Considering a wine trip the week during mid- or late-December. Can folks point me to a few destinations that would accommodate during the season (and would not be bitterly cold)?
California, if you like the wines. (I don’t).
Santa Barbara particularly has the chance of very nice weather. Sonoma/Napa may be nice too. Rain is possible however.
My wife and I went to Willamette Valley last December and had an enjoyable time. The weather was warm (by Indiana in December standards), but it was rainy.
I’ve never been but it should be warm. Argentina, Chile, Australia and NZ?
New Zealand!
Mendocino/Anderson Valley?
I went to Ribera del Duero in December of 2019 and it was amazing. Low 50’s during the day, but given the dip in tourism at that time, we had the run of the place. Small wineries abound, great food, and friendly people.
We got a lot of “Why are you guys here now?” questions from the locals. A $400 round-trip, non-stop ticket from Chicago to Madrid was the answer.
Embrace the cold…Piedmont for wine and truffles, Umbria for wine and truffles, Alsace for wine and the Xmas markets.
Champagne for escaping the wind in the caves.
Champagne sounds lovely, but will any of the tasting rooms be open? That’s my main hang-up with an international trip.
I found that most were open, save for between Christmas and New Years. Plus Paris is only an hour away.
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I was visiting my daughter a number of years ago when she was doing a study abroad in Paris. A few days after Thanksgiving we did a day trip to Champagne. It was gray, dreary and rainy. With nothing on the vines and rainy weather it was still decent but wasn’t the best experience. I went to Napa in early December of 2022 after traveling to Sacramento for the marathon . It was still pretty nice weather and we had some great tastings even though my palate favors France and Italy . I have not been but what about Sicily or Puglia? It
should be fairly warm there.
I’ve visited Jerez/Sanlucar de Barremeda in December and January. The weather was really nice and all of the Bodegas that I contacted were accepting visitors.
We just took the train out of Champagne an hour ago. It was 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit. The holiday market was fun. Things were open.