Where better to drink sparkling wine than in the regions where it is made? Whichever your favourite style, here are five ideas for a sparkling wine holiday….
Five sparkling wine regions to visit
We’re collectively drinking more sparkling wine, and global consumption is forecast to rise by 7% up to 2019, to 2.7bn bottles. In the UK alone, spending on sparkling wine – excluding Champagne – hit £1bn for the first time in 2015, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Assocation (WSTA). Global Champagne sales also continued to grow in value and volume in 2015.
Plan your next wine holiday touring one of these sparkling wine regions…
Champagne, France
The classic choice; Champagne is full of rich history and, as of 2015, it is a UNESCO world heritage site. Its vast expanse of underground cellars is also just four hours from Paris. Giles Fallowfield shares how to combine the sites and the wines in his Decanter travel guide to Champagne.
Make sure you book in some Champagne cellar tours – use Lonely Planet’s top Champagne houses to visit as your guide…
Prosecco, Italy
This Italian sparkling wine has soared in popularity in recent years, so take a trip to where it’s made and try some of the best with our Prosecco tour and wineries to visit.
It’s only a short trip from Venice, so make sure you visit the historic water city too – Fiona Sims shares the best places to eat and drink in Venice.
Cava, Spain
Gramona vineyards, Cava
Drink your sparkling wine in the Spanish sun with a wine tour of Cava. Visit some of the historic wineries, and see where Cava is made, with Sarah Jane Evans MW’s guide to best Cava wineries to visit – including the different tours and tastings offered.
Fly into Barcelona, and enjoy the history, art, tapas and nightlife on offer; find the best restaurants, hotels and shops in Barcelona and Cava.
South Downs, England
Exton Park, in the Hampshire South Downs.
English sparkling wine continues to improve, with many estates making sparkling wines using the same method and grapes as Champagne. The industry gained new recognition when Champagne Taittinger announced it had joined investors to buy a vineyard in Kent in November 2015.
Take a tour of one of the vineyards from Lonely Planet’s guide to English wineries to visit in the South Downs. Most are just a short train journey from London; perfect for a long weekend.
King Valley, Australia
Prosecco Road, King Valley
It’s not just Europe that makes great sparkling wine; the New World has plenty of options too. King Valley in Victoria is home to the Australian ‘Prosecco Road’ – a 50km food and wine trail, where they produce an Australian version of Italy’s premier sparkling wine, using the same grape – Glera. Nina Caplan plans the ideal road trip. See also, what to do with 24 hours in King Valley.
Updated 6th April 2016: King Valley is actually in Victoria and not New South Wales.
