The stunning Douro Valley.
Portugal has quickly skyrocketed to the top of the list when it comes to destinations travellers are most interested in visiting post-Pandemic thanks to recently becoming the country with the world’s highest vaccination rate. But even before COVID-19 had its grip on the world, it was a country already viewed as an up-and-coming destination for a number of reasons including location, affordability, history, beauty, and of course…wine.
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A nice welcome from Lufthansa.
Two years. That’s how long it’s been since our last AdVINEture outside of North America. One of the last flights we took before the global pandemic ground international travel to a halt was a return flight from Europe on Lufthansa. As we anxiously prepared to travel outside the borders of Canada once again, navigating the myriad of requirements leading up to departure day proved the most challenging aspect: Are mixed vaccines accepted? Do we need a PCR or Antigen test and within what time frame? Is quarantine required? Where can we get our PCR test in destination? Do we need the new Federal Vaccine passport?
Almost two years to the day of our last overseas flight, we stepped aboard Lufthansa once again to find a much-needed steadiness amongst all the change swirling around us. One thing that has clearly remained steadfast since our travel hiatus is that Lufthansa hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to its five-star reputation.
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One of the great views at d’Arenberg.
On a recent trip to South Australia we made the drive from Adelaide to McLaren Vale to taste at one of Australia’s most iconic wineries: d’Arenberg. “Tasting” is probably not the right word; “experiencing” is a better descriptor. That is because d’Arenberg is more than a cellar door, the Australian term for tasting room. That is also because a visit at d’Arenberg is more than just a tasting; it an experience that combines wine tasting, world class dining, brashly innovative architecture, a wine museum, and of course, some great wine.
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Vineyard views at Elderton Wines in the Barossa.
A recent trip took us down to Australia to stay with friends who live in Adelaide and tour the local wine regions. Adelaide is the largest city in the Province of South Australia, a port city on the island’s southern coast and South Australia’s capital. It is within an hour’s drive of three of South Australia’s most important wine regions. This is gorgeous real estate, rolling hills that are dedicated to grazing lands and various crops including vineyards. It is sparsely populated and still has that rural, undiscovered feel to it. And as we found, it is a terrific place to visit and taste. There is a great variety of wines to try: numerous different white and red varieties and a surprising range of microclimates, resulting in wines of many different styles. In addition to tasting some terrific wines, we also discovered an amazing foodie culture when we were there. It is a fabulous wine region to visit and we are already thinking about a return visit.
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Lunch at Muga.
Bodegas Muga is one of the leading wineries in Spain’s elite wine region of Rioja. We not only got to tour and taste at Muga, but the winery hosted us at a very special private lunch at their winery. Ten of us were a part of the very exclusive Bordeaux to Rioja wine tour put on by Iberian Wines Tours and it was Iberian’s connection with the winery that got us this special invitation. One of the great things about going on these tours is that you get into places that you simply cannot on your own.
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