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A holiday in one of Europe’s finest wine regions offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the centuries of local history and culture while meeting artisan producers and exploring picturesque countryside. Pair your wine-inspired wanderings with mouthwatering local cuisine and you’re in for even more of a treat.
From Europe’s most iconic wine locations to our favourite off-the-beaten-path gems, these are our top fourteen wine regions to visit in Europe:
This lovely region of central Italy has been one of the world’s most treasured wine regions for well over two thousand years. It’s a picture-perfect landscape of rolling hills and valleys, strewn with medieval hilltop villages and flowing rows of grapevines. Several of Italy’s most celebrated wines are grown here, including Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
We recommend an enchanting villa stay so you can settle into exploring the local countryside. Join a guided wine tour or hire an e-bike and discover hidden gems at your own pace, stopping along the way to sample locally produced wines, olives and cheeses. Be sure to venture into the walled medieval town of San Gimignano near Siena, which is renowned for its Vernaccia variety of white wine as well as its ancient stone towers and arguably the best gelato in Italy.
Located in the southwest of France and centred on the city that shares its name, the Bordeaux wine region often described as ‘the wine capital of France.’ Wine lovers become weak-kneed at the prospect of sampling the Cabernet Sauvignon blends of Médoc and the velvety Merlots of Saint-Émilion. You can even pay a visit to the homes of some of the most expensive wines in the world, including Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Mouton Rothschild.
If you’re a foodie, you’re in for an extra treat, thanks to the world-class dining for which the city of Bordeaux is renowned. There are twelve Michelin-starred restaurants in the region, including seven within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed section of the city known as the Port of the Moon. We recommend an evening stroll along the scenic banks of the Garonne River to work up an appetite.
Stretching from Lyon to Avignon and centred on the Rhône River and its tributaries, this wine region incorporates into two distinct landscapes and terroirs. In Northern Rhône, you’ll find mostly Syrah-based wines, grown in steep, terraced vineyards that cling to the hillsides lining the river valley. In Southern Rhône, the warmer climate and more gentle terrain lends itself to Grenache wines such as the world-famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Beyond the wine, you’ll find Provencal villages steeped in charm – all medieval walls, cobblestone streets, and heart-stopping views of the Rhône Valley. It’s a fabulous opportunity to dive into classic Provençal dishes infused with mouthwatering, home-grown flavours like truffle and lavender-infused honey. We recommend planning your holiday to coincide with the summer lavender season, so you can enjoy a lunchtime tipple while picnicking among the rows of fragrant flowers.
This northeast corner of France is home to the world’s most iconic celebratory tipple, and we highly recommend popping a cork at one of the region’s world-famous Champagne houses. The region’s grand Champagne houses include instantly recognisable names like Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Dom Pérignon, as well as boutique, family-run estates. Join a guided tour and you’ll learn about the centuries-old traditions of making sparkling wine while visiting ancient underground cellars and experiencing the picturesque, patchwork landscape of vine-covered hills.
The local wine scene is centred around the historic towns of Reims and Épernay, the former renowned for its majestic Cathedral where the French monarchs were once crowned. Reims is just over 75 minutes by train from Paris, making it a choice for a romantic day trip from the City of Love.
The Douro River is one of the longest in Portugal, carving through the country’s northern hills for more than two hundred kilometres as it travels from the Spanish border to the Atlantic Ocean. The valley is the world’s oldest demarcated wine region, dating back to 1756, and its steep slopes are with steep, terraced vineyards that produce world-class Port and table wines.
One of our favourite ways to discover the beauty of the Doura Valley is by river cruise. As well as sampling the wares at boutique quintas (wine estates), you’ll get to experience authentic Portuguese culture in historic towns like Pinhão and Castelo Rodrigo and marvel at the palaeolithic drawings which adorn the rock walls of the Côa Valley.
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the craggy Sierra del Toloño mountain range (known in Basque as the Toloñoko mendilerroa), Spain’s best-known wine region incorporates parts of La Rioja and Navarre as well as the Basque province of Álava. Its rich, full-bodied red wines are made from Tempranillo grapes grown in the rolling vineyards that stretch across the picturesque Ebro Valley.
The region’s capital city, Logroño, is one of the main points on the French route of the Camino de Santiago. It’s renowned for its vibrant local culinary scene, including the Calle del Laurel, where you can indulge in some of the best pinchos and tapas in northern Spain.
The Mosel (Moselle) wine region is based around the gentle curves of the Mosel River and its two tributaries: the Saar and Ruwer Rivers. Renowned for its crisp Riesling wines, the region is a fairy-tale landscape of steep, vineyard-covered terraces and storybook, medieval towns like Cochem and Bernkastel-Kues.
You can explore the region by bicycle, following the scenic Mosel Cycle Path that covers 248 kilometres between Perl to Koblenz. Take a guided walking tour of the region’s vineyards, complete with tasting sessions, or choose your favourite scenic section of the 365-kilometre Moselsteig Trail.
Nestled between northeastern Italy and northern Croatia, Primorska (commonly known in English as the Slovenian Littoral) is one of Slovenia’s three historic wine-producing regions. Although you will find high-quality wines made from exotic varietals like Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Gris, we recommend making a beeline for the region’s renowned local wines, such as Refosco, Tokaj and Rebula.
Beautiful Goriška Brda is one of the distinct wine-making districts within the Primorska region. Its landscape of rolling countryside and distant mountains, hilltop towns and cypress trees, could fool you into thinking you have taken a wrong turn and ended up in Tuscany. Even the local cuisine is infused with Italian influences.
If you’re planning a self-drive itinerary through the region, be sure to include a visit to the beautifully preserved medieval village of Šmartno and the neighbouring Gonjače observation tower. There are 144 spiralling steps to reach the top of the tower, but your reward is the panoramic views that extend as far as the Gulf of Trieste, the Julian Alps and the Dolomites.
Six thousand years ago, wine was worshipped by the ancient Thracians as ‘the drink of the gods.’ Today, the Thracian Valley is the most celebrated wine region in modern Bulgaria, producing local varieties like Mavrud, Rubin and Pamid as well as highly quaffable Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs.
The region enjoys a similar climate to Tuscany and Bordeaux and its landscapes are just as lovely, with rolling vineyards set against the Rhodope and Balkan Mountains. It’s also treasure trove of history sites, including the ruins of the Starosel Thracian Temple and the UNESCO World Heritage listed Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak. Base your Bulgarian wine adventure in Europe’s oldest city, Plovdiv, where you’ll find a breathtaking blend of ancient Roman ruins, a charming Old Town quarter, and a thriving gastronomic scene.
The Alsace Wine Route (Route des Vins d’Alsace) is one of Europe’s most scenic self-drive routes: a 170-kilometre journey through the vineyard-clad hills and picturesque villages of northeast France. The region’s capital, Colmar, is a haven of half-timbered houses, canals and cobbled streets; it’s a magical spot at any time of year, but especially during December when you can sip warm, spiced Alsatian wine or apple juice while browsing the famous Christmas markets.
Travelling from Marlenheim to Thann, you’ll feel tempted to pause your journey in an endless procession of historic villages, each one lovelier than the last. Our favourites include Eguisheim, a circular medieval village that’s often described as one of France’s most beautiful villages, and Riquewihr, said to be the inspiration for Belle’s village in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
The vast plains and sweeping vineyards that lie to the south and east of Madrid were the backdrop for the fictional seventeenth-century character, Don Quixote. Your own adventure in Castilla-La Mancha is likely to be focused on food and wine rather than castles and windmills. Tempranillo, Garnacha and Verdejo are the main local wine varieties, and the region also produces high-quality garlic, saffron, pistachios, black truffles and Manchego cheese.
It’s one of Spain’s largest and oldest wine regions, encompassing more than 190,000 hectares of vines. Rather than trying to cover the entire, vast region, we suggest choosing a single province to explore, whether it’s the UNESCO World Heritage listed city of Toledo or the famous Casas Colgadas (Hanging Houses) of Cuenca.
Many wineries in Alentejo are returning to the ancient local technique of Talha winemaking, using massive amphorae in the place of the oak barrels found in most wineries around the world. The method, which has been handed down from generation to generation over more than two thousand years, involves the grapes being gently crushed and placed into the clay jars, which are partially buried in the ground and left to do work their fermentation magic, undisturbed.
If you need any further persuasion to visit this beautiful region of southern Portugal, there’s the fairytale hilltop village of Monsaraz, the historic star-shaped fortress of Elvas, the dramatic coastline of Costa Vicentina and the brilliant night skies of the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve.
If you really want to get off the beaten track on your European wine adventure, a visit to Georgia’s historic wine country of Kakheti is a must. The region’s winemaking history is thought to date back at least six thousand years, and you can still find wineries that employ the traditional qvevri method to produce a distinctive orange-hued wine.
You can dive deeper into Georgia’s wine-making heritage while exploring the gardens, and wine cellars of historic Tsinandali Estate & Museum. The museum is the former home of Prince Alexander Chavchavadze: a nineteenth-century Georgian poet and nobleman who is considered the founder of modern wine making in Georgia. From here, it takes around forty minutes to travel even further back in time to reach Alaverdi Monastery. Aside from being one of Georgia’s most significant historic and spiritual sites, the ancient monastery still produces traditional Georgian wine.
You don’t have to be a wine lover to find yourself intoxicated by the natural beauty, rich culture and fascinating history of Europe’s most wonderful wine regions. To start planning your wine-infused grape escape, talk to your personal travel manager.
TravelManagers respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands where we work and gather, and those we visit.
