The 12 European regions every wine lover should visit
As wine lovers in the UK, we’re in the enviable position of being a hop, skip and a jump away from Europe’s great wine regions. Bordeaux, the world’s most popular wine destination with 6.8 million visitors a year, is less than a two-hour flight away, while the home of everyone’s favourite bubbly, Champagne, can be easily reached by rail.
The appeal of swirling a glass of wine overlooking the vineyards it came from is seemingly growing, with the global market value of wine tourism reportedly set to triple by 2030.
With harvest season about to begin, autumn is an ideal time to visit one of Europe’s great wine regions. As the hillsides turn from green to breathtaking gold, the nearby towns come alive with festival spirit – and with flights towards Piedmont or Dordogne for less than £40, you’ll be in the vineyards sooner than you can say “Santé”.
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France
1. Bordeaux
Best for: famous estates
For fine wine fanatics, Bordeaux is the promised land. It’s home to the most exclusive wines in the world, from the most famous estates, making it France’s number one destination for wine tourism. There are, however, plenty of affordable wines in this vast region of 120,000 hectares and, although 90 per cent of the wines produced there are red, you’ll find delicious white, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines in Bordeaux, too.
The city itself has a comprehensive museum of wine so you can swot up before you head out to discover the left (cabernet sauvignon heartland) or right bank (known for its softer merlot blends).
How to do it
Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Bordeaux Mérignac from £59 return.
Les Sources de Caudalie (0033 05 57 83 83 83) is 20 minutes from Bordeaux. It is part of the lauded Château Smith Haut Lafitte wine estate and has doubles from £396 per night, not including breakfast.
2. Champagne
Best for: a celebratory trip
Any wine lover worth their bubbles will know that you can only call a sparkling wine “champagne” when it comes from the region of the same name. To explore the birthplace of this most-revered drink, one should head to the cities of Reims or Epérnay, where you’ll be able to arrange visits to nearby champagne houses.
The impressive network of underground chalk cellars – called crayères are used to store and age the wines. There are over 145km of crayères running beneath the historic hillsides, many of which you can explore on tours. Maison Ruinart in Reims will soon sport a brand new visitors centre with a gallery, gardens and cellar door-only special releases.
How to do it
Eurostar travels from St Pancras International to Paris from £78 return, then local trains run to Reims.
La Caserne Chanzy (0033 3 26 83 18 18) has doubles from £207 per night, not including breakfast.
3. Dordogne
Best for: foodies
The department of Dordogne might reside in the shadows of its considerably more famous neighbour, Bordeaux, but it has charms of its own that make it well worth a visit. The pretty market towns of Monpazier and Eymet offer local gastronomic delights (the latter being notable for duck), while Bergerac, at the heart of the region, is the place to sample the wide array of wines from the area. Head to Monbazillac for their famed sweet wines.
How to do it
Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Bergerac from £35 return.
Hotel Château les Merles (0033 5536 31342) has doubles from £119 per night, not including breakfast.
4. Burgundy
Best for: serious collectors
With 30,000 hectares under vine, Burgundy’s vineyard area is four times smaller than Bordeaux’s, but its influence is just as great, having produced some of the finest and most sought-after wines in history, made from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. The region stretches 245 kilometres from Chablis in the north down to Beaujolais.
It used to be much more difficult to visit the vineyards, but domaines like Maison Louis Jadot open their doors daily to visitors by appointment and a slew of new hotels is set to open along the so-called route des grands crus within the next year, including Bellevigne Bourgogne in the village of Chambolle-Musigny.
How to do it
Easyjet flies from Luton to Lyon from £52 return, then local trains run to Beaune.
Hostellerie Cèdre & Spa (0033 3 80 24 01 01) has doubles from £228 per night.
5. Alsace
Best for: castles and crémant
Straddling the German border of northeast France, Alsace is one of the prettiest wine regions you can visit. On the well-established La Route des Vins d’Alsace, you’ll see quaint villages with cobblestone streets and colourful houses, enchanting fairytale castles and historic vineyards that produce enticingly aromatic (mainly white) wines. Try the dry riesling and the crémant. You won’t struggle to find good food either: Alsace has the most Michelin starred eateries of any French region.
How to do it
Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Baden-Baden from £40 return.
Hostellerie des Châteaux & Spa (0034 945 180880) has doubles from £159 per night, including breakfast.
6. Jura
Best for: Cheese and “vin jaune”
Nestled between Burgundy and the Swiss border, Jura is the hidden gem of all the French wine regions. It has it all, from spectacular scenery to terrific wines, not forgetting the delicious food to go with them (ever heard of Comté?). The most famous of the wines is a style – “vin jaune” – which is aged in a similar way to fino sherry, although not fortified. These white wines have complex savoury notes and are often described as nutty. Stay around Arbois and taste tons of wines by the glass at Bistrot des Claquets or enjoy a slap-up dinner at the upmarket but friendly Le Bistronôme Lisa/Jerome. Remember to make appointments when visiting wineries to avoid missing out.
How to do it
Eurostar travels from St Pancras International to Paris from £78 return, then local trains run to Arbois.
La Closerie des Capucines (0033 7 70 09 07 37) has doubles from £232 per night, including breakfast.
Italy
7. Tuscany
Best for: Sangiovese and sunsets
The rolling hills of Tuscany, decorated with rustic farmhouses and majestic cypress trees, are often in our minds’ eyes when we think of Europe’s most beautiful vineyards, if not the world’s. Not many oenophiles have been able to resist the charms of Italy’s most lauded wine region and, indeed, the treasured sangiovese-based red wines that come from there. Florence is the ideal base from which to start living your Tuscan dream. Alternatively, book yourself into a wine estate with rooms in a hilltop village. Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco is one such treasure with an incredible vantage point at sunset.
How to do it
Vueling flies from London Gatwick to Florence from £167 return.
Castello Vichiomaggio (0039 055 854079) has apartments from £158 per night, including breakfast.
8. Piedmont, Italy
Best for: Alpine views
The renowned wines, Barolo and Asti spumante, couldn’t be more different from one another – one being a powerful red and the other a fruity sparkling – but they hail from the same awe-inspiring corner of northwest Italy, where the Alps oversee the vineyards against crystal-blue skies. Visit the vineyards in Roero, Gattinara and Ghemme for the nebbiolo-based reds, as well as for stunning countryside and excellent restaurants. La Capuccina in Alta Piedmont is the place to stay if you like the idea of sleeping in and amongst the vines.
How to do it
Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Milan Malpensa from £30 return.
La Capuccina (+390322839930) has double rooms available, including breakfast.
Spain
9. La Rioja, Spain
Best for: historic cellars and tapas bars
La Rioja is one of the world’s most famous wine regions. Even if you’ve never been to this scenic area of northern Spain, which is just a short hop from Bilbao and San Sebastian, chances are that you’ve asked for “a glass of rioja” in your lifetime and would have known to expect a fruity, ruby-coloured wine that pairs perfectly with a strong cheese and a plate of jamón.
Head to Logroño, in the heart of La Rioja, for the vibrant tapas bars of Calle Laurel. From this unsung city it’s easy to arrange tours of nearby vineyards tasting rooms, some of which are modern architectural marvels.
How to do it
Iberia flies from London Heathrow to Logroño from £299 return.
Hotel Marqués de Riscal (0034 945 180880), designed by Frank Gehry of Guggenheim fame, has doubles from £550 per night, including breakfast.
10. Priorat, Spain
Best for: sunshine and old vines
Priorat is one of Spain’s most historic wine regions, with winemaking dating back to the 1100s. Located in the province of Tarragona, it’s as famous for its rich red wines made from garnacha and cariñena grapes as it is for its spectacularly colourful landscapes. There are Priorat tours from Barcelona, but the city of Reus is closer to the vineyards and is a better option if you want to immerse yourself in the region’s wine culture.
How to do it: Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Reus from £62 return.
Terra Dominicata (0034 877 91 22 92) has doubles from £200, including breakfast.
Portugal
11. Douro, Portugal
Best for: port lovers
The Douro Valley in northern Portugal is visually breathtaking and its beauty earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 2001. The hills that form the valley are patterned with vine terraces; row after row of impeccably neat lines, which begin at the banks of the Douro River and end somewhere in the sky behind strips of misty cloud. The region is famous for Port and some estates will let you get involved in the traditional practice of grape stomping, but many wineries now produce dry red and white wines, too.
How to do it:
Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Porto from £57 return.
Quinta de São Luiz The Vine House (0035 1913984201) has doubles from £84 per night, not including breakfast.
Hungary
12. Tokaj, Hungary
Best for: sweet wine lovers
It might be a lesser known wine region, but the town of Tokaj is significant in Hungary’s history and culture. Located in the northeast of the country by the foothills of the Zemplén mountains, this beautiful UNESCO-protected region is famous for producing Tokaji Aszú, an intensely sweet wine made from grapes affected by botrytis, a fungus known as “noble rot”.
The region is affected by a particular microclimate (cool misty mornings followed by intense afternoon sunshine) which creates the conditions for botrytis to thrive. It’s a rather more appealing process than it sounds, and some of the world’s most expensive wines are crafted as a result. Nowadays, Tokaj is visited as much for its luxury spas as for its 13th century stone cellars.
How to do it
Wizz Air flies from London Gatwick to Budapest from £73 return.
Barta Winery Mansion (0036 30 530 4884) has doubles from £168 per night, including breakfast.
