Wine Tour Holidays

Welcome to our 2009 programme of Wine Holidays hosted by Wine-Writer, Broadcaster and Restaurateur Stephen Barrett (see www.stephenbarrett.com). Our programme is designed to appeal to all wine lovers whatever their level of expertise and beginners are most welcome and will not be patronised.
When visiting the wine districts of France and Spain we select excellent 3* hotels and all rooms have private facilities. Our dining arrangements are buffet breakfast plus one meal per day, either a lengthy lunch or dinner – see individual programmes. Stephen’s contacts will ensure that the tastings we arrange will be of the highest quality and will include establishments which normally do not receive visitors.
Feel assured that our extensive experience in this most specialised of travel holidays will enable tasters with little experience to relax and soon get into the swing of the tour.
We would also like to emphasize that these are wine holidays and time for relaxation and sightseeing is an important aspect of any tour.

We use a 49-seater coach with air-conditioning, washroom and a large luggage compartment and this means that there is lots of room for you to bring back plenty of samples from the various wineries we visit.
The vineyards we visit are working establishments not theme parks and sometimes, even at short notice, they may not be able to accommodate us despite prior confirmation for one valid reason or the other. In such circumstances we will substitute a suitable alternative without notice. It is also possible that we may have to use an alternative, qualified Tour Escort from time to time though this will not occur very often.

Private groups

In addition to our Public programme we make arrangements for many private organisations such as Wine Societies, Firms, Clubs, Community groups and so on. These private tours are not restricted to the destinations shown in our programme. If you’d like to explore the possibility of a private tour contact us at any time. You need a minimum of around 20 persons to establish a viable tour and ,of course, you nominate your own pick up points. If you have less than 20 persons you would be advised to consider one of the tours shown in the programme and we would be happy to discuss bringing the coach to your pick up point.

The Three Classics

For 2009 we have chosen “The Three Classics”, Burgundy, Bordeaux and La Rioja to spearhead our programme. Each one of these fabled wine districts offer an unrivalled glimpse into great wine making with style and imagination at every corner. Additionally we are returning to Alsace which proved such a hit last year and Spain’s Ribeira del Duero, an unsung but extremely rewarding region which the Spanish guard jealously for themselves! We will also be running a weekend visit to Champagne. (Details of these tours are shown on our website.)
Our tours will encompass both new and old with the chance to experience a plethora of wine styles ranging from classic vintage full-bodied white Chardonnay (Burgundy), cassis-laden modern Cabernets (Bordeaux) and more-ish classy cherry-scented Tempranillo from Rioja. Each district has plenty to offer and we will be visiting those who practice exciting winemaking in often uber-spectacular surroundings. Our programme of tours are never set in stone so if you have a favourite Domaine, Chateau or Bodega you might like to visit please let us know as we will endeavour to include it in our itinerary.

Most of the pictures which illustrate our wine tour programme have been taken by a regular traveller Mr Derek Whitehouse of Torquay and we gratefully acknowledge his contribution.

Please select the programme of tours available from the Wine Tours button on the left.