Choosing where in this vast world to visit on your next trip is no easy feat. Some select based on airfare prices. Others like to visit far flung family members. And still others throw a dart at a map and, if they haven’t already been where it lands, that’s where they go.

And there could certainly be worse selection methods than choosing regions known for fantastic wines and spectacular scenery.

buddsabroad isn’t particularly into wine himself, but his wife’s palette is refined and their urge to travel is unquenched so he is seeking suggestions as to locations that a wine lover would enjoy. Judging by the number and variety of replies, he and his wife are going to need to accumulate more vacation days.

My absolute favorite wine region is the Loire Valley in France. There you can sample wines in fancy vineyards and in the backyard sheds of smaller vintners. Plus, they have some fantastic sweet wines that make summer, dessert, ok, any old time, lovely. ~AmazingJulesVerne

Rhineland, Germany was beautiful too. Gorgeous in springtime with green hills, flowers, and old castles to sleep in. If you like white wines, that is ~Skimaxpower

In my no doubt biased opinion, Melbourne Australia is the best city in the world for convenient and excellent wine regions to tour. There are 22 areas within a few hours drive, and each area is known for particular variety or two. Yarra Valley is probably the most well known but Rutherglen, Pyrenees and Macedon Ranges are fantastic places to tour. If you go to wineries around Glenrowan you can also see where the Kelly gang met its demise. ~Aliantraveler

Bold suggestions all, with just a hint of sophistication … and is that an undertone of lavendar I detect?

But then along comes Seat24A, who planned a RTW trip around wine regions! Seriously:

The most memorable for me were places where the wine was good, but there was some ‘extra’ that made it special.

 

Spain has been mentioned a lot here and for good reason – the Rioja region has great wines, but the tapas made it complete.

 

For something different we biked through the Burgundy region in France. I’ll never forget having a picnic surrounded by sunshine and vineyards.

 

Most people go to Tuscany, but I recommend the Piedmont (Piemonte) region. The wines are some of the best in the world, tasting in the Enotecas is doesn’t require appointments, and the accommodations were less expensive. If you go, make sure to try local dishes with truffles too.

 

Finally, Margaret River in Western Australia is off most people’s radar, but worth the trip for me. Most of their wine is not exported, so your only chance to try it might be to go there. The wine was absolutely great, but the drive was also fantastic – we stumbled across a surfing competition and spent a morning watching some incredible waves. You never know what you’ll find.

I have a feeling buddsabroad’s wife is going to be more than pleasantly surprised at her husband’s ability to select a great wine region for their next trip.

Read the thread in its entirety: Favorite wine region?