A beautiful way to spend a day!

Wine is big business in many parts of Europe, it's also a major part of the culture of this marvelous continent. In every wine growing region there are concentrated areas of wine making that allow a visitor to fully immerse themselves in the vineyards and the byproduct of that land. The great news is that many of the vineyards are open to the public and in fact welcome you with open arms for a tasting or even a tour of the facilities.

While I don't recommend drinking wine while driving through these winding village roads, certainly the drive part, is a wonderful way to spend a day. France is my favorite country to while away the hours, traversing the country roads. Flanked by beautiful scenes of lush hillside vineyards, they come in all shapes and sizes and the vinters are very happy to share their love of the process of making wine. Fall is a great time for this activity as you can experience the harvesting process, where thousands of young energetic Europeans, come to participate in the hard work of grape picking. It's also a time when many of the towns and villages come together to celebrate the end of the season and carry on the traditions that have gone on for centuries.

Above: Harvest time in France Below: A stop on the Champagne Road

You can find these routes in just about every country and the local tourist offices have maps that highlight the routes and activities along the way. In France, just look for signs like Route du Vin(wine Road) or Route des Vignobles (Road of the Vineyards) or more specific ones like Route de la Champagne. In Portugal you might see Aldeias Vinhateiras (Wine -growing villages) Italy has some 140 wine roads (called strade dei vini).

The Douro Valley of Portugal left and center Above : Alsace region of France

If you are really into the wine tasting you can go by bus or private van in many of the areas, as vineyards are anxious to get their customers to taste and purchase the many fine wines they sell. Another way see these properties up close is by the many bike lanes and walking paths that meander through the many vineyards. The Mosel Vally of Germany is particularly well suited to this, as many of the vineyards lie in the valleys that follow the flat, riverside roads, with bike lanes for a safe and slow means of spending the day.

Let us help you find your perfect Wine Road on your next trip. Contact us for help in setting up your next itinerary to some of these charming, out of the way spots.

Above: Biking along the Mosel River in Germany

Below: Scenes from Alsace on the French and German border.

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