Mary Dowey suggests a few itineraries for memorable vineyard visits
Wine courses in Ireland aren't half bad. There are worse ways to spend an evening than slurping and discussing the contents of half-a-dozen different bottles, in the company of fellow enthusiasts. But classes don't remotely compare with the pleasure of visiting a wine region. Seeing the landscape, strolling between the vines and tasting wines in the cellar where they bubbled into life (or with the terrific local foods they naturally match) creates a memory bank like no other. Make this the year you cut your teeth on a wine trip.
BIGGEST REPUTATION: BORDEAUX
It's top of nearly every wine buff's travel wish list for its legendary châteaux and wines of immeasurable stature. Now the city of Bordeaux, freshly spruced up to show off its 18th-century elegance, is serviced by direct flights from Dublin. There are rumours that a few more château owners - famously formal and stand-offish - will soon open their gates to visitors; but in the meantime, this is a region best explored either on a guided tour or with an address book stuffed with powerful personal contacts.
The annual seven-night trip to Bordeaux organised every autumn by wine merchants Mitchell & Son of Kildare Street, Dublin, is popular. Details to be confirmed in February on www.mitchellandson.com. Map Travel also plans to repeat its Bordeaux tour with wine writer Raymond Blake - available soon on www.maptravel.ie.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: BURGUNDY
The polar opposite of Bordeaux in every possible way - yet once you've been, you will want to go back and back. While the patchwork of vineyards and villages is complicated (repaying research done in advance), the atmosphere is informal and the winemakers as down to earth as hearty cuisine bourguignonne. For Burgundy fans, the thrill of finding many exquisite bottles at relatively affordable prices is intense. All Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, yet all with different nuances. Go soak up the subtleties of terroir.
As Burgundy teems with small producers, great, middling and awful, it's vital to do careful homework. Suss out worthwhile names and arrange visits in advance and away you go. Fly direct Dublin-Lyon with Aer Lingus and drive north to Beaune, then consider hiring a bicycle to pedal between villages on picturesque minor roads.
BEST SCENERY: SOUTH AFRICA
Ringed by mountains and dotted with pristine white farm buildings, the Cape Winelands are the world's prettiest vineyards by miles - all within easy reach of Cape Town. Now, after an erratic decade, South Africa is settling down to produce some seriously good wines, and the winemakers couldn't be more welcoming.
Slattery's Travel operates a weekly Dublin-Cape Town flight until the end of April and from mid-October, www.slatterys.com. A half-day Winelands Tour is available as an optional extra - or rent a car and organise your own, armed with a copy of the indispensable guide John Platter South African Wines 2005 (available soon from Cabot & Co, IFSC, Dublin, for about €15).
MOST FUN (AND BEST FOOD): AUSTRALIA
Nobody beats the Aussies for refreshing honesty ("you're right, mate, this wine is bloody awful," they'll say if you wrinkle your nose) and ribald good humour. Wine here isn't remotely pretentious, but part and parcel of having a good time - alongside utterly mouth-watering modern Australian cooking. So plan your route to take in a city with adjacent wine. Sydney: Hunter Valley. Melbourne: Yarra and Mornington Peninsula. Adelaide: Barossa, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale. Perth: Margaret River. Focus on boutique wineries as well as one or two big boys.
New tours to almost all of Australia's leading wine regions, some of them self-drive, feature in the Qantas Australia & New Zealand 2005/6 brochure, www.qantas.co.uk/holidays. One region not included, but well worth considering is McLaren Vale on a beach-fringed peninsula south of Adelaide. Fancy a few days of cooking, eating and drinking at Chapel Hill Winery's Gourmet Retreat? www.chapelhillwine.com.au.
MOST INTRIGUING: JEREZ
For years afterwards, you'll want to tell your friends that you sipped glass upon large glass of chilled sherry for days and nights on end, enjoying every drop without a hint of misadventure. Maybe endless plates of spanking fresh seafood tapas are the secret of survival in the celebrated sherry towns south-west of Seville: Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Puerto de Santa Maria. Whatever, this un-touristy corner of Andalucia is a treat - and remember, sherry is cool.
The UK travel company Winetrails takes in both sherry and wine in a tour of Andalucia incorporating Jerez. www.winetrails.co.uk. For fascinating information about different sherries, modern tapas and visiting Jerez, go to www.tenstartapas.com.
BEST FOR A WEEKEND: CHAMPAGNE
It may not be the most visually arresting wine region ever, but by golly the fizz makes it fun. So many exciting, small family producers to discover, as well as big names. So many different styles and flavours. So many glasses to empty . . . Unless you manage to find a champagne-hater to drive you around in safety, this is another place whose multiple temptations make a ready-made package with transport a wise option. Easily reached, especially with Ryanair flights to Paris - it's only an hour or so by car from Beauvais airport.
British wine tour specialists Arblaster & Clarke, who launched their company with weekends in Champagne nearly 20 years ago, are still the biggest name in bubbles tourism.
www.arblasterandclarke.com.
BEST ALL-ROUND? SOUTHERN RHÔNE
I'm hopelessly biased, I admit - but even first-time visitors are captivated by the sundrenched landscapes and rich wines of the Southern Rhône, the region around Avignon which takes in famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape, plus villages like Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Rasteau. Lavender and rosemary scent the warm air; vibrant Provençal foods, fabrics and pottery add to the allure and a new generation of talented young winemakers guarantees liquid excitement.
Some places are still available on the wine course I am running in the southern Rhône, June 7th-12th. www.winefeast.com.
AUSTRALIAN TREAT
Here's a lively way to spend a Sunday evening. The Big Australian Wine Dinner takes place in the Tea Room at the Clarence Hotel, Temple Bar, Dublin, on January 30th. A tasting, starting at 7 p.m., will be followed by a five-course dinner with matching wines donated by a platoon of leading winemakers, all of whom will be present on the night. Tickets €70. Book with the Tea Room, 01-4070813.