Continuing my week long look at wine travel in light of harvest season…
Both sound like a hassle, right? Finding your way around a foreign country looking for wineries..and bringing kids??
Like I’ve always said, no pain no gain. And the reward could be worth it to you. It was to me.
Winetasting in Chateauneuf du Pape, France
Two summers ago I spent almost five weeks in France with my family. One of those weeks was in Provence – and I jumped at the chance to go wine tasting there. I did have my three kids with me, but here’s a tip: Bring wine loving grandparents on the trip if you can. My husband didn’t care to go, so we left the two older kids with him, and my mom, stepfather, and I brought my youngest, knowing that one out of the three of us could entertain him in between glasses. We also brought toy cars – the best portable entertainment for boys of toddler age, and that did the trick.
Chateauneuf du Pape
So off to Chateaunueuf du Pape in the Cote du Rhone we went. Chateauneuf du Pape used to be the summer home of the pope when the papacy was in Avignon. It is a region known for it’s nice red wines.
We had tasted at a few wineries as we drove around Provence that week, but this time we decided to try a “Cave Cooperative” – Cave du Verger des Papes is a great one. It is a small cave-like operation where one can taste wines from various vintners in Chateauneuf du Pape, with an expert in the region guiding your choices.
Winetasting at Cave du Verger des Papes, France
I would recommend this route – especially if you have kids along. The less you have to cart them around from winery to winery the better. Also, it is safer than driving from winery to winery, and you can sit and enjoy the tasting a little bit longer because there are so many to taste and compare.
Having said that, however, you should get to at least some of the wineries to see the real deal, and interact with the owners or winemakers at each establishment. One winery we visited treated us so nicely, they sent us back to our house in St. Remy with a bottle of their apricot nectar they also produced from their orchard.
Hunter Valley, Australia
I am grateful to have tasted in other regions of the world also – in the Hunter Valley in Australia, about two hours out of Sydney… in Tuscany…and in Alsace, France, where there’s a heavy German influence since it is near the border. Here are some tips I have learned along the way:
1) Wineries in other countries are a little more serious than those in California – some require reservations so call ahead for an appointment if needed. On the other hand, I visited some precious wineries in Italy where there was no signage, and we were literally tasting out of what seemed like someone’s garage! (You will run into olive oil tastings there also, which was interesting.)
Winetasting in the Hunter Valley was very casual
2) Unlike California, many foreign wineries don’t charge to taste – but they do expect you to buy something. You can feel it as you taste and then turn to walk away.. yikes…those Germans!
3) If you want to bring back some bottles so you can reminisce months later with that same bottle of wine from Montepulciano, don’t assume you can ship it back to the U.S. Research your home state’s laws. It is also more expensive to ship home, so see how many you can bring on the flight home with you and if you have to pay a duty…or look for a local distributor near your home town. (Not as romantic, but you still get the wine!)
4) Take advantage of winery spitting buckets – I found them more common overseas. If you are driving your way from winery to winery, you can still taste the wine without feeling the effects. (Or look into a private tour on the internet and don’t worry about it.)
5) Do your research before you go so your experience will mean something to you – know what grapes the region is really known for, and try to learn some key words like “fruity” or “dry” in the language of where you are visiting, that way you can make your requests.
There are plenty of websites that offer private tours – and websites that give you maps of wine countries to help navigate your trip. So get to work!
Salute, Cherio, and Cin Cin!
