Food & Wine Touring

Few wine regions have the allure of breath-taking countryside, historic hilltop towns, and wines of such exceptional quality as Tuscany offers. We are delighted to be able to offer a wine tour in Tuscany showcasing three iconic producers of world-class wines. You will also enjoy delicious Italian cuisine, sumptuous accommodation, and travel in luxury VIP transport.

Two of Europe’s most powerful dynasties, the Antinori and Frescobaldi families, have forged and created some of the world’s greatest wines. Equally, Biondi Santi also has a rich family history dating back to the mid-1800s.

These wineries have evolved over hundreds of years, and their success as producers is as much a consequence of the hard work and learnings of the generations before, as it is of the expertise of the current generation of winemakers. Winemaking is their life and passion, and the results are quite simply outstanding.

We take in guided tours, hosted private wine tastings, and lunches at the Antinori Tignanello estate to the south of Florence, Frescobaldi’s Ornellaia and Masseto estates in Bolgheri on the Mediterranean coast, and the iconic Biondi Santi estate Tenuta Greppo, situated just two kilometres from Montalcino.

Producing some of the finest Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines, Burgundy is arguably the finest example of vinicultural excellence in the world. The region has five sub-regions: Chablis, the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, both situated in the Côte d'Or, and the Mâconnais and Chalonnais, both in the Saône-et-Loire. It is hard to describe just how special this region is, with a pedigree gained through centuries of knowledge and experience. We love Burgundy.

Stretching from Dijon to Lyon, the region is peppered with small family-run estates and many world-renowned wineries, too. So, if you are a lover of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, there is no better way to experience these wines in the glass than touring with us.

Touring is not just about the amazing wines. Burgundy is home to multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites, and soaking up the history and culture of the region, with its laid-back way of life, makes touring here wonderful.

Let’s not forget about the food. Regional cuisine, enriched with fine wines, is what touring is all about — local ingredients making delicious specialties. With a few bottles of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, you’ll want to move here. We love it.

We have access to many of the finest wineries in the region, some delightful boutique hotels, and exclusive-use properties, so please get in touch and let’s see what we can put together for you.

We embrace so much that is fabulous about this southern Mediterranean island on this wine-tasting tour. Sicilian history, culture, and lifestyle, having evolved over 10,000 years of habitation, make this a fascinating experience. However, the main events are undoubtedly the Planeta stable of wineries. Our journey into Sicilian wine took on a new dimension when we first met Francesca Planeta, a wonderful and charismatic lady, who, with the family, manages a very fine collection of wineries.

The family’s pedigree has been centuries in the making. They acquired their first estate at Ulmo in 1694, and seventeen generations later, their voyage in Sicily has continued from Menfi to Vittoria, from Noto to Etna, and Capo Milazzo. From the Menfi, Ulmo, and Dispensa vineyards on hills 450 meters from the coast and near sea level, Planeta produces, amongst others, Grillo, Fiano, and Chardonnay.

The Buonivini vineyard at Noto, in the southeast of the island, produces the delicious Nero d’Avola, and at Sciaranuova, embedded between the lava flows and stretching up to an altitude of 1,000 meters on the northern slope of Etna, the Nerello Mascalese and Carricante flourish in this harsh landscape, along with the more recent plantings of Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Welcome to arguably the finest wine-producing region on the planet, where you will visit some of the world’s finest wineries to meet the winemakers, taste superb wines, stay in magnificent châteaux, and, of course, enjoy wonderful French cuisine. Our private wine tasting tour is centred on the two primary wine-producing areas within the region that are generally referred to as the Left Bank and Right Bank, this division being geographically defined by the Gironde estuary.

Bordeaux is steeped in two thousand years of viticultural history that stretches back to the Roman occupation of the territory. With the creation of the “modern” Médoc in the 16th century, the Left Bank became Cabernet Sauvignon’s homeland and is host to the four most famous communes of the Médoc — Margaux, St-Julien, Pauillac, and St-Estèphe. The Right Bank’s leading appellations are equally as impressive, with St-Émilion and Pomerol. The wines vary in style and structure, with Cabernet Sauvignon as the dominant varietal in the Left Bank appellations. These grapes produce wines with greater tannins and age-worthy acidity.

The wines from the Right Bank appellations, including St-Émilion, Pomerol, and the Côtes de Bourg, are predominantly Merlot-based, resulting in wines with richer fruit characteristics. In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, there are other varietals in much lesser quantities used in the blending of the wines, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot being the most frequently included. We spend three or five wonderful days in the region visiting four world-renowned wineries — three on the Left Bank and one on the Right Bank in St-Émilion.

The Left Bank trio are Château Pichon Baron, Second Grand Cru Classé in St-Julien; Château Lafite-Rothschild, Premier Cru Classé in Pauillac; and Cos d’Estournel, Grand Cru Classé in St-Estèphe. In our opinion, there is no finer Right Bank winery than Château Cheval Blanc. Dating from the early 1800s, this legendary St-Émilion château is one of only four awarded the distinction of Premier Grand Cru Classé “A.”

Spain is a wonderful country on so many levels, and we love touring with clients to Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and San Sebastián. Three of the country’s finest wine regions, with a restaurant pedigree that ranks amongst the finest in the world, and equally a lifestyle that is hard not to admire.

Rioja’s rolling vineyards have a fine backdrop dominated by the Sierra Cantabria mountains and the Ebro River. Their wines are truly world-class, with the dominant red grape, Tempranillo, producing elegant and complex wines with great aging potential. These include Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva, each offering unique characteristics based on their time in the cellar.

Ribera del Duero is located to the southwest of Rioja on the country's northern plateau along the course of the Duero River. Wine has been produced here for over 2,000 years. These are big, fruit-driven, complex, and delicious wines.

San Sebastián, situated on the Bay of Biscay in Spain’s mountainous Basque Country, was once the holiday playground for Spanish royalty, and it is one of Europe's most elegant and eclectic cities. This is a food and wine lover's paradise, with a wonderful natural larder and an array of delicious indigenous Galician wines — Albariño, Godello, Caiño, and Loureiro — the majority of which you will never see outside of the Basque Country. It is also home to more Michelin restaurants per capita than any city in the Western world. However, a real charm is its cobblestoned old town, with vibrant pintxo bars pairing local wines with bite-sized regional specialties, all presented on every bar top.

We also value downtime in this wonderful country to take in the rich history, culture, and traditions. We love the hotels too, particularly Abadía Retuerta for Ribera, Marques de Riscal for Rioja, and Hotel Akelarre in San Sebastián.

Get in touch to discuss what a tour could look like for you.

The Napa County in California is located just to the North of San Francisco. It is a unique environment with its wine region situated in the Napa Valley which stretches for thirty miles and is five miles across at its widest point. Put down and disregarded for decades by many of the “old world” wine purists, the Valley wine region is one of the world's finest destinations. It is celebrated for its exceptional wines, awe inspiring landscapes, fabulous food and luxury experiences that extend beyond the vineyards

The region is probably best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, and these wines are delicious, although many producers specialise in other varietals like Merlot, Zinfandel and Chardonnay all perfectly suited to the terroir and climate.

We access some of the finest estates. Founded in 1962 Paul Drapers Ridge winery is exceptional, the Dominus Estate is of equal pedigree, the Hundred Acre exclusive single vineyard Cabernet Estate, Memento Mori and the legendary Opus One winery. 

Luxury Touring is always a bit more than just the wines. Napa is home to many beautiful hotels and resorts with spas, wellness and relaxation vital components in our itineraries.  And then there is the food, thankfully not all burgers, hot dogs and ribs, with the other end of the dining out spectrum well catered for too, with the town of Yountville home to arguably one of the world’s finest Michelin 3*, Thomas Kellar’s French Laundry.

We love California and can include a wine itinerary in a wider experience whether that’s city based in San Francisco or Los Angeles or perhaps an extension to a golfing tour in Monterey taking in Pebble Beach and Cypress Point.