With thousands of acres of vineyards, Washington and Oregon are among the top wine producing states in the nation, with winemakers taking advantage of distinct climates and terroir to craft a wide range of fantastic wines. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that their neighbor to the east is one of the lesser known U.S. wine regions, quietly producing outstanding wines.
It's just 25km north from the gastronomic city of Lyon to Villefranche-sur-Saône at the start of the magnificent Beaujolais vineyards, but it looks and feels completely different. It's a rather secret part of France, the locals call it "little Tuscany" thanks to its hilly villages with ancient buildings of glowing golden stone. And in this unspoiled, green and lush part of France, you will find the most fabulous wines which have long supplied the Lyonnais who know a good wine when they taste it.
If you need yet another reason to visit Italy, boutique travel company SmoothRed just unveiled an enticing new train experience. This seven-day journey connects two of the country's most celebrated wine regions by train and offers the chance to sample more than 20 of the country's best wines. The trip begins with three nights in Turin in Italy's northern Piedmont region, an area known for its white truffles, coffee culture, and its connection to the Slow Food Movement.
Accompanied by an expert wine guide, travelers take a scenic drive the following day through the Côte des Blancs and several Grand Cru villages for tastings at the iconic Moët & Chandon. The tour also includes a visit to the tomb of Dom Pérignon and to a charming family-run estate, where you can chat with the winemaker, wander through the cellars, and sample a generous selection of Champagnes.
What could be more relaxing than sipping a glass of wine while kicking back on the couch to your favorite movie? Enjoying a glass of wine at a winery, of course. Whether partaking in a tasting session in a wine cellar or gazing over vineyards as you share a charcuterie board with friends, visiting a winery offers you a chance to sample award-winning wines while learning how they were produced.
The town centre is mostly flat and easy to explore, with 64 historic monuments including a photogenic town hall and half-timbered buildings on the Place Saint-Pierre, where a weekly market is held on Saturday mornings. Alongside familiar chain stores, you'll find independent boutiques, antique shops and Barre de Chocolat, a fabulous artisan chocolaterie that has been tempting locals and visitors for nearly twenty years.
We can talk about culture, churches, monasteries, whatever, but the main thing here is eating and drinking. My guide, Loreto Esteban Guijarro, is keen to ensure I have my priorities straight. I'm with Loreto to discover the food and wine culture of Spain's Burgos province, a high-altitude area ringed by distant mountains. In summer the days are hot, and at night temperatures plummet. To thrive in these extremes, the food, the wine, and even perhaps the people, are robust and straight-talking.
At the 55-acre estate, head winemaker Maya Hood White marries scientific precision with an intuitive feel for the land, using cover crops and careful canopy management to foster biodiversity and balance. In the cellar, she prefers minimal intervention to allow the vineyards to express themselves. The results are an impressive lineup of signature wines, like the Bordeaux-style Eluvium and RISE blends, as well as aromatic petit manseng wines.
Italy, France, California, New Zealand. These are the places that come to mind first when we think of exceptional wine, right? Of course, it's tough to argue that these locations aren't the best in the business, but that doesn't mean there aren't others that are deserving of praise, too. For most wine-loving Americans, it's close to impossible to visit a Tuscan vineyard or a French château, or even a Californian winery in the famous Napa Valley. It's a lot easier than you'd think to visit places that offer the same ambiences, experiences, and high-quality wines as these top-tier locations-particularly for east coasters.
It was all too easy to while away a whole day at Spier Hotel. I started one cool spring morning with a swim in the lap pool, steam rising from the heated water, the moon still high in the sky. I spent a couple of hours in the new spa, with its indulgent bathhouse. And later, I sipped South African Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wine at the rooftop bar, overlooking mountains painted pink by the setting sun.
So, like any good reporter, I started making phone calls. Soon enough, I was trudging through the vineyards of the Willamette Valley. I felt soil between my fingers, witnessed the electric green of bud break, gawked at the butterscotch cascades of autumnal vines. I whiffed ramekins of jasmine tea leaves and tobacco and cloves, learning how to identify specific flavors in the glass. I listened as winemakers explained carbonic maceration and terroir and lees, let viticulturalists show me their grafted stems and pruned leaves.
Napa Valley is the iconic gem of California wine, helping put the state on the modern-day wine map. Capstone California reports that there are 475 physical wineries in Napa Valley spread across 17 sub-regions in a relatively small space. Napa Valley is only 30 miles long and 5 miles wide. It offers a diverse terroir for grape growing, particularly cabernet sauvignon. In addition to making exceptional wines, tourism is a significant, profitable business in Napa, with wineries rolling out red carpets for guests.
The Willamette Valley has quickly risen to domestic viticultural fame, and it's really no surprise why. The area's climate conditions, coastal influence and unique volcanic soils render it a perfect home for growing world-class pinot noir and chardonnay, so if your palate leans towards Burgundy, it's certainly the region for you.
Palisade, Colorado has become a haven for those seeking outdoor adventure and wine, offering a unique blend of natural beauty and over 30 wineries.
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