Anyone can fly to Paris or Florence for a day trip into the country to visit one of the world's oldest and most respected wineries. Even if Europe is not in the budget, similar tours can be arranged in many places in the United States, and especially in a fertile wine producing region such as Napa Valley in California. It is quite something else to book a wine tour to Bulgaria or the Australian Outback.

There are plenty of such tours available. It seems almost every country in the world, even some along the Pacific Rim, is proud of its wine and eager to show it off. Tour companies in South Africa market excursions to its Winelands region, offering a helicopter to pick up participants in the city and zip them to the country where they can sip wine at its source. In Arizona, the Verde Canyon Railroad uses fine wine and good food as an inducement to attract passengers to its scenic tours.

Other Countries

A couple of the more recent entrants to the international wine market are Spain and Portugal. Wine is nothing new to these countries but it is only in the last couple of decades their wine has garnered much attention. Obviously, Port wine is the most popular variety on Portuguese wine tours. Here and in Spain, visits to the wine country include boat and train tours through rich valleys and hillside vineyards.

Believe it or not, Bulgaria is the second largest exporter of wine behind France. The Bulgarian wine industry was called the "success story of the Eastern Bloc" and most of its exports still go to other former Soviet-controlled countries. Hungary is another less obvious destination for a wine tour. Tour providers claim its Tokaji wine is the "wine of kings" and that it is some of the most sought after in the world.

Outback and Back

Still, some of the most exotic tours have to be offered in South Africa and Australia. Instead of a day-trip from Paris, imagine a four-wheel-drive excursion to the Outback for an overnight stay at a working sheep ranch and a wine tasting. A longer Australian tour package of the major wine regions includes a dinner cruise of Sydney Harbor.

In South Africa, wine tourists can be whisked away to a rural winery over the mountains from Cape Town in a helicopter. After a day of touring vineyards and tasting wine, the helicopter will take you home. Other South African wine packages offer the chance to sip the grape while watching wildebeests and other jungle animals.

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