A visit to some of the world's top winemaking regions and vineyards makes for a holiday with a fine finish.
Central Italy's Mediterranean coast is home to the Tuscany region, famed for its superb reds such as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as popular tourist destinations of Florence, Pisa and the picturesque medieval city of Siena. Tastings of Chianti Classico are offered at the 11th-century monastery-turned-winery Badia a Coltibuono, while the legendary and multi award-winning '72 Sassicaia may be experienced at the Tenuta San Guido vineyard.
In France, many of the ages-old vines of the Burgundy region have been tended by Christian monks for more than 500 years, indeed some of the country's most famous wines bear the names of their ancient religious orders: Chambertin, Santenay, Pommard, Meursault. The prestigious Caves des Paulands vineyard welcomes visitors to its 115-year old estate-home restaurant with tastings of its famous Savigny-les-Beaune, Ladoix, Magny and Corgoloin.
The Champagne region is home to renowned sparkling wines such Veuve Clicquot, Moët et Chandon, Ruinart, Pommery as well as original bubbly bottler Dom Pérignon. The Aspasie winery, situated in a 400-year-old farmhouse, offers tours that include an up-close look at rarely seen procedures like remoulage--hand-turning the champagne bottles during fermentation--and dégorgement, when solidified yeast sediment is explosively removed from the bottle's neck.
The Bordeaux region produces such popular red-blends as Petrus, Cheval-Blanc, Mouton Rothschild, Château-Margaux and Haut-Brion, though the sweet white, foie gras-friendlyYquem of the Sauternes region is also a perennial favourite. Located in the village of Pauillac, the Château Mouton Rothschild winery offers tastings of its world famous claret of the same name, while its vines produce a number of varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdo.
California produces around 90 percent of wine in the US, with most vineyards located in the fertile Napa and Sonoma valleys where exquisite-quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Albarino and Zinfandel grapes are cultivated. One of Napa's oldest vintners, Schramsberg, offers tastings of its traditional-method sparkling wines and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tour highlights include the winery's two-kilometre long, century-old aging cave and massive old-school oak fermentation vats.
The scenic Central Otago area of New Zealand's South Island is the world's southernmost wine producing region and home to the popular tourist destination of Queenstown. The area's extreme climate and rich soil produces fine-quality Pinot Noir grapes, which represent about 70 percent of the region's plantings. Located in a stunningly beautiful sub-region, the Mt Difficulty winery produces popular Penot Noir and Pinot Gris wines. The hilltop vineyard's restaurant offers breathtaking views and tastings paired with local specialities like Cardrona Merino lamb and wild venison.
Known as the 'Beverly Hills' of Cape Town, Constantia Valley has been the cradle of South Africa's winemaking industry since Simon van der Stel introduced the continent's first cuttings here in 1685. With its numerous stately mansions and lush, sprawling vineyards, the region's renowned Sauvignon Blanc grapes thrive in the decomposed-granite soil. The tasting room at one the country's oldest estates, Klein Constantia, offers samplings of its world-renown Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Méthode Cap Classique Brut and Cabernet Sauvignon. Throughout its centuries-long past, the estate's wines have earned the admiration of such historical luminaries as Napoleon Bonaparte, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.
