Wine Travels

Whilst in Naoussa, we visited the Paros Wine Fair in May 2026. This is an annual wine exhibition that brings together Greek and international wine producers to the tiny fishing village of Naoussa, to the north of the Greek, Cycladic, island of Paros. 

We visited the island of Tinos, during one of our Greek Cycladic island travels and tasted a variety of the local wine. 

Whilst on Safari in Africa, we visited the small village of Mto Wa Mbu in Tanzania. The village houses people from 120 different Tanzanian tribes and is a unique mix of languages and customs.

When I think about iconic life-time experiences that we have had, one that stands out, is the open-air opera in the Arena di Verona Opera Festival. Sitting watching the performance unfold under the stars, on a warm, summer evening.

During our stay in Paloma and Catania in Sicily, we tasted a variety of Sicilian wines including the native ‘Nero d’Avola’ grape variety that is grown widely across the island.

Turkey has between 400-500,000 hectares under vine making it the 5th largest vineyard area globally, however, only 3-5% of production is made into wine, with the majority being used for table grapes, dried into raisins, or distilled into Raki.

Georgia has over 500 indigenous grape varieties, with at least 45 currently used in commercial viticulture, of which around 20-25 indigenous grape varieties are available in export markets, 75% are white grapes and 25% black grapes. 

Whilst most experts recognise that Georgia is the original home of wine, with a history dating back to 8,000 BC what is little recognised is that its fellow south Caucus neighbour, Azerbaijan, has a similar long history dating back to 7,000 BC.

Armenia is a country with a fascinating history and one of conflict with its neighbours for centuries.

It was great to be back in Burgundy for a week to explore the wineries along the Cote de D’Or. 

Not many people associate England with the production of wine. However, with global warming, England has an emerging wine industry centred around the Sussex region, with a focus on sparkling wine made in the Traditional Method.

This trip to Tasmania we decided to focus on the north of the island which is the undisputed leader in Australian sparkling wines made in the traditional method and probably one of the best regions in the world for sparkling wines apart from Champagne and the Franciacorta region of Italy.

The home of Semillon in Australia and a quality producer of Shiraz and a blend of Shiraz & Pinot Noir. A number of wineries worth a visit including First Creek who do an interesting Tannat, Brokenwood and the picturesque Audrey Wilkinson.

The Barossa Valley is synonymous for iconic Australian red wine. It is world renowned and produces over 20% of Australia’s wine production. The ‘Barossa’ features over 150 wineries and 80 cellar doors and is predominantly known for its key varieties of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache.

Whilst we were in the beautiful, ‘happy’ country of Bhutan we stayed at The Six Senses Hotel in both Paro and Thimpu, where we were provided with the opportunity to try some local Bhutan wine. The wine industry in Bhutan is very young, as The Bhutan Wine Company only initiated commercial viticulture in 2019, and they now market their wine under the ‘Ser Kem’ label.