Tel Aviv – Fusion in the broadest sense of the word! The city that has everything and in the most extensive manner imaginable: parties and tranquility, hedonism and social responsibility, sea and beaches and art galleries, high-tech, funk, graffiti!  And Jaffa (Yafo): the Arab origins of the city very much alive today!  The city that never stops!

Jerusalem – One of the most iconic cities in the world, home to three of the world’s great religions.  Capital of Israel.  Exceptional markets, restaurants and historic sites in the new and old city.

The Judean Hills – This wine region, near both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and blessed by ancient limestone terraces, is home to some of Israel’s best wineries.  Astounding quality!

Zikhron Yaakov the Coast – The first commercial winery in Israel was founded in this region by the Edmond de Rothschild  in 1882. Actually, two were founded, one in Rishon Lezion and one in Zikhron Yaakov. We will visit the historic sites and wineries and the new producers in the region along with producers of olive oil and fruit jams. 

The Galilee and the Golan – Israel’s northern vineyards and home to the quality revolution in wine in Israel today.  We’ll visit Golan Heights Winery, the mother of Israel’s quality wine revolution, Dalton, the mother of the rebirth of the Galilee region.  And we’ll visit Druze villages and the historic artistic village of Zfat. 

The Negev – Israel’s most innovative vineyard.  A blooming desert.  A model vineyard facing, studying and managing climate change.  Extraordinary, breathtaking natural sites and hotels. An unforgettable part of Israel. 

Israel’s culinary palate embraces the entire world.  This is the cuisine and culture of immigrants. Rich, delicious and moving because the cuisine marries the past and the present and brings us to the future. 

Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is the Los Angeles, the Tel Aviv, the Miami, the Rio de Janeiro of Europe.  Brassy, full of life.  Great restaurants and a culture all its own.  We will visit top restaurants, the new port full of new shops and the historic heart of the city.

Porto,  Porto is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage City, and like Bordeaux a major wine port.  Situated at the estuary of the majestic Douro river, Porto is divided into the Portuguese center and the merchant neighbor Vila Nova (new city) de Gaia, the center of the wine trade. We will visit the center of the wine trade with tastings at some of the major Port houses, Dow, Warres, Fonseca, Taylors and others. We will visit the resort seaside of Porto for a lunch at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.  And of course a visit to historic Porto, the great Eiffel bridge, and the best restaurants in town.

The most important Portuguese wine growing regions from north to south are Vinho
Verde from the cool green vineyards bordering the Atlantic Ocean; the magnificent
Douro valley which now produces both the famous sweet wines, Port, and tremendous
dry wines; the Dao and Barraida, up and coming regions in center Portugal; Alentejo and Tejo, two warm regions producing delicious red, white and rose wines with soft tannins and deep flavors and, finally, the island wines from Madeira, among the greatest sweet wines in the world.

The most well-known Portuguese dessert is Pasteis de Nata, yellow egg yolk custard in a flaky pastry. The pastry is directly related to the production of wine because the whites of the eggs are used to clarify the wine (a process called fining which leaves no residue in the wine).
This delicious dessert is delicious with red wine too!

Our tour starts in the north, near Lyon, the great rival to Paris, in the vineyards of Condrieu and Cote Rotie. From there will travel south through Hermitage and end in Chateauneuf du Pape, the sunny south of the Rhone valley. Along the way, we will visit wineries, historic sites and terrific restaurants.

Côte-Rôtie and the North
Syrah is the dominant grape in the north of the Rhone valley.
However, in Condrieu, the micro-appellation in the north, we find Viognier. Cote Rotie (the “roasted slope”) wines are powerful and need time to age in bottle. Condrieu wines are unique in the world with the scents of pungent flowers, ripe apricot and rose petal.

Hermitage
In the center of the valley Hermitage is also home to the Syrah grape variety. But the valley turns east to west at the site of the  vineyard (not north to south as in Cote Rotie) and so the wines are exceptionally powerful, more so than the wines of Cote Rotie. The vineyard is named for a religious hermit whose abode is in the vineyards to this day.

Châteauneuf du Pape and the South
In the south, the great vineyard of Chateauneuf du Pape (the “new castle of the Pope”) named for the establishment of the papacy from Rome in 1309 to 1377. These wines are again special: grown in soils that are pure river rock, stones that reflect the heat in the evening, and grown from more than 13 different grape varieties. Chateauneuf du Pape wines are powerful, delicious, overwhelming in texture (like rich cashmere wool). Our tour will take you to the best wineries.

Food in the Rhone divides between north and south. In the south, olive oil-based cooking is the general rule, in the north butter takes over. In the south, vegetables are on center stage.
Ratatouille (eggplants, tomato, zucchini, garlic), delicious with white wines; grilled lamb, delicious with red wines; socca (a crisp chickpea flat bread), delicious with all wines, red and white; tapenade (thick black olive paste used as a garnish or spread on bread), delicious with red and white wines; nougat (egg whites, honey, nuts), delicious with red and sweet wines. In the north, specialties include salade lyonnaise with eggs, bacon, croutons and mustard; quenelle, fish “sausages” gently poached and served with a mustardy cream sauce, delicious with Condrieu; Charcuterie de Lyon (all manner of sausages, some with pastry crusts), delicious with red and white wines; Saint-Marcellin cheese, creamy and pungent, delicious with red and whites wines and often served with apricot jam as a dessert.

Our tour starts with visits in London to the top wine bars, restaurants and stores with special private tastings reserved for us. London has been the center for the wine trade for hundreds or years.  The development of the vineyards of Bordeaux, Porto, Sherry, Madeira all owe their histories to the work of the British wine trade.  London is a must-visit for wine lovers for this reason.   We will stay in one of the most charming and luxurious hotels in the city with spa privileges.  There will be plenty of time for shopping too!  

Then after our stay in London we will venture beyond the city walls to the vineyard district to discover first-hand the exciting new wines and vineyards that are making history in the wine world.

Wine in England dates from the Roman empire.  However, since then, the English perfected the art of importing, not making wine.  However, in recent years, with climate change and warmer temperatures, England, blessed by the same white chalk of Champagne and Chablis in its soils, has revived its wine industry.  Today there are 450 wineries in England and Wales.   The most well-known English wines today are the sparking wines which some tasters consider the equal of Champagne itself.  English wine is widely loved in the UK itself and is now finding fans throughout the world.

Food in England is very diverse. England hosts cuisines from around the world as a former seat of a great Empire.  Traditional English dishes, however, include:  Roast Beef with Yorkshire pudding (buttery pastries);  Fish and Chips, fried cod and potatoes;  Shepherd’s Pie, minced lamb and potatoes;  Bangers and Mash, sausages and lightly mashed potatoes;  Cream Tea, pastries and pastry cream with fruit (served with tea).

Our guides in Burgundy will allow you private visits at the best domaines in Chablis, the Cote d’Or, the Cote Chalonnaise, the Maconnais and Beaujolais, north to south.  The elegant simplicity and the astonishing complexity of Burgundy will be revealed to you in full. And with this, the culture of the region, its delicious ingredients and cuisine.

Chablis
 The northern most region of Burgundy producing legendary wines from
Chardonnay. A region apart thought completely Burgundian. 

Cote de Nuits
The realm of Pinot Noir in its greatest Burgundian expression. Famous
appellations including Clos Vougeot, Vosne Romanee, Musigny and Chambertin. The
small city of Nuits St Georges is home to many famous wine producers and several
excellent restaurants.
Cote de Beaune. The central part of Burgundy centered around the beautiful walled
city of Beaune which hosts the famous Hospice de Beaune (hospital and auction which
raises funds for the hospital). The Cote de Beaune produces delicate red and
spectacular white wines. Famous red wines include Corton and famous whites include Meursault and Montrachet.

Cote Chalonnaise
Snuggled between the appelations of the Maconnais (Pouilly Fuisse) and the Cote de Beaune is the Cotes Chalonnaise. This region is blessed by exceptional terroir but has always been in the shadow of its more famous neighbors. This means the wines are exceptional value for fine Burgundy. Rully, Bouzeron, Montagny, Givry and Mercurey are among the villages and appellations producing marvelous wines.

The Maconnais
The southern most appellation of Burgundy proper producing red and white wines. The whites are justifiably famous with the appellations of Pouilly Fuisse the most well-known. Wines from the more general Macon appellation are among the best Chardonnay values from France.

Beaujolais
This region, like Chablis, is both part of Burgundy and separate from it. Chardonnay is grown but the principal grape variety grown is Gamay and the method of cultivation and the soils are unlike those found further north. Beaujolais wines are the
“friendliest” wines of Burgundy. The French word “gouleyant” describes them: gulp- able.

The cuisine in Burgundy is rich, based on butter, and includes, of course, boeuf
bourguignon but also jambon persille’  (ham and parsley with a mustard sauce), snails in
garlic butter, Epoisse cheese and tarte tatin (upside down caramelized apple tarte).

Our visit starts in Budapest where we will see, taste and hear the beating heart of Europe. The Danube river is to Budapest as the Seine to Paris, the water of life in the city and we will visit both the right and left banks of the river in the city to understand the life of this exceptional city. We will visit the historic and fascinating Tokaj wine region home to the most celebrated sweet wines of central Europe and now producing brilliant dry wines too.  Hungary is blessed with more than 20 distinct wine regions.  We will tailor our tours to your needs to visit other regions. 

Hungarian Wine Regions
There are twenty-two wine designated wine regions in Hungary. These are the most
well-known:

Eger
This region in northeast Hungary maybe the best know for the wine knows as Egri Bikaver or “Bull’s Blood”. In fact the wine is made from a Pinot Noir clone and is therefore more delicate than rich. Still justifiably famous.

Balaton 
The vineyard districts around Lake Balaton (the largest fresh water lake in Europe) are legend. Worth a visit on their own.

Tokaji
The most famous sweet wine of central Europe. A rival to the greatest Sauternes and Trockenbeerenauslesen of German. There is been great investment in Tokaj by French companies to restore the reputation of this singular and precious appellation.

Hungarian Food
So many delicacies! Hungarian food’s primary spice is paprika. It informs many savory dishes from the famous “Goulash” Stew to Fisherman’s stew, pancakes and stuffed
cabbage with meat. And then there is the legendary Dobosh Cake, thin layers of sweetness, chocolate and caramel.

Driving through Ribera del Duero is like traveling back in time. The enchanting towns, mysterious tunnels and secret cellars will make you feel you are in the Middle Ages. Ribera del Duero is the birthplace of many famous wineries including Protos, which gave up its original name “Ribera del Duero” so all of  the wineries in the region could use the name of the appellation, and of course Bodegas Arzuaga, Bodegas Vega Sicilia, Bodegas Emilio Moro and Pesquera. 

Wines of Ribera del Duero
Like most of northern Spain, Tempranillo is the dominant grape variety in Ribera del Duero. However, in this terroir, hugging the river,
the grape expresses itself with special power unlike the more delicate expressions in Rioja. Ribera del Duero wines have achieved international acclaim and the wines, the status among the great appellations in the world.

The Food of Ribera del Duero
Cattle is rare in this part of Spain so most meat comes from lambs and sheep. Usually
roasted and perfect with the wines of Ribera del Duero. Sheep milk cheeses are a
staple. And there is the famous pata negra (black feet) ham from pigs grown only on
acorns. Cured and sliced paper thin and served by itself. One of the world’s great
delicacies.

Barolo and Barbaresco are among the most famous appellations in the world.  The wines are powerful in a way that Tuscan wines are not. Some prefer them to Tuscan wines but why chose? These monumental wines can age for decades. Piemontese wines are quintessentially artisanal.  Indeed, there is a lovely Piemontese expression that states “the best compost (or fertilizer) for a vineyard are the footprints of the winemaker in his or her vineyard”.