Top Trips for Wine and Liquor Lovers

There’s a good chance you were picturing the Italian countryside before this page even loaded. Few European destinations cause as much salivation as Italy and, on this nine-day Northern Italy Rail Trip, your thirst will be quenched and your appetite satisfied. We’ll start with pizza and an Aperol spritz in Rome and end with a Negroni in ever-trendy Milan, but the city-hopping adventure you’ll embark on in between is a feast for winos and foodies alike. Trace the subtle difference in wine culture from the capital to Florence, Bologna and Lake Como, and enjoy tastings of olive oil, Parma ham and much more. The highlight? Without doubt our tour of Podere La Marronaia, an organic farm and winery just outside the glorious Tuscan town of San Gimignano, where we’ll sip on a selection of wines and feast on a truffle-infused four-course lunch.

While not globally famous, true experts will know that Georgia is considered the first region on Earth to have produced wine, and is therefore known as the ‘cradle of wine’. Join us high in the Caucasus mountains for nine days of outdoorsy adventure, ancient history and exceptional wine. Ancient techniques are still used here, using large egg-shaped clay vessels called qvevri that are buried underground. You’ll get to learn about this process first hand with a master craftsman on day four. You’ll also head to a local family home for traditional home-baked bread and local delicacy churchkhela, before tucking into a classic Georgian lunch, accompanied by wine and conducted by a toastmaster. You’ll also sample a distinctive array of wines the following day, on a tasting at a local winery in Tbilisi.

Swap wine for whisky on our seven-day Rail Trip in the Scottish Highlands and Edinburgh. After starting with a journey on the famous Caledonian Sleeper train from London to Fort William, and before embarking on a scenic trip on the even-more-iconic Jacobite steam train, you’ll go for a hearty tasting at Ben Nevis Distillery. The banks of the River Lochy are quite the spot for a wee dram or two, and the soul-warming kick will be a welcome balm against the cold Scottish winds. If you prefer your booze a little less strong, you’ll love our time spent in Edinburgh, one of the greatest pub cities on Earth.