Jeff Gordon said, “As I get older, my appreciation for wine has just increased. I fell in love with wine through my travels, but knowing what the wine country is all about definitely makes it my own.”. Enjoying wine has always been part of my travels also and during my 30 years of globetrotting I have had the opportunity to visit some of the world’s finest wine regions.

NAPA GRAPEVINES IN JANUARY

Napa Valley, one of the world’s most famous wine regions, is only a short drive from my home, so I visit regularly.

LIVERMORE VALLEY VINEYARDS

Only a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area is the Livermore Valley.  Although it i one of California’s lesser-known wine regions, it  offers a fine selection of world-class wineries.

SANTA CATARINA WINERY, PALMA DE MALLORCA

I absolutely adore Spanish wines, so during a trip to Palma de Mallorca we  we visited the north coast of the island and sipped vintages at a 500 year old winery.

YOUNG MALLORCA GRAPEVINES

TUSCANY

I’d always heard about the beautiful Tuscany region, so while visiting Florence we took a day trip from the city to check it out. The wines were delicious and I was amazed at how much the region reminded me of California valleys. I felt right at home.

TUSCAN VINEYARDS

FREIXENET CAVA CAVES

While spending time in Barcelona I ventured out to Penedes, Catalonia’s premiere wine region, where I visited several wineries, beginning with Freixenet. In addition to touring the underground caves, I sampled some excellent sparkling wines. If you’re a fan of bubbly, I definitely recommend touring their facility and tasting the cava.

JEAN LEON WINE BARRELS

During the day trip I also toured the Jean Leon winery where  I ventured underground to see where the wine was stored.

TORRES WINERY GRAPEVINES

At the Torres Winery I even had the chance to wander out into the vineyards.

TAPAS

Each winery offered a fine array of delicious tapas along with generous portions of their vintages. So by the end of the day we were full….and happy.

MAUI’S WINERY

I’ve always thought of Hawaii as a tropical paradise, but had no idea about wineries on the islands. While visiting the island of Maui we took the Road to Hana tour. One of the highlights of the tour was tasting at Maui’s Winery.

One of my travel goals is to eat my way around the world, and that also includes tasting the world’s finest wines. It’s a tough job, but well worth the effort.

Cheers!