December 26th, 2011 
Tushar Mathur 
To a certain type of traveller, every holiday could be a ‘wine holiday’ – stop off at every second restaurant and have the good stuff. But if you’re slightly more sophisticated, or just looking for a holiday with a rural feel and plenty of fascinating local history to explore, wine holidays – or ‘wine tours’ – are an experience to savour. Here are some of the best destinations around the world:
Bordeaux, France
Perhaps the most obvious destination, the wine tours industry in is at its most well developed in Bordeaux. The structure is all there: the 1855 Bordeaux Wine Classification provides a priority list of the best chateau, whilst ensuring at least two centuries of dense viticultural history to enjoy. The sad fact about the Premier Cru Chateaux (Latour, Lafite, Haut Brion, Margaux, Mouton) is that their price by the bottle is now out of reach of the casual wine enthusiast: most wine lovers will never have reputed best of the best in their ornate wine decanter. Taking a wine tour in Bordeaux allows you access to some or all of these wines, as well as fabulous Second Growth wines and overlooked examples for the remaining tiers.
There’s plenty in Bordeaux beyond the wine, too. The 18th Century architecture of the metropolitan area is outstanding, and part of a UNESCO heritage site that proclaims that fact. Among its churches, theatres and shopping districts, you’ll find a highly sophisticated European city that grew rich independent of its vineyards. Nearby St. Emilion has a distinctly more medieval flavour and is no less striking for it.
Tuscany, Italy
Tightly controlled and split into a multitude of regions, Italy’s wine industry has many standout regions. But Tuscany remains the historical heart of the industry and a fantastic place to visit even if you have no interest in wine whatsoever. Sprinkled with beautiful little farms and planted with acres of vineyard, the countryside is beautiful and blessed with a remarkable amount of sun. This is the homeland of Chianti as well as other expensive, sophisticated wines like Carmignano, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
If you’re looking for sights to enjoy as you enjoy the produce, you won’t be disappointed. Florence alone has more museums and examples of Renaissance architecture than you could ever need, but this is also the land of Pisa, Siena and Arezzo. And then there’s the quirky town of towers, San Gimignano, nested right in the middle of the all of Tuscany’s rural splendour.
La Rioja, Spain
If you’re looking for a wine holiday in a wine region with fewer urban areas and with all the history of the preceding destinations, La Rioja will fit the bill. Offering a unified ‘Rioja’ wine (in much the same as you’d expect to find only ‘Champagne’ in Champagne), the various wineries or ‘bodegas’ have their own character and their wines have the distinct benefit of being oak aged. The sight of tens of thousands of these traditional pieces of equipment is in itself quite breathtaking.
With the Basque country close by and a moderate climate granted by the surrounding hills, the rural areas offer spectacular views. Major towns include Logrono, the capital, with its distinctly Spanish historical architecture including many churches and palaces. Other towns include Callahorra, Haro, and Najera.
Anna Freshwater cannot make it away this year – she is too busy writing content for Forever Crystal Wine Accessories, a UK-based company.
