Much can be learned about a region’s culture by sampling the unique flavours of its traditional dishes and locally produced beverages. It’s one of the most delightful ways to gain this knowledge too.
We also recognise that our walking and cycling trips make for thirsty work. Another great reason to pause and indulge in a thirst quencher or two! From Cornish bottled beers and Scottish malt bitters to juniper-flavoured Jenever, made only in Holland or Belgium, some of the best and most memorable parts of a holiday often revolve around these taste sensations.
Our gastronomic-led holidays are designed for you to discover some of the best local produce around, whether it’s a fine dining experience at a Michelin-star restaurant or a visit to a local vineyard for wine tasting. And we’re incredibly excited to bring you even more of these gastronomic holidays with our brand-new hand-crafted itineraries for 2023.
Here are three that will enable you to find new flavours and tasty tipples on your next trip.
Guinness tops the list as Ireland’s most famous drink and one of its most successful exports. Although you may have enjoyed a pint of the ‘Black Stuff’ in the UK, there is a long-held claim that Guinness’s carefully balanced malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness taste better in its home country. Whether that’s a tourist legend or based on scientific evidence, it’s certainly worth gaining a first-hand understanding with a visit to Dublin.
In 1759, when Arthur Guinness first leased St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, he began by brewing ale, only switching to ‘porter’, a darker, richer beer in the 1770s. The first Guinness-like creation was ‘West India Porter’, exported as Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. Arthur’s son, Arthur Guinness II, then developed the recipe for ‘Extra Superior Porter’, the Guinness Extra Stout, or Guinness Original, which we are familiar with today.
On our Dublin & The Wicklow Way Walking trip, you’ll have the opportunity to discover more about the history of this most iconic beer, paying a visit to Guinness Storehouse when exploring Ireland’s capital.
Following the glorious trails around the serene landscape outside of the city, you’ll undoubtedly work up a thirst! Walking on the Wicklow Way in Ireland’s largest national park, you can take in the verdant green beauty of the valleys of Glenmalure and the Glen of Imaal, the immense natural force of Powerscourt Waterfall (Ireland’s highest) and the contrastingly serene glacial lakes of Loughs Tay and Dan.
As the oldest demarcated wine-growing region in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Douro Valley is a must-visit for any wine lover. On our Walk the Highlights of Northern Portugal trip, you’ll get to explore the beautiful landscape from which these infamous grapes are grown while also indulging in wine tastings at a few of the many local vineyards.
The Douro Valley is both an enchanting place, with picturesque natural landscapes of vast vineyards on sloped hillsides overlooking the sapphire blue Douro River, and one with a fascinating history. Humans have been living here since prehistoric times, leaving their ancient cave paintings as evidence of the past. It is thought that the Romans were the first to make wine on these hilly banks. But it wasn’t until 1678 that wine was first shipped from here. The region is best known for its unique Port wine, the only place where this fortified wine can officially be produced. However, it also makes many other acclaimed reds.
As well as following trails around the Douro Valley, our trip takes you to Peneda-Gerês National Park, where the mountain paths reveal impressive rock formations, quiet streams and traditional villages. Home to wild ponies and golden eagles, it is a breathtaking place to visit. There’s also time to walk alongside the River Minho to the coastline, where you’ll find stone windmills, fortresses and the ancient squares of Viana do Castelo.
If clinking a glass of bubbles is one of your favourite ways to celebrate, then enjoying this pleasure in the ‘Capital of Champagne’, Épernay, will be a wonderfully memorable event. On our Walking the Vineyards of Champagne, you’ll be based in the heart of this magnificent town, surrounded by vineyards, where you can discover the history of this notorious wine and enjoy exceptional tasting experiences.
Wandering the magnificent avenues of Épernay, lined with opulent mansions and famous Champagne Houses, where miles of underground cellars store over 200 million bottles of Champagne, you’ll get a feel of just how illustrious this sparkling wine is. Claude Moët, the founder of Moët & Chandon, was the first to dig under the earth in Épernay. Establishing a modest cellar in 1720, with optimal temperature and humidity, Claude Moët created a successful product that saw Moët & Chandon become the most famous and largest Champagne house today.
Exploring the countryside surrounding Épernay, you’ll visit Hautvillers, where the legend of Champagne was born. It is believed that the Benedictine monk Dom Perignon accidentally invented this effervescent wine here at the end of the 17th century.
In these historic wine villages, learn how the black grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier produce ‘Blanc de Noirs’ Champagne, and sample Pinot Meunier, used to bring the full fruity flavour to rose champagnes. Overlooking terraced hillsides, where châteaux, churches and picturesque villages nestle in the valleys, there couldn’t be a better place to sip this distinguished drink.
If these trips with tasty tipples have inspired you to book a gastronomic trip next year, please take a look at our brand-new hand-crafted itineraries for 2023 to find out more.
