Wine Tourism Destinations for Oenophiles

Appreciating wine in a restaurant will never compare to visiting the land where it originated: smelling the air, touching the soil and understanding the philosophy that brought it forth. This is oenotourism: visiting the vineyards to get a behind-the-scenes experience of the mindful farming, careful fermentation and meticulous aging that many summarize as "sense of place" or, as the French call it, "terroir". Among the world’s best wine producers, those of Relais & Châteaux tell the story of their passion for winemaking through tours of their vineyards or wineries, wine tastings, festivals, and workshops led by sommeliers. Explore these Relais & Châteaux properties: each terroir is unique, and each is pampered with respect for the land and the people that hand-cultivate it. You'll return home with inspiring stories from generations-old winemaking families and the expert techniques of swirling, sniffing and sipping wine.