Wine has become a big travel business today. Studies have shown that more travelers these days are inclined to follow the wine-and-food route when it comes to making travel plans.
Wine is synonymous with relaxation and escape from the mundane — a glass of wine at the end of the day is a symbolic break from the daily grind. Therefore, it's no surprise that wine travel has become a concept to reckon with. Delectable cuisine, beautiful vistas and romantic destinations have always been associated with wine, and now a deliberate combination of the above has created wine tourism.
A good wine is a reflection of the land it comes from and in many ways immediately conjures up vision of that land when one takes the first sip. Wine tasting is an adventure that all wine lovers will admit being partial to. When they can feel the sun-drenched hills and lush vineyards in their first sip, they fall in love all over again.
Imagine how intense such a feeling is when one can taste the richness of the wine and soak in the lush landscape at the same time. A firsthand experience of the wineries enriches the wine experience and gives a deeper insight into the blend and the vineyards.
Wine tourism has become such a fad that experts are predicting the next popular destinations even before the tourism season begins. Earlier this year, the editors of Wine Enthusiast identified the top global destinations for wine tourism in 2015. These include names like:
- Finger Lakes in the U.S.
- Hawkes Bay in New Zealand
- Piedmont in Italy
- Rhône Valley in France
- Galicia in Spain
- Orlando in the U.S.
- Loire Valley in France
- Mendocino in the U.S.
- Istria in Croatia
Apart from these there are classic favorites like Tuscany in Italy and the Napa Valley in California, which continue to draw the connoisseur crowd year after year. It is interesting to note that places like Portland, Oregon, Santorini in Greece and the Chilean Patagonia are witnessing a boom in wine tourism, too.
Another name that stands out is Sonoma Valley in California with its impressive collection of vineyards and breathtaking landscape. It is topping the list for wine travelers from all over the world, giving big brother Napa quite a run for its money.
As Mike Veseth, wine connoisseur and editor of The Wine Economist, pointed out, wine and food tourism are fast blending to create a new kind of travel enthusiasts who want to foster their love for wine and satiate their wanderlust at the same time. It's a trend that will soon become the "norm" to follow.
It is therefore no surprise that event and lifestyle as well as food and beverage websites are regularly publishing lists of wine events to attend, both nationally and locally. Yes, these are not restricted to wine sites anymore.
Wine travel is fun and trendy and has caught the attention of millennials big time. Next on the agenda seems to exploring offbeat wineries and planning tours around places that haven't been trampled upon by tourists yet.
Two names that are making themselves heard are Slovenia and Canada's Okanagan Valley. Still entombed in their pristine glory, these are supposed to be a vintner's paradise, just waiting to be explored.
