IF IT SEEMS EVERYONE AROUND you is drinking wine, you’re not imagining it: in 2016 Americans consumed 790 million gallons of wine, a sharp rise from 330 million gallons in 1993. That surge in interest has fueled a growing market for wine travel: tours and cruises through wine regions, tastings, wine-pairing dinners, classes led by sommeliers and winemakers, and even spa treatments inspired by the vine. Museums dedicated to wine have appeared as well — in Bordeaux, France, La Cité du Vin opened in 2016 and welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to explore exhibits, dine, and taste. For travelers who want to try their hand at winemaking, blending programs and interactive experiences now appear not only in classic wine regions but in destinations worldwide. In Charleston, S.C., guests at the Grand Bohemian Hotel can blend a custom bottle, and in Nassau, Bahama Barrels launched a blending program in a converted convent.
Grand Bohemian Hotel Charleston Wine Blending Room © GRAND BOHEMIAN CHARLESTON
Cruise lines have long transported travelers to renowned wine regions, and many now offer enhanced wine programming onboard and ashore. On AmaWaterways’ Douro river cruises, passengers taste Port, Vinho Verde and other Portuguese wines while visiting vineyards that overlook the Douro River, including dinners and tastings at family-owned quintas. Uniworld’s Connoisseur Collection adds exclusive food-and-wine experiences on select departures, such as lunches on Burgundy estates paired with local wines. Viking’s Mediterranean itineraries feature visits to boutique wineries in Santoríni to sample regional varietals, while land tours like Trafalgar’s Piedmont and Italian Lakes journeys take visitors to lesser-known wine areas such as Asti and Cherasco for immersive tastings.
If you prefer small-group travel, specialized operators create intimate wine-focused adventures. On six-day sailings along Croatia’s coast, Wind & Wine Croatia leads guests to islands such as Brač, Hvar, Vis and Korčula for mornings of hiking and swimming followed by curated visits with local winemakers. Those visits can include barrel or library tastings, food-and-wine pairings, or winery dinners, providing a direct look at a region whose wines are gaining international recognition. In Napa, Verve offers distinctive experiences including vineyard rides on horseback, sabrage classes for opening sparkling wine with a saber, and tours of boutique wineries that are otherwise closed to the public.
Paris-based tour operator Paris-Toujours organizes wine-centered itineraries across France, from one-day outings to multi-day trips. Founder Laurence Vuillemin leverages a network of local partners to offer authentic experiences: private introductions to French wine regions in prestigious Paris cellars, cheese-and-wine pairings led by a cheese master in a traditional fromagerie, and even workshops that explore the aromatic links between perfume and wine. The company emphasizes authentic local connections, small producers and accommodations tied to wine culture.
Jordan Winery outdoor wine and olive oil tasting © JORDAN WINERY
Wineries themselves have raised the bar, expanding beyond the tasting room to offer estate tours, hikes, special dinners and exclusive tastings. In Sonoma’s Alexander Valley, Jordan Winery now offers vineyard hikes, estate tours with food pairings, château dinners and library tastings of Bordeaux-style wines. Members can earn points to redeem for unique experiences such as release dinners, Champagne-and-caviar pairings, and overnight stays in private accommodation overlooking the estate. Sonoma’s Ram’s Gate Winery created Palate Play, a generous five-course pairing served in a dramatic glass-and-wood tasting room perched above a lake, effectively providing a restaurant-style lunch within winery regulations.
Ram’s Gate Palate Play © RAM’S GATE
Wine trains offer another leisurely way to explore wine country without driving. The Napa Valley Wine Train, operating since 1989, still draws visitors along its scenic route between Napa and St. Helena and now includes offerings such as winemaker-led Meet the Maker experiences and private after-hours tours. Switzerland’s Lavaux Express winds through terraced vineyards above Lake Geneva, and South Africa’s Franschhoek Wine Tram lets travelers hop between multiple wineries in the Franschhoek Valley.
Collaborations between hotels and wineries create memorable, often unexpected experiences. Guests at The Peninsula Bangkok can take a helicopter transfer to Hua Hin Hills Vineyard and tour the property by elephant. Carmel Valley Ranch in California runs weekly wine programming that includes educational tastings with the resort sommelier and playful winemaker challenges where teams create and pitch their own wine. In Portland, The Duniway Hotel partners with Stoller Family Estate for hands-on vineyard days that may include grape picking, measuring ripeness and tasting fruit from the crusher, followed by a harvest lunch overlooking the Dundee Hills. Ridge Vineyards’ Monte Bello Estate offers private two-hour tastings for Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay guests, including tours and library pours of acclaimed wines. Even Myanmar offers cycling wine tours through sugar-cane fields to Red Mountain Estate, and in Mendoza, Argentina, the Loft Suite at Entre Cielo places guests literally amidst the vineyard in a raised, modern pod suite.
Vinotherapy and grape-based spa treatments have also become mainstream. At Les Sources de Caudalie outside Bordeaux, treatments such as the Pulp Friction massage use fresh Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to exfoliate and revitalize skin, with wine baths and barrel treatments available. In Mendoza, Cavas Wine Lodge uses ground Malbec seeds for exfoliation and skin clarification, while Sonoma’s Kenwood Inn & Spa offers vinotherapy facials that deliver antioxidant benefits and stress reduction. Cruise lines have incorporated vinotherapy at sea as well: partnerships between cruise operators and wine brands have resulted in curated spa menus with multiple wine-inspired treatments aboard certain ships.