Wine holidays

Piedmont’s full-bodied, velvety Barolo wines deservedly rejoice in fame, but less well-known are the eleven medieval villages where they are produced, the unusual – and very enchanting – landscape of wave-shaped hills that surround the villages, and the outstanding regional gastronomy. The walks are enjoyable but reasonably short, giving you time to admire the timeless villages and crumbling castles, and to indulge in wine tastings, including one at the Enoteca Regionale del Barolo in Barolo itself.

For a holiday that is indulgent on every level, our two-wheeled exploration of Burgundy’s renowned wine country is hard to beat. Famous reds such as Nuits St Georges – and whites like Puligny-Montrachet – are complemented by an equally superb regional gastronomy. By day, as you follow the excellent network of cycle trails, you can feast your eyes on all manner of architectural gems, from Romanesque churches and majestic abbeys to Renaissance châteaux and fortified mansions. To top it all off, you stay in three high-quality hotels of great character.

Stroll through the villages on Alsace’s route des vins and you may well feel as though you are exploring illustrations in a fairy tale. The steep-roofed, half-timbered houses are painted in delicate shades of pink, green, blue and yellow, while red and pink flowers spill from window boxes. The nesting storks that sit atop chimney stacks in spring just add to the illusion. All in all, towns and villages such as Kaysersberg, Colmar, Ribeauville and Riquewihr are just as great an attraction as the fruity Rieslings and Sylvaners, the fuller-bodied Gewürztraminer, and the rich Tokay Pinot Gris.

Our holidays in the Loire are some of the gentlest in our selection. The walking and cycling is enjoyable, but the emphasis is squarely on the region’s wine and châteaux, an alluring combination. There is plenty of time to visit the elegant castles en route – turreted Azay-le-Rideau, sumptuous Ussé, and imposing Chinon – and to stop at vineyards for tastings of both the deliciously refreshing dry whites and the fruity and flavoursome Saumur reds. Combine this with lazy picnics on the river bank, and you have all the ingredients for a very relaxing holiday.

Our Pyrenees to the Sea walk is, as its name suggests, a varied and rewarding journey from the warm, wooded slopes of the Pyrenees to the coastal village of Cadaqués, described by Salvador Dalí (whose house you can visit) as the ‘most beautiful village in the world’. The ever-changing scenery includes woodland of cork oaks; landscapes dotted with granite boulders and prickly pear; expanses of wild herbs and brightly flowering shrubs; and rolling vineyards that are earning recognition for their excellent modern-style reds.