3 Wine-focused Trips That Will Ignite All 5 Senses

For me, wine is a passion. And it’s best appreciated when you marry that tasteful delight in your glass with a gorgeous setting or a unique activity. An experience like this is what I like to call “wine with all five senses.”

Wine-focused travel delivers a truly sensorial experience. Combining the taste, smell, and feel of a wine with the sounds and scenery of a specific location guarantees an indelible memory. Here are three of my favorite wine-centric trips.

Zonda at Lagarde Winery, Mendoza, Argentina

Lagarde in Luján de Cuyo has been producing mouthwatering malbecs for more than 125 years. In late 2022, the winery added a new restaurant, Zonda, which offers visitors a unique dining experience that showcases the full bounty of Mendoza. (In 2023, the restaurant received both a Michelin star and a Michelin Green Star for sustainability.) 

First, guests take a tour of the garden and vineyards, where plucking grapes right from the vine is encouraged. Next comes a fun-filled cooking class where they’ll learn to make empanadas. And finally, they’ll sit down to a delicious several-course meal — with perfect wine pairings, of course. 

Quinta das Carvalhas, Douro Valley, Portugal

Dating back to 1759, Quinta das Carvalhas boasts some of the oldest vines in Portugal as well as some of the oldest grape varieties of the Douro region, making a visit here feel like a step back in time. The views are impressive, too. 

Standing at the top of the terraced vineyards, you can look out over the Douro and Torto rivers and take in that dreamy and undulating Douro Valley landscape you’ve seen in pictures. Your senses will be heightened no matter what time of year you visit, but harvest time is the best. 

You can spend the morning picking grapes at the Quinta das Carvalhas vineyard, as well as its sister vineyard Quinta do Casal da Granja in Alijó, and then enjoy a traditional Portuguese lunch. Afterward, roll up your pants and get ready to stomp on grapes in the winery’s old mills designed for manual crushing. 

Coquelicot, Belmond, Champagne, France

Are you a big fan of bubbly? Champagne, of course, is only produced in the region that bears its name, in the northeast of France. And there’s no better way to experience the area (and reap its rewards) than aboard Coquelicot, Belmond’s ultra-luxurious, three-stateroom barge, which glides down canals and waterways past vineyards and storybook cities, like Châlons-en-Champagne. 

While you’d no doubt be happy sipping bubbly and enjoying farm-fresh, chef-prepared cuisine on the top deck, Belmond has also curated exclusive on-land experiences, including a behind-the-scenes look at Ruinart, a private lunch at the Krüg family house, and tours of Dom Pérignon’s Abbaye d’Hautvillers and the cellars of Moët & Chandon.

Meg Nolan is a member of Travel + Leisure’s A-List and specializes in wine-focused trips. You can create a tailor-made itinerary with Nolan by contacting her at meg@friendofafriendconsulting.com.