Chile & Argentina, 1-16 February 2014

Last year’s big success: South America, the wine tour to Argentina & Chile!

Join us on a fantastic voyage of discovery in the vineyards of Chile and Argentina! And a breath-taking trip over the Andes.

— Chile and Argentina. Two wine countries on each side of the Andes mountain range. Both with grandiose scenery. And some of the very best wines in the New World. Imagine The Pampas extending to the horizon and the snow covered tops of the Andes, but also beautiful vineyards, impressive wineries, and a pulsating Buenos Aires. We will visit several of the very best vineyards including some very high quality producers that have not yet reach world fame. This tour also includes many other tourist and historic attractions. Outstanding wines that match the local gastronomy perfectly. A unique wine and food tour that will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

On the border, welcome to Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

All this and much more is on the program of this two-week trip to South America. The focus of the tour is of course on the wines, the vineyards and the gastronomy but we will also have plenty of time to experience other things: Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Santiago de Chile, and Valparaiso.

We will visit a traditional estancia with horses and gauchos and we will enjoy a top-quality tango evening in Buenos Aires. We will taste Chilean pisco sour and will certainly have many occasions to enjoy the delicious Argentinean meat.

The tour is led and managed by Britt Karlsson, BKWine’s internationally well-known wine expert, wine personality of the year 2011, and author of the book “The Creation of a Wine” that was named World’s Best Wine Book for Professionals. We will also have a local South American guide on the trip. (Britt has also been wine judge in several wine competitions in both Chile, and Argentina, as well as in Uruguay and Brazil.)

Both Chile and Argentina are wine countries in transformation. Much is happening and much has changed in recent years. New wine regions emerge, new grape varieties are discovered or introduced, new ideas are tested and launched. More and more producers talk about the importance of the work in the vineyard. Of harvesting perfectly ripe but not over-ripe grapes. To achieve balance and elegance. The consumers are demanding wines with more freshness; they do not want heavy over-alcoholic wines. We will see all this in detail when we visit the vineyards. There is an intense energy and experimentation and the wines have never been so good.

Over the course of the tour we will have many wine tastings at some of the very top producers, both well established stars and young ambitious challengers. Perhaps you have not heard of all of them since some have not yet been discovered by the international markets! We have been several times to South America, both Chile and Argentina, but also Uruguay and Brazil, so we have had many opportunities to discover and hand pick the most interesting producers.

Vineyards in Argentina with the snow capped Andes, copyright BKWine Photography

We will start the voyage in Buenos Aires where Europe and the Americas blend in an exiting mix. Sometimes you may think you are in Paris, sometimes Milan. But it is definitely South America. There are some world class restaurants as well as cosy bistros, you can stroll around the city, have an espresso at one of the many cafés.

From Buenos Aires the metropolis we take a plane to Mendoza, Argentina’s biggest and most important wine region. Two thirds of all Argentinian wine comes from here. Mendoza is impressive, the snow-capped Andes in the background, almost like a stage set, and the brilliant sharp blue sky.

Wine tasting at a restaurant in Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Argentina is a country with a long tradition in making wine. It is considered a New World country but it is very influenced by “old world” winemaking. It has always been the biggest wine consumer in South America and wine has a long history here. And with all the Spanish and Italian families that one can find here that should not come as a surprise.

After a few days in the vineyards and wine cellars of Mendoza we will leave the region and have a very memorable day. We will take the bus across the Andes, to Chile on the other side. Yes, it is a long bus trip (but comfortable) but well worth it! It is spectacular with the zigzagging roads and mountain tops. A very special experience.

The Chilean wine regions await us on the other side of the Andes. We start the exploration in Maipo that is close to the capital Santiago de Chile. Then we continue to Maule and the beautiful Colchagua Valley. We will finish with the much more recent, but exciting wine district Casablanca that is very close to the coast.

After a visit to Valparaiso and Santiago it is time to return home.

The trip takes place in February so it is nice and warm summer weather. The wine harvest is approaching; the grapes are almost ready to be picked. As always on our wine tours, food will also be prominently featured. We will enjoy many gastronomic lunches at the wineries we visit. It is almost just as much a gourmet tour or foodie tour as a wine tour! We will try the local specialities, not least the outstanding meat of course, often grilled over open fires. And both Buenos Aires and Santiago have many high-class restaurants. Excellent food is an important part of a wine tour, is it not? We certainly think so!

This tour will have a maximum of 22 participants.

A modern winery in Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Program — wine tour to Argentina and Chile

Preliminary program.

There may be changes to some details of the program, e.g. which wineries we visit. As always on our wine tours we put a great emphasis on that the visit will be exceptional and memorable. We do not always visit the most well-known or “famous” wineries (those that have half a dozen guides employed) but instead those that will give you a unique experience.

For more details, contact BKWine.

Program overview

• Day 1 — Departure for Buenos Aires in Argentina
• Day 2 — Relaxing at an estancia on the Pampas
• Day 3-4 — Buenos Aires
• Day 5-7 — Wine and food in Argentina, the Mendoza wine district
• Day 8 — A spectacular crossing of the Andes to Chile
• Day 9-12 — The wine regions of Chile, Santa Cruz
• Day 13 — Santiago de Chile
• Day 14 — Valparaíso and Gran Final Asado lunch
• Day 15 — Departure from Santiago de Chile
• Dag 16 — Arrival at home

Day 1, Saturday February 1 — departure for South America

You leave from your home destination. (Departure and arrival will be different depending on what your departure location is!)

Day 2, Sunday February 2 — arrival in Buenos Aires, relax at an estancia (Argentina)

Arrival in the morning to Buenos Aires EZE Airport. In most cases you will arrive on an over-night flight.

The flag of Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

The morning flights from Europe and North America, if that’s where you come from, usually land around 9 AM. When we have all received our luggage and have been through all formalities we are ready to leave the airport and head for the country side. (If you arrive earlier to Buenos Aires, our meeting point will still be at the airport.)

Our first day and night in Argentina will be spent on a typical estancia on the Pampas. The Pampas is an area stretching almost from the Andes to the Atlantic, bigger than Texas.

Estancia is the Argentinian name for a big farm on the huge Las Pampas plain, stretching from the Andes to the Atlantic, bigger than Texas. Las Pampas starts almost at the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

The fertile soil gives birth to much fruit and vegetables and, of course, feeds and is home to the cattle producing the world famous Argentinian meat. It is also the home of the gauchos, the Argentinian “cowboys”.

When we arrive at the estancia we will have the opportunity to taste something that is a speciality of both Argentina and Chile, the delicious empanadas, like small stuffed bread. Lunch will of course be a traditional asado, the Argentinian barbecue, with various kinds of local grilled meat.

The afternoon will be spent on the estancia where there are many different activities: inspecting the horses, go riding yourself (there are horses for all levels), go for a swim in the pool and relax…

The day will finish with a welcome dinner at the estancia. After a day spent outdoors we will probably all be tired after dinner!

Horse riding on an estancia on The Pampas, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 3, Monday February 3 — Buenos Aires and its sights, a South American metropolis and tango show (Argentina)

After breakfast we will start our journey back to the big city of Buenos Aires. Today we will start exploring Buenos Aires.

The Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, copyright BKWine Photography

We will arrive in time for lunch at Puerto Madero, an area along the river Rio de la Plata, recently completely renovated. The big redbrick warehouses have been converted to trendy restaurants and cafés.

After lunch our bus will take us to some of the most famous sites, like the Plaza de Mayo with the pink presidential palace called, naturally, Casa Rosada, the impressive congress, and colonial churches such as Santo Domingo. We will also explore the colourful La Boca district.

Tango dancers on a street, copyright BKWine Photography

Later in the afternoon we will check in at our Buenos Aires hotel, the Intersur Recoleta Hotel **** (www.intersurrecoleta.com.ar). We will stay here during two nights. The hotel is very central, located in the Recoleta district, a historically interesting and elegant part of the city. It is also close to the main shopping areas and several museums.

At around 7 PM we gather in the lobby and our bus will take us to the San Telmo district in the city. This is one of the oldest parts of Buenos Aires. Before the Yellow Fever, in 1871, this was the favourite place for the upper classes. Today it is where you find many artists and antique dealers.

San Telmo has a lot of charm; colonial houses painted in white with colourful shutters along narrow cobble stone streets. We start our evening here in San Telmo at the El Querandi restaurant. It is in a building erected in 1860, redecorated in the 1920 in a typical Art Deco style that has been well preserved to this day.

We start the evening with dinner and then we will watch a spectacular tango show. Tango is something that is very, very Argentinian and at El Querandi they will show us the development of the real Argentine tango from the beginning in the 1920 to today. It is a small tango place full of character, quite different from the big “tango shows” that are often put up on big stage for visiting tourists.

Today we think of tango as something elegant and glamorous but originally it was the working class and the brothels that pioneered it. The upper classes saw the daring moves as quite shocking. We can promise you a very special, artful and skilful show with dance, music and song.

Day 4, Tuesday February 4 — Explore Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Today you can stroll around the city on your own, have a strong Argentinian espresso in a café, or a glass of wine, visit a museum or rest. The evening is also free to explore the restaurants and night life of the city.

A church at the Recoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 5, Wednesday February 5 — To Mendoza: the wine region of Luján de Cuyo (Argentina)

Today we board an early morning flight to Mendoza, some 1000 kilometres (620 miles) north west of Buenos Aires.

We arrive just in time to make a visit to a small winery before lunch. Here we will also have a tasty lunch and enjoying not only the wines but also the beautiful view of the Andes.

In the afternoon we have time for yet another visit. It will be with a family firm that strives to make the perfect malbec wine! After this introduction to Argentina’s most famous grape, we go to the city of Mendoza.

We check in at Hotel Huentala, a fine 4-star boutique hotel in the city of Mendoza. Here we will stay for three nights (www.huentala.com).

Free evening to discover one of the many restaurants in Mendoza.

A traditional asado barbecue at a vineyard in Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 6, Thursday February 6 — Wine in Mendoza, the Maipú region (Argentina)

A barrel cellar in a winery in Mendoza, Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Today we visit a few different properties. We will be visiting places with famous names today, including the charming family firm Zuccardi and the impressive Trapiche.

At Zuccardi they experiment a lot, including with a wide range of different yeast varieties. At Zuccardi they want to use the best technology from the old world and mix it with the new world. The result, we will notice, is very good.

At Zuccardi’s they also have a high class restaurant where we will have a very good tasting menu taste several of the estate’s wines with plenty of opportunities to explore the food and wine pairing.

We will also visit the Trapiche, one of Argentina’s largest wine producers and one of the biggest exporters. Trapiche is very advanced in terms of technology, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

Free evening to explore Mendoza. Perhaps an evening stroll on the Plaza Independencia where they have a late night arts and crafts market?

Lunching at the Zuccardi winery in Mendoza, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 7, Friday February 7 — Wine in Mendoza, the Uco Valley (Argentina)

Today we go a little further south, to the beautiful Uco Valley. It is about an hour’s drive along the country-side roads before we arrive at the vineyards.

The Melipal winery in Mendoza, copyright BKWine Photography

Valle de Uco has in recent years become more and more attractive to growers in Mendoza. Many people have bought land here and built spectacular wineries.

The valley is closer to the Andes than other parts of Mendoza and the vines are grown at very high altitudes.

The grapes mature slowly due to cool nights which give added flavour and nice acidity to the wines. Above the vineyards towers Mount Tupungato, a still active volcano and one of the highest mountains in South America.

We will visit 2 or 3 different wineries here in Uco Valley and we will have lunch at the organic  French-owned winery Domaine Bousquet.

Early evening we are back in Mendoza and the evening is free for your own activities.

Tasting wines at the Melipal winery in Mendoza, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 8, Saturday February 8 — Spectacular crossing of the Andes, to Santiago de Chile

Today we say goodbye to Mendoza and to Argentina and board our bus that will take us to over the Andes to Santiago de Chile. The trip will take the better part of the day. Not all of it is spent in the bus though since the border crossing can take quite some time. In total the trip will take 6 to 8 hours.

The snow capped mountain tops of the Andes, copyright BKWine Photography

It is a really spectacular trip, well worth spending a good part of the day in a bus. Heading towards the Chilean border we will get higher and higher and at the border we will have reached 3500 metres (almost 12 000 feet). We can see in the distance Aconcagua, the highest mountain tops of the Andes and of the whole of the Americas with its 6959 metres (22 831 feet).

The roads across the Andes are very good but very winding. 27 curves on one mountain side is the record. We pass ski resorts, mountain ranges of varying colour and shapes, deserts, small villages, rivers and spectacular views. The landscape changes all the time.

We will stop for lunch on our way shortly after passing the border to Chile.

When we arrive in Santiago we check in to our hotel Torremayor where we will stay one night (www.hoteltorremayor.cl).

In the evening you will probably want to stretch your legs a bit after the trip. The evening is free in Santiago.

The winding road across the Andes between Chile and Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 9, Sunday February 9 — Maipo and Santa Cruz (Chile)

We check out from the hotel in the morning and begin our exploration of the Chilean wine regions. We start with Maipo, not far from Santiago.

De Martino Grand Reserva Legado Merlot Valle de Maipu 2010 and Carmenere

We will have one morning visit and a lunch visit in Maipo. We will visit the beautiful Viña Tarapacá in the Isla de Maipo where the Tuscan style villa is surrounded by 600 hectares (1500 acres) of vineyards and a park.

After lunch we continue to another of the famous wine districts in Chile, to Colchagua and the small town of Santa Cruz.

We check in to the Hotel Santa Cruz Plaza (www.hotelsantacruzplaza.cl), a beautiful hotel in hacienda style. We will stay here for four nights. The hotel has a swimming pool and two restaurants.

The evening is free.

Santa Cruz is a small town in the Chilean country-side. Our hotel is very comfortable with a pool, bars, restaurant and even a cultural and historic museum. In the town you can also find some traditional restaurants service genuine and hearty food.

A mansion at a winery in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 10, Monday February 10 — Curicó (Chile)

Vineyards in Chile with an environmentally friendly transport, copyright BKWine Photography

Today we will spend all day among the vines of Curicó. We have a morning visit at a winery and one in the afternoon. We will lunch and have a wine tasting at a winery with an elegant restaurant.

We will visit Viña Echeverria situated just outside the town of Molina. The estate is owned by the family Echeverria, originally from the Spanish Basque region.

We will also visit Bodegas Torres, the famous Spanish winery that has had a tremendous success with their Chilean wines. This bodega was actually one of the pioneers in making high-quality wines in Chile. Here we will also have lunch, prepared by the talented chef at Torres, based on fish and sea food.

In the afternoon we will visit one more winery where you will again have the opportunity to enjoy the amazing landscape.

After our afternoon visit we will return back to Santa Cruz. The evening is free. What about meeting at the pool for an early evening pisco sour?

Day 11, Tuesday February 11 — Blend-your-own-wine workshop in Colchagua (Chile)

Alpaca lamas at a winery in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Today we will have a half-day among the vines and wines of Chile. But first some practical exercises!

We start the day at Montgras where we will learn the art of blending wine. You will start with “raw material” in the form of tank samples of different grape varieties and the task is to make the best possible blend of it. Just like the winemakers do. How do they get the perfect blend? Easy or difficult? You will judge for yourself!

We stay at Montgras for lunch in the dining room of their beautiful winery mansion. An opportunity to see how their wines go with the traditional Chilean food that they will serve us.

After lunch we go back to our hotel for some free time to spend maybe around the swimming pool.

A bit later, early evening, we will meet again to go for dinner in a wine estate just outside of Santa Cruz. This will be an opportunity to admire the beautiful Chilean night sky with all its stars!

Blend-you-own-wine workshop at a vineyard in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 12, Wednesday February 12 — Colchagua

We will spend the day in beautiful Colchagua. First we will visit an organic wine producer and then we will go to an exclusive boutique winery and restaurant.

Geese in the vineyard at a winery in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

We will visit Cono Sur in Chimbarongo, well-known for their excellent wines abut also for their efforts in developing organic and sustainable wine growing. They have geese in the vineyards that munch on some of the dangerous (for the vines) insects. They have planted trees in and around the vineyards to improve biodiversity. They will tell us much more about their work with the environment.

Another estate on the program today is the high quality boutique winery Viña Bisquertt.

We will have lunch at Viu Manent, in their top-quality restaurant Rayuela Wine & Grill. We will be treated to local food specialities that match perfectly the wines from cabernet, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and malbec from the winery.

Late afternoon we will be back in Santa Cruz. Evening on your own. Feel like something different? Surprisingly, there is a sushi restaurant in the small town!

An old wine cellar at a winery in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 13, Thursday February 13 — Santiago de Chile

We checkout and leave our hotel in Santa Cruz in the morning and head for Santiago. On our way back we will stop at a winery for lunch.

Just before we reach the capital we make a stop at a vineyard in Maipo, the stunningly beautiful Altaïr with its prestigious and very luxurious wines. Lunch among the vines.

After lunch we check in to our hotel Torremayor where we will stay for two more nights.

The afternoon is dedicated to discovering Santiago. Our bus will take us around to the sites. We will visit the historic districts around the presidential palace and the lively Plaza de Armas with its Baroque cathedral and the beautiful post office (!). We will go up to the Cerro San Cristóbal where you have the best view over the city and over the Andes and where we can admire the gigantic statue of the Virgin Mary keeping watch over the city.

In the evening you can spend time discovering some of the restaurants, cafés and wine bars in the city.

A glass of wine in the evening in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 14, Friday February 14 — Valparaiso and Casablanca, Gran Final Asado Campestre (Chile)

We make an early morning start to drive out to the coast to visit the historic harbour city of Valparaiso.

View over Valparaiso in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

The road to Valparaíso (that the Chileans pronounce Valpara-E-so) passes through the wine region of Casablanca that has recently become famous for its excellent white wines. Some experts say that the peculiar micro-climate here, close to the coast, is perfect for growing grapes.

There are not only vineyards but also e.g. lemon grooves and flower nurseries.

Valparaiso is the most important port city in Chile. It has a special character, built on 42 hills. They have unique trams that take you across the city and colourful houses line the incredibly steep streets.

After a morning of sightseeing in Valparaiso we leave town and head back towards Santiago. But we make an important stop along the way, in the vineyards of Casablanca. We make a visit to the very interesting organic and biodynamic wine producer Emiliana.

At Emiliana we will have a farewell lunch in their garden. It will be a magnificent Asado Campestre, an country style barbecue with lots of different kinds of local goodies: to start with, three different types of meat on the grill, salads of different kinds, chervil potatoes, saffron and rosemary rice, and a dessert buffet with pies, puddings and fruit. It will be a fitting and very enjoyable gastronomic and oenological end to our tour.

Late afternoon we return to Santiago and the rest of the day is free. Perhaps some shopping still to be done, a visit to a wine bar (or two) for some tapas after our “rustic” Gran Final lunch?

Tasting and lunch in the garden at a winery in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Day 15, Saturday February 15 — Leave Santiago de Chile for home

You spend the morning at your leisure. Some last minute shopping, a last museum visit or just relaxing. At 2 PM we have a transfer bus leaving from the hotel to the airport. If this does not fit with your flight, we will be happy to help you arrange a transfer or taxi for you.

Day 16, Sunday February 16 — Arrival back home

Arrival back to your home location, depending on flight arrangements.

The program may be subject to minor modifications.

View over the vineyards and the mountains in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Fact sheet — Wine tour to Argentina and Chile

Dates: February 1-16, 2014

Price per person: 4800 euro

Single room supplement: 1100 euro

Subject to changes of airport and flight taxes and changes in the dollar exchange rate.

Included in the price:

• Flight: Buenos Aires – Mendoza
• Bus from Mendoza (Argentina) – Santiago de Chile, across the Andes
• 13 nights in hotels, suite room or superior doubles, at 4-star hotels, including breakfast
• Meals (*): all meals as described in the program above, including wine, in other words:
  • 12 high quality gastronomic lunches
  • One day with full board (lunch, dinner, breakfast) at an estancia outside of Buenos Aires
  • One dinner with tango show in Buenos Aires
  • One dinner at wine estate outside of Santa Cruz in Chile
• Start point: Buenos Aires. End point: Santiago de Chile
• Bus transport during the whole trip
• Day excursion as per the above program, including entry fees when relevant
• All winery visits including extensive private tastings (approx 20)
• Local English speaking guide
• Wine guiding and wine tutoring by an expert BKWine guide, Britt Karlsson

(*) See below for more on our meals.

Guiding is in English.

Not included:

• Travel to the destination and back to your home location

You arrange your own travel to Buenos Aires and back home from Santiago de Chile.

If you want assistance with organising your flight tickets, please contact us.

We warmly recommend spending a few days extra if you want to prolong your vacation.

For this trip to take place we must have a minimum of 16 participants registered at the “book before” date. Maximum number of travel guests: 22.

Flights

We have chosen to not include the flights in this tour. Here’s why.

We have customers coming from many different countries, and even different continents. By allowing you to book your own flights it gives you maximum flexibility in how and when to travel.

Today it is also in many cases cheaper to buy flight tickets as an individual than as a tour operator (especially a small and very specialised niche tour operator). We have chosen to put all our effort into creating an exceptional travel program and still keep the cost reasonable, instead of including a flight booking service and therefore have to cut corners on the on-location program. In this way, you as a travel guest, get much more value for your money we believe.

We will do all we can to make it easy for you to arrange your travel and can also put you in contact with a travel agent partner if you want more assistance with booking flights. Do contact us if you have any questions regarding flight arrangements.

Book this trip!

Book before: October 15, 2013

Registration is confirmed by paying the registration fee of 500 euro.

Full payment should be received at the latest sixty days before the departure date. Details on how to pay will be sent to you when you register. See also our terms and conditions.

You book by contacting Britt Karlsson, BKWine:

• phone: +33 1 58 88 04 66 or +33 6 80 45 35 70 (+33 is the country code for France)
• email: info at bkwine dot com
• skype: bkwine

Special booking and cancellation conditions

For the Chile and Argentina wine tour special booking conditions apply, different from those in our general Terms & Conditions.

Cancellation of booking can be done according to the following:

• More than 61 days before the beginning of the trip: the Traveller pays a fee equivalent to the Booking Fee.
• 46 to 60 days before the beginning of the trip: the Traveller pays a fee equivalent to 75% of the total price.
• 45 days or less before the beginning of the trip: the Traveller pays the full fee.

Please note: BKWine does not sell “cancellation insurance” or “travel insurance”. We advice you to contact you regular insurer or a travel insurance specialist.

A winemaker tasting his wine, copyright BKWine Photography

v.13.04

About the wine producers and wineries we visit

Our aim is that you shall experience some of the best and most interesting that the wine region has to offer, both of wine and food.

We put a big effort into finding and creating outstanding winery visits. Often it will not be the most “famous” and internationally well-known wineries that will give you the best and most unique experiences…

It is usually when you get to meet the winemaker or winery owner himself (or often herself) that the visits become really exciting. And perhaps we even meet the whole family at the estate.

You start discussing and start to understand what it is they do and why in the winery and in the vineyard. Maybe we will also have lunch in the winery or at their home. Need we say we invariably have private wine tastings at the wineries?

That is why our trips are not “jam packed” with visits at wineries. Nevertheless we often run short of time since the discussions – and the wine tastings – can easily become very engaging…

Our wine country tours typically include a mix of small family producers, exclusive boutique wineries and larger internationally well-known wine estates, all selected with great care so that it will give you a unique experience of the people and of the behind-the-scenes in the winery and a good understanding of the wine district’s characteristics, tradition and culture.

At the time of publishing a travel program not all visits have been finalised. We are continuously working on improving the program. The domaines / wineries / châteaux that we visit on a tour may therefore sometimes differ from what was written in the original program. Contact us if you want more details, or if you have any special requests.

On meals: food and gastronomy

Preparing a wine tasting and lunch

Wine and food are intimately linked. That is part of our wine travel philosophy; wine is an integral part of the gastronomy.

A wine tour with BKWine will therefore also be a gastronomic experience.

The meals that are included in a tour with BKWine are on a gourmet level and of very high standard.

Sometimes we will have a meal with a winemaker, perhaps in the wine cellar or at the winery, or even in their home. This is a unique experience that is generally not open to other visitors to wineries. It is an occasion to experience exciting combinations of food and wine while discussing with the people who made the wine.

Sometimes we will have a luxurious meal at a gourmet restaurant. At other times it may be not at a prestigious luxury address but at a local restaurant selected for its presentation of local gastronomic specialities, its atmosphere and its quality – a place where locals go. Or perhaps it will be a buffet lunch made at home by the winemaker and his wife. In all cases we want to show you local gastronomic specialities and the local food and wine pairings.

Do not expect a picnic with salad and sausage from the supermarket and wine in plastic mugs… Think instead of a wine-and-dine experience with specially composed menu with three or four courses and delicious wines.

A wine tour with BKWine is also a culinary experience both for the wine enthusiast and for the gourmet. A gourmet wine tour!

Why travel with BKWine?

Wine slowly aging in the barrel cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

We are experts and specialists in wine and food tours and wine tourism, but also in wine in a broader perspective.

We write in specialised wine magazines and one of our books has won the prize as best wine book in the world. We are regularly called on to be part of judging panels in wine competitions.

We personally visit some 300 vineyards every year. We have organised several hundreds of wine and food tours with an experience going back more than twenty years. We are invited as speakers at wine tourism and culinary touring conferences.

We choose our tour destinations and winery visits with great care. Not because a winery happens to be carrying a “famous name” but because they will give our guests a unique and special experience. You may be looking for a short wine week-end holiday or a longer wine vacation – in all cases you can be confident that you will get a top quality tour, an experience of a lifetime. Or at least until the next time you come on a wine tour with BKWine. Many of our travellers are returning clients.

A wine and food tour with BKWine is always guided by a knowledgeable and experienced BKWine guide and tour manager, someone who knows the ins and outs of wine, of the local gastronomy, of the culture and who speaks the language.

Some accolades we at BKWine and our wine and food tours have received:

• “World’s Top Wine Tours” by Travel + Leisure Magazine, the world’s biggest travel magazine
• “Best wine tasting holidays”, AOL Travel’s list of top wine tours
• “Recommended Wine Tours” by Munskankarna, the world’s biggest wine tasting and wine appreciation association
• “World’s Best Wine Book for Professionals” as well as “Best Wine Book of the Year in Sweden” 2010 for the book The Creation of a Wine
• “Best wine book in Sweden for Professionals” 2012 as well as silver, second place, as “World’s Best Educational Wine Book” for the book Wine and the Environment
• “Wine Personality of the Year” by Munskankarna, the world’s biggest wine tasting and wine appreciation association
• On the Wine Media Power List by Wine Business International Magazine (Britt, 2012)

Read more on why to choose BKWine for a wine and food tour.

Read more on what previous travellers have said about our tours.

Important information

Our groups are always small. The group size may vary, sometimes maximum 8, sometimes 20, but always of a modest size (we do not do “minimum 20, maximum 45″). Check the details in each program. This is important since it guarantees a quality experience and a personal welcome at the wineries we visit.

BKWine is a Swedish registered travel organiser. BKWine has a bonded travel guarantee deposit so that you can feel safe when booking with us. We fully comply with European and Swedish travel guarantee regulations. British travellers may be familiar with the ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) protection scheme which is a similar model. BKWine follows the code of conduct and financial safeguards defined by the Swedish Consumer Agency and The Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (“Kammarkollegiet”, with a history dating back to 1539). Read more about this in our Booking Terms and Conditions.

Read the BKWine Booking Terms and Conditions here. They are important to you!

You organise your travel independently to the destination for most of our tours but on location we take care of everything.

For more inspiration

Read our wine travel blog. And also:

• Recommend this trip to a friend using the Share/Save (add-to-any) button below!

• There are thousands of pictures from previous trips on BKWine Photography

• Some wine videos from previous wine tours with BKWine

• What do the customers say about BKWine tours?

Newsletter on wine

Subscribe to our free wine and travel newsletter, the BKWine Brief. Each month it gives you news from the world of wine, restaurant recommendations, tips on our favourite wine producers and much more. And keeps you updated on upcoming wine and food tours.

Custom Tours

We also do custom wine and food tours if you want to choose different dates or if you want something different than what we currently offer on our scheduled tours – for individuals, companies, professionals, wine tastings clubs etc.