Thoughts on Booking Wine Tours While Overseas

There are numerous reasons why one should actively pursue booking wine tours while travelling internationally. After violating one of my principal rules when scheduling a tour that ended up being one of the most disappointing, I feel the need to identify some criteria you should take into consideration. I will also highlight two outstanding tour guides/firms in Croatia and Italy that I cannot more highly recommend.

The Positives of Booking Wine Tours Through an Organization

While driving your rental car to participate in a tasting at a specific winery certainly has its own advantages, the GPS challenge of finding the winery and sometimes driving on narrow, winding and steep roads where vehicles driving in opposite directions require some coordination to maneuver does not contribute to a relaxing excursion for most.  Additionally, know that the driving under the influence laws in Europe are stricter than in the United States. In both Croatia and Italy the DUI limit is .5%. If you are sampling just five wines at a single tasting in a winery you are likely right at the cusp of .5%.

Not worrying about driving, enjoying the scenery to and from single or multiple wineries, generally enjoying the experience and conversations with other participants, being educated on the wine region, its history and the wineries themselves all add to the overall enjoyment of the trip.  Quality wine tours are some of the most blissful joys in travelling as they are rarely crowded, offered at a slow pace and a mild “alcohol buzz” contributes to a relaxing day.

Things to Look for When Scheduling a Wine Tour

Just as you read reviews on Trip Advisor or Booking.com for hotels or restaurants, read the reviews of the possible tours you are considering. Even if you are a novice of wine, your instincts applying to stays and food will apply to any kind of wine tour.

Things to do Before Booking -

Seek what you drink - If you find your wine consumption gravitating towards Chianti, book a tour in Tuscany for Chianti or even the smaller Chianti Classico region. If you love Barolo, Asti, or Prosecco, find the specific tours for those regions. Visiting wineries in the region you like gives you a connection to the wines and food once you get back home. With international travel increasing, plan to book a month in advance and that may not even guarantee you a spot.

Find out what wineries you may be doing the tastings at – The tour guides may not have specific answers for that day you have scheduled, but they have an active portfolio of wineries and alternates amongst them. Get that list and perform some due diligence. It is unlikely that you will have heard of most of these wineries let alone drank their wine but being a bit informed ahead of time can make the experience that much better.

Variety is the spice of life – Whether one, two or even four wineries in a tasting tour, try to confirm the relative size of the wineries. Hopefully, they are exposing you to both small and large wineries.  The smaller wineries are usually more intimate where you can meet the owners who may include the actual winemakers. Their love and joy of what they have and willingness to share makes these visits special.

The little things – A few items to ask the tour firm before booking that can further enhance the experience that are not deal-breakers but can be the proverbial “icing on the cake”.

WhatsApp is a great app for phone communications overseas if you do not have an international plan. Virtually all B&B’s and wine tour operators communicate with Americans this way.  While researching the numerous tour guide operators via their website and emails is a necessary first step, many times phone conversations with the operator can provide clarity for your ultimate decision.

The majority of half and full day tours carve-out time for lunch. But find out if any of the winery visits include presenting their own charcuterie boards paired with their wines. The wow factor of tasting the perfectly curated food to their wines is an experience that you will use when you come back to the States.

One final thought. Presume that any wine tour is going to run behind schedule but find out if any schedule free time in a particular village or town that is within the heart of the wine region. On its own these villages may not be on your destination guidebook but one of the most memorable parts of a wine tour in Tuscany was 45 minutes in one of these remote villages unrelated to wine tasting.  The views, the shopping and the small crowds made this tour fantastic.

Highly Recommended Wine Tours for Northeastern Italy and Croatia

Italy

Pagus Wine Tours www.paguswinetours.com is exactly one of the tour guide organizations that fit the criteria I noted above. Headquartered in Verona since 2000 with its roots based on a senior thesis about the production of wine and the extraction and working of limestone in the Valpolicella area in Roman times written by its founder, Davide Canteri.  Pagus offers the full package of possibilities. Focused exclusively on the regions of Bardolino, Lugana, Soave, Valpolicella, Custoza, Verona, Trento and Treviso between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene which is the DOCG region of Prosecco, they offer a diverse selection of both group and custom tours that will satisfy both the novice and aficionado.

A Little Background

After considerable research I identified Pagus for two potential group tours. Unfortunately, even trying to book a month in advance, both tours were fully booked so I had to move on to other alternatives. Could have been the end of the story except for happenstance. One early evening while enjoying a few aperol spritzes near our B&B in Verona, less than ten yards around the corner was Pagus’s offices.

My second favorite wine producer in all of Italy is Giuseppe Quintarelli, considered the godfather of Amarone. Months before our visit to Italy I tried phoning them with ample challenges even finding a phone number, emailing them via their website and calling their US importer to see about scheduling a visit. Let us just say that I never heard from them. Years earlier under similar circumstances in Tuscany, I also failed to schedule a visit for my absolute favorite producer in Italy. That failure has nagged me to this day.

With nothing to lose, I walked into Pagus’ offices to inquire whether they could get us into Quintarelli’s winery for a private tasting. The next day they emailed me indicating an affirmative and two days later I was fulfilling one of my dream wine visits.

Croatia

Prior to our trip to Croatia I read many articles on the Croatian wine industry, its regions and wines.  What amazed me was that when reviewing all the information from my various wine courses, the total summed to less than five pages referenced for Croatian wines. Effectively, I was a neophyte regarding their wines.

Wine Lovers Croatia  www.wineloverscroatia.com  owned and operated by Bozidar “Bo” Jukic exceeded all expectations I had for a group tour. Born in Dubrovnik, Bo is one of those professionals in the wine industry who exudes knowledge and pride in his country and wines and wants to educate attendees if they are interested.

The group tour starts with a minor detour stopping in the historic town of Ston with a brief presentation of its history. The area is also known for its family-owned oyster farms at which time you are taken to a local restaurant for a sampling of locally raised oysters paired with a sparkling wine. A perfect start to the day-long tour.

Throughout the tour Bo pointed out major sites along the Peljesac Peninsula, providing a detailed discussion of the winery industry and its local history. With stops at four wineries including the most famous winery in Croatia, Grgic Vina, and three smaller wineries, one of which was clearly his favorite practicing organic farming methods, ending with a very small winery where we were served an extensive array of meats, cheeses and olives paired with a generous sampling of their wines.

Bo’s knowledge of all of these wineries was impressive.  At one point someone asked one of the hosts pouring a rather technical question and as she somewhat stumbled in answering, he interjected with a detailed answer that I think even amazed the host. 

The tour was an all-day tour and even ran an extra hour plus but was truly worth it from the scenery, historic insights, wineries visited and overall food and wine experience.  If you are seeking an exceptional and fun wine tour, Wine Lovers Croatia is the way to go.