From grand château tours in Bordeaux’s Médoc to a family lunch on the slopes of Mount Etna, this is our running collection of wine country — the vineyard visits, tastings, and wineries that taught us something new about a grape, a region, or a process we’d never encountered before. You’ll find the famous names — Chianti, Napa, Bordeaux — alongside the lesser-known ones that turned out to be just as memorable, like Crete’s Dourakis Winery or Tenerife’s volcanic-soil vineyards.
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Valencia: Requena Wine Caves on a Day the City Didn’t Cooperate
Our Valencia port day — a Sunday closure and a city marathon led us to the Requena wine caves instead of Valencia proper, plus a crowded cava tasting.
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Toulon: Wine Country in Bandol and Cassis, and a Return to the French Riviera
Our Toulon port day — a wine tour with Provence Wine Tours through Bandol and Cassis, the view from Cape Canaille, and lunch in Cassis.
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Worth Every Bite: Terrazze dell’Etna Winery Lunch in Sicily
Our Sicily port day — a private tour and wine tasting lunch at Terrazze dell’Etna on the slopes of Mount Etna, with wines all from the Nerello Mascalese grape.
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Worth Every Bite: Giuseppe Apicella Winery Lunch
A family-run winery lunch above the Amalfi Coast — a scenic drive to Tramonti, homemade food from the garden, and four wines with Prisco Apicella.
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Rome Day Two: The Colosseum and a Vineyard Tasting in Frascati
Our second day in Rome — a CityWonders Colosseum tour, a Frascati vineyard tour and tasting at Principe Pallavicini, and a return to the Jewish Ghetto.