The Best Months for Private Wine Tours

March is a vivid month in Andalucia, with spring warmth, patios, local celebrations, and Jerez at the heart of Sherry country.

March is an ideal time to visit Andalucia, as the weather is comfortable for touring (late spring and summer get too warm), and the crowds have not yet arrived. Many of the beautiful wineries in Jerez de la Frontera (called "Wine Catherals") are located in the historic heart of town, which is so neat to see. You can't miss the region's most beautiful towns, such as Ronda, Seville, and Cordoba. Other highlights include Flamenco, olives, almonds, and chilled Amontillado, and the month becomes both festive and deeply regional.

Chile has fabulous late summer weather in March. The central valleys are warm during the day and comfortably cooler in the evenings. This is wine harvest time, with an exciting atmosphere and vineyard landscapes at their most beautiful.

The Maipo, Colchagua, Casablanca, Aconcagua, and San Antonio wine regions can be combined with cultural activities in Santiago de Chile and Valparaiso. Expect icon Cabernet, Carmenere, coastal whites, polished estates, and boutique producers.

March is a superb time for South Africa, when the Cape Winelands still carry late-summer warmth and the harvest mood is close at hand.

Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Constantia, Paarl, and Elgin combine mountain scenery, Cape Dutch architecture, serious wineries, and refined dining. Add Cape Town and the journey becomes both a wine tour and a richly layered cultural escape.

April brings Campania into a softer season, before the summer crowds arrive. The Amalfi Coast and Capri begin to bloom with spring flowers, and Naples remains one of Italy's most compelling cities for food and culture.

The wine country is varied and rewarding, from coastal cellars to volcanic-influenced wines and inland Campanian varieties. Pair private winery visits with Pompeii, the Archaeological Museum in Naples, and the first light of spring on the coast.

April is full-throttle wine harvest season in Mendoza, and it is a fun and rewarding time to visit Argentina. This is the fall season with warm days and cool nights, and the microclimate, complete with the Andes mountains in the backdrop, shapes powerful, high-altitude wines.

Enjoy private VIP wine tours in Mendoza, including the Uco Valley and Lujan de Cuyo, with Malbec at the center and Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and sparkling wines adding range. Buenos Aires and Salta are also a must, and enhance the wine experience in Argentina beautifully.

May is often the best time to visit the French wine country, and Bordeaux is frequently the first great European wine tour for serious enthusiasts.

The city is handsome and sophisticated, with wine bars, hotels, restaurants, and easy access to Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, the Medoc, Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Sauternes. Cognac, Armagnac, and the Dordogne can extend the trip, making Bordeaux a natural answer before high summer.

May is a superb time to visit stunning Croatia, as the weather is usually perfect for touring (late spring warmth and pleasant). The vineyards are lush and green in May, and the small wineries still have time to dedicate more intimate visits and tastings to their guests (in summer, the coastal wineries are rushed off their feet).

Croatia is the perfect location for wine lovers looking for a coastal component to their vacation, with its absolutely spectacular Adriatic coastline, and many of the country’s best vineyards also enjoy sea views. The art, architecture, and history on offer are incredible, from Roman ruins to Byzantine palaces and medieval hill-topped hamlets. The wine country stretches from Tuscan-like Istria in the north to dazzling Dubrovnik in the south.

Penedes works especially well in August because it can be paired with Barcelona and the Catalan coast, especially Costa Brava coves such as Aiguablava and Sa Tuna. The region is close enough for a day trip, yet rewarding enough for a deeper sparkling wine itinerary.

Cava is the headline, with Freixenet and Codorniu close to Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, but Penedes also offers still reds and whites from estates such as Torres, Jean Leon, and Pares Balta. Balance winery visits with Costa Brava coves and refined Catalan dining.

The Loire Valley, with its iconic Renaissance and Medieval Châteaux, is a lot of fun to visit in August, as many of the Royal castles offer summer evening events, from jazz, blues,, and pop concerts to fireworks displays. The wineries are preparing for the harvest with a lovely energy. The “veraison” happens in August (when the grapes change color), and the vineyards are lush and beautiful. The chenin blanc whites of Vouvray and Savennières are perfect for summer sipping.

On your wine tour of the Loire, you can incorporate exciting summer activities and festivals, from (depending on the year) the Tall Ships in Nantes to the magical night of a thousand lights at the wondrous Château Villandry, and the incredible medieval equestrian show at the one and only Chambord castle.

Clients always ask us when the best time is to visit Tuscany, and while this absolutely gorgeous region is wonderful and different in each month of the year, September is without a doubt the best month. Early autumn means the weather is usually still terrific, and the wine harvest is kicking off, bringing energy to the wine villages. You will see grapes on the vines, and the landscapes are simply heavenly. Crowds are thinner than in summer, especially in the second half of the month.

Tuscany is the dream, plain and simple, and exactly what you imagine when you think of romantic Italian wine country. The region features a treasure trove of art cities, medieval hill towns, olive groves, and undulating hills covered with vineyards, across a remarkable range of wine regions: Chianti, Montalcino, Maremma, Montepulciano...

September is the start of “vendimia” (wine harvest) time in Ribera del Duero, and the perfect moment to visit the region. Soak up the warm weather and the happy harvest energy, and mix wine tasting with food experiences like “lechazo” (lamb cooked in traditional clay ovens fired with wood). This is, without a doubt, one of the best gastronomic delicacies in Spain- lechazo paired with a fine wine from Ribera del Duero.

Stay in medieval monasteries and Renaissance palaces, converted into five-star luxury hotels such as Monasterio Valbuena, Abadia Retuerta, and the Palacio de Avellaneda. Visit super premium wineries such as Alonso del Yerro, Valduero, Dominio de Cair, and Emilio Moro. And don’t miss the crusader castle of Peñafiel, the pretty Burgo de Osma, and the medieval hamlet of Peñaranda de Duero.

October marks the start of white truffle season in Piedmont, and Alba becomes one of the great food-and-wine addresses in Europe.

The Langhe hills are at their most picturesque, restaurants build menus around truffles, and wine lovers come for Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, and the wider Slow Food culture around Alba and Bra. It is an autumn wine tour for travelers who care as much about the table as the cellar. Your trip can extend from the wine country to the royal city of Turin with its Michelin-starred fine dining, palaces, and Egyptian Museum...

For wine lovers and wine collectors, the prestigious Rhône Valley wine region is an absolute “must”, home to some of France’s most famous and important appellations from Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. October is still harvest time (along with September), and the vineyard panoramas are simply gorgeous. Dark red Syrah grapes grow on dramatic terraced slopes that grow all the way to the base of the mighty Rhône River.

The culture on offer is breathtaking, such as the Pope's Palace in Avignon and the ancient ruins of Vaison-la-Romaine. not to mention the absolutely adorable little village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Food lovers will revel in the region’s mythical Michelin starred gems like 3* Annie Pic in Valence (in nearby Drôme department), and the one and only Valrhona in Tain- l’ Hermitage (home as well to Chapoutier and Jaboulet).