Wine Tasting Vacations

Wine Tasting Vacations are luxury experiences that allow us to experience the best of what the wine making craft can offer. You can travel to faraway locations, because there are vineyards tucked away in far-flung locations in the world, from Australia to Israel to the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. You can arrange various types of wine touring packages, as there are many choice wineries and oenologists to visit, and you can integrate wine tours with other sightseeing attractions to maximize your vacation time.

Here on this page you will find the links to companies which offer tour packages all over the world, wine tasting tips and some of the flavor characteristics of different varietals that can be commonly found. If you have any questions regarding wine tasting tours or vacation areas, please ask in the space provide on the right of this page. Answers to previous vacations are provided below, as well as blogs and wine tasting vacation news. On the right of the page are some famous wine producing regions in the U. S. and in Italy. There are featured videos on Washington State Wine Country, a tour that originates in San Francisco and goes to the Napa Valley, and a Boutique Tour in Western Australia.

This is a list of the most common wine varietals, so if you are looking for a type that is not listed here, go to the Winepros web site for an extensive list. http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/varietals.htm

1. Chardonnay - Produces wines with different flavor characteristics, depending on the soil, climate and fermentation conditions. Apple, pear, stone fruits; citric fruits; tropical fruits: pineapple, banana, mango, kiwi; and floral flavors: acacia and hawthorn. Malolactic fermentation imparts a buttery, creamy or hazelnut flavor. Oak: vanilla, sweet wood, coconut to tannic, smoke or toast flavor. http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/chardonnay.htm
2. Sauvignon Blanc - Grapefruit, white gooseberry, lime, melon
3. Cabernet Sauvignon - black currant, cherry other, black fruits, green spices
4. Merlot - plum, red and black fruits, green spices, floral
5. Zinfandel - blackberry jam, black spices - often called "briary"
6. Syrah (Shiraz), depending on vineyard location) - black fruits, black spices - especially white and black pepper
7. Pinot Noir - red fruits, floral, herbs http://www.wikihow.com/Taste-Wine

• JJAE Web Directory
  
  

• Hunter Valley, Austrailia Wine Country
  
  

• 1. Chassagne- Montrachet Winery of Vincent Dancer in France - Extensive collection from the Montrachet Grand Cru - Beautiful photos !!

United States

1. California - Napa Valley, Temecula, Livermore
2. Washington State - Colombia River Valley, mostly south from Wenatchee and along the Oregon border.
3. Oregon - Along the Colombia River on the northern border
4. New York - Finger Lakes Region

Italy - About 60% of the size of France, this nation produces more wine than any other and ranks highest in exports and consumption. There are 20 different wine regions all over the country. Most of the production is for table wines. The best wines come from the northern part of the country, including the Piedmont, Tuscany and the Trevenezie regions. Varietals that are most famous include: http://www.sjsu.edu/people/seth.orvis/courses/c1/s1/Italy.pdf

1. Tuscany - Reds: Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Brunello, Chianti Rufinais and Chianti-DOC. White: Trebbiano and Vernaccia.
2. Trevenezie - Soave, a dry white wine, with one of the varieties known as Soave Classico; Bardolino, and Valpolicella. This region is the most technologically advanced in its production.
3. Piedmont - Reds: Barbera, Nebbiolo, Brachetto and Dolceto. The classifications are Barbaresco for 2 year bottle and a 4 year reserve, and Barolo for a 3 year bottle and a 5 year reserve, which has subtypes of Seccois for dry and Dolce for sweet. Whites include: Moscato, Chardonnay, Arneis and Cortese.