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Wine tourism has really taken off
THE film Sideways may have given wine tourism a shot in the arm - while not doing very much for sales of merlot.
But anyone who has visited a vineyard would probably agree that there is something special about drinking wine in the place it is made.
It could be something to do with the beautiful, rolling, vine-clad hills - wine does tend to be made in some spectacularly scenic places - with the weather to match. It might have something to do with the enthusiasm and passion of the winemaker as he proudly displays the fruits of his labours, or it could just be the opportunity to taste delicious local food and wine.
It's not surprising that more people are recognising the attractions of the world's wine-growing regions.
In California, the setting for the film about a wine buff and his best mate on a "stag trip", they are old hands at it, with wineries routinely providing tours, tasting and gourmet dining.
Australia and New Zealand have thriving wine-related tourism. South Africa's famed Stellenbosch wine route attracts thousands to the picturesque Western Cape, where the Vergelegen estate can count Nelson Mandela, the Queen and ex-President Clinton among its 100,000 annual visitors.
Meanwhile, in the classic wine-growing areas of Europe the idea of tourism related to wine-making seems to be taking a firm hold.
In Rioja, the £50million Hotel Marqués de Riscal, designed by Frank Gehry, who also created the iconic Guggenheim gallery in Bilbao, features twisting, wavy titanium sheets of pink, gold and silver flowing across the roof of the original 150-year-old bodega. This vision of modernism at the heart of Spain's most traditional wine region has already become a tourist Mecca, with its vino-therapy spa and fine dining.
A more traditional experience is available in the Douro Valley in northern Portugal, where port estates offer tastings and there are memorable excursions to be had along the meandering river, flanked by steep, terraced vineyards.
In the heart of the ancient Languedoc, in southern France, a go-ahead cooperative is one of the latest to join the tourist trail by opening its new visitor centre in July at its winery in Tuchan, in the Pyrenees.
It seems there's a whole world out there eager to welcome wine enthusiasts.
But even closer to home, a day out to a local vineyard could whet the appetite for travels further afield. Most are more than willing to see visitors - and you don't have to jump on plane to get there. ( S e e www.englishwineproducers.com for contact details).
