For better or worse, the image of Sonoma is defined largely by the marketing campaigns of big brands or corporations owning a portfolio of wineries. As a result, most visitors do not experience the best the county has to offer.

But, generally, our Valley makes great fruity and young wines which areready to drink just after you bottle them, especially with Syrah and Tempranillo grapes, and also the whites Chenin Blanc and Moscato Canelli. Syrah is one of the grape varieties that has best adapted to our terroir and early studies held by São Francisco Valley University showed that the water stress applied to the plant helps to build higher levels of antioxidants, like resveratrol.

Technically, this phenomenon is known as Acqua Vitis or Lachryma Vitis--when temperatures start rising and reach over 10°C (50°F) in the first days of spring, sap begins to flow again (basically water and minerals) from the roots through the vine veins, finding their way out from the open wounds of pruning.

In June Helena takes us to the Alsace wine region in Northeastern France bordering Germany. Food and wine are just two of her five reasons to visit this charming, historic and picturesque region.

One of Canada’s emerging wine regions, Prince Edward County (PEC), Ontario boasts more than 40 wineries, beautiful beaches, an impressive arts trail and excellent, locally-sourced restaurants. For wine tourists, PEC is quickly becoming a go-to for its vibrant wine culture, full of seasoned wine veterans and up-and-coming winemakers who have all settled in the area to look at new and creative ways to make wine in Canada.

Vancouver Island is home to 35 wineries that stretch the 290 miles (460 KM) from the southern to most northern tip of the island.  Many people are familiar with the old English capital city, Victoria, but the epicenter for winemaking on Vancouver Island is located in the Cowichan Valley. 

Working as an enotourism expert and marketing specialist for Karas Winery, Armenia’s largest producer, Astghik discovered a real passion for telling people about her country.

Wine is at the core of the city’s evening song, as well -- beginning when the sun disappears out in the lagoon and running until last call, which for most bars is around the early hour of midnight. What this means for the savvy wine tourist is that Venice is full of lovely bars with incredible wines at very affordable prices.

The WTM Community page features members of our extended be a #winetourist community. It is a forum for sharing their photographs and their passion about wine, travel, food and culture.

In this video, Wine Virgin talks with Klaus Reif of Reif Estate Winery in Niagara wine country. Reif explains his wine program and specifically the making of ice wine, which he believes reaches its fullest expression in this Canadian region.

For better or worse, the image of Sonoma is defined largely by the marketing campaigns of big brands or corporations owning a portfolio of wineries. As a result, most visitors do not experience the best the county has to offer.