, blending quaint hilltop villages with a longstanding history of viticulture that will appeal to anyone after a quintessential Spanish experience. Abercrombie & Kent offers a three- day private Basque Country Bites tour including wine-tasting from £1,800.
Madeira: Despite the fact Madeiran wine has been around for more than 300 years, this fortified liquor, first designed for sea voyages, is still something of an underdog – as is the island, making its lush green hills, rolling vineyards and opal coastlines still something of a secret. Riviera Travel has an eight-day tour through Madeira with wine tasting from £839.
8 EXPLORE NAPA VALLEY
No list would be complete without giving California its dues, and from the grand old estates of Napa Valley to the laid-back boutiques of Sonoma County, its beauty is matched only by sheer variety. For those wanting to base themselves in the heart of Napa, look no further than Las Alcobas, an adult-only retreat that started as a farmhouse in 1907 and now boasts a spa, farm-to-table restaurant and pool. Winery visits, on-site tastings and luxury dining on the Napa Valley Wine Train are all bookable, while those looking for an added thrill can float in a hot-air balloon and view Napa’s iconic rows of vines
from an angle they won’t forget any time soon. Book it: Las Alcobas costs from $587 per night
for a Superior room in February 2021.
marriott.co.uk
travelweekly.co.uk
2 JULY 2020
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PICTURES: Shutterstock; Matthew Williams-Ellis; R Duff; South Australian Tourism Commission/Jonathan van der Knaap
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