Plan your wine weekend: 4 GREAT EUROPEAN SHORT BREAKS

A romantic escape, a weekend away with friends… Fiona Sims provides some much-needed inspiration for 2021 after the cancellation of so many travel plans last year, picking four vibrant European destinations that wine lovers will love

- Fiona Sims

Along weekend spent in a wine region is about so much more than discovering a few new wines. You really get a sense of the place, its people and their traditions. But don’t think you can just hop on a plane and rock up to the wineries you’ve earmarked for a visit unannounced (if you want to taste the good stuff, at least). Indeed, many of the world’s most exciting wines are made in small, family-run wineries that just don’t have the budget to allow for tour guides and fancy tasting rooms. It’s not that they don’t want to see you – they do, they just need a little notice.

And with stomachs rumbling after a morning tasting, forget rolling into that perfect little eatery for lunch, as it’s likely to be rammed with locals and other smug wine tourists who have booked well ahead. Yup, you guessed it, some organisation is required – nothing intense, more a flurry of emails.

After you’ve booked your winery appointments, decide how you want to get around. Driving yourself is the most flexible – just be mindful of alcohol intake. But if you want to remove that worry, then there are companies that offer all-inclusive, guided wine tours all over the world, including in our four highlighted regions in the following pages. Or, if you want more freedom, then hotels will arrange taxis for you (some wineries, too). Or mix it up: drive one day and taxi the next.

Mix up appointments with tours and tastings, too, as it allows for a more flexible, immersive experience. Save the full-on tours for those wineries with exceptional grounds, and opt for tastings in the more modest establishments.