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One of the most dramatic cultural changes in the United States in the last 30 years has been the growth of the appreciation of wine and winemaking. Americans are no longer primarily the Bud and Coors and cheeseburger set. Interest in fine cuisine and fine wines has been spreading like a potent virus.
Following the rapid evolution of their public, tour operators have been on a march en masse toward adding more and more cuisine and wine components in their tour itineraries.
In today's tour brochures, wine tastings seem to be in practically every itinerary. Activities for people with a more-than-casual interest in wine have become almost standard inclusions. Wine tasting has become accepted as a primary building block in gaining an acquaintance with any destination that has a wine-producing region. And it's constantly surprising how many countries do produce wine.
In the world of tours, wine is now paired with all kinds of other specialties or themes. Now you can enjoy wine tastings and vineyard explorations in almost any kind of tour you find, such as walking tours, hiking tours, history tours, adventure tours, culture tours and music tours.
Many great wine regions from around the world have come into wider recognition as that awareness of wine culture has grown. But of all of the great wines in the world, including old standard setters like Italy and France, or any of the newly rising wine districts of the world, there is still something extraordinary and special about Spanish wine.
Spanish Wine
The very sound of the words "Spanish wine" evoke romantic feelings and bring forth associations with the romantic culture of Spain, the florally clad senoritas with their swishing dresses, the strumming of Spanish guitars, the passionate tension of the Tango.
Anyone who has a special hankering for some Spanish wine can choose from a great variety of guided tours of Spain that include some special immersion in Iberian wine culture. And the wine can be mixed with all sorts of other things -- in the itinerary of course, not on the table.
Cox & Kings, for example, is offering a tour to Northern Spain that bores through the heart of Spain's gastronomic regions, including the Basque Country and La Rioja, with a tasting tour of San Sebastian's specialties.
The program is part of a new series of MasterChef Travel programs that are tied in with the TV series of the same name. The trip comes to an appropriately festive conclusion in the grand city of Barcelona.
Coming from a very different angle, but still placing clients in close proximity to Spanish Wine Country is a walking tour offered by Vermont's Country Walkers, or CW Adventure, as the company prefers to call itself now. The program "Spain: Camino de Santiago" focuses on the pilgrimage site of Camino de Santiago, recognized by Christian pilgrimage travelers as a symbol of the struggle between Christianity and the newly rising Islam.
The town was destroyed by Muslims at the end of the 10th century, and rebuilt in the following century incorporating splendorous Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture, still well preserved.
But while the itinerary courses over seven Spanish provinces, it provides many chances to experience the wines of the region, including a chance to explore the vineyards of Riojas.
Insight Vacations has developed a series of special interest tours focused on subjects such as art, history, gardens, photography or, of course, wine. One of the new programs is Splendors of France and Spain, a 19-day program that explores the cultures of Gallic, Hispanic and Moorish peoples through their languages, architecture, customs, food and, of course, wine.
Tauck is offering a tour titled The Art of Living: Barcelona to Paris, a 13-day stroll through Spain and France that does not fail to deliver on its implicit promise, with plenty of culinary adventures and wine tastings along the way.
Those who like bikes as a mode of travel, can also include a little wine culture along the way with Trek Travel's new tour of Andalucía, Spain, through ancient Ronda. While resting between cycling treks, guests will be led through an exploration of Andalucian culture, that includes tastings of Jamón ibérico, tapas, olive oils and classic Spanish wines.
The wine component combines beautifully with another of the greatest rages in the travel industry today, the river cruise. Pleasant Holidays is now offering a number of the AmaWaterways cruises that focus on wine with shore excursions included in the price. One of the new programs is a Provence and Spain itinerary that is ideal for wine aficionados with a taste for Spanish varietals.
It is AmaWaterways policy to include wines with dinner, at no extra charge, which is a kind and gentle policy for wine lovers. The trip incorporates on-board lectures on wine and visits a number of vineyards and wineries. Most are in France, but the trip winds up in Barcelona.
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