Top 10 Wine Experiences

Follow along as Bethany explores her top 10 wine and spirit experiences from her seven river and ocean cruises.

To date, I have had the pleasure of taking five river cruises and two ocean cruises in Europe, Asia, and South America. Along the way, I have done several excursions with wine or other spirit tastings and tours. Below is the top 10 list of my favorite wine and other spirit experiences.

At the end of each section is a button(s) with a link to the blog post(s) that cover the full experience. The buttons are color-coded to represent the cruise where the experience occurred:

1. Glühwein at the Christmas Markets

What I Did

I sampled a Glühwein (a hot spiced wine) in a specialty mug at each Christmas Market I visited on my ‘Christmastime in Alsace and Germany‘ cruise on Avalon in December 2021. I also enjoyed a hot chocolate in Basel, Switzerland. As expected, hot chocolate made with Swiss chocolate does not disappoint! Each Christmas Market or town has its own version of the mug. When you purchase a hot beverage, such as Glühwein, hot chocolate, or hot cider, you are charged a small fee as a deposit, typically 1 Euro. Once you have finished your drink, you can either return the mug and get your deposit back, or you can keep the mug.

Why I Loved It

It was so much fun to make it into a bit of a scavenger hunt (although, admittedly, it is NOT hard to find these mugs!) AND get a small, adorable souvenir at each market! Besides, enjoying a hot adult beverage on a cool winter’s day certainly hits the spot.

2. Harvesting and Wine Tasting at Pizzorno Winery

What I Did

The first excursion I did on my Carnival in Rio cruise on Azamara in February 2023 was a wonderful visit to the Pizzorno Winery in Montevideo, Uruguay. When our group arrived at the winery we were greeted by the friendly owners and offered a glass of wine. After enjoying the wine, we grabbed a bucket and some shears and headed into the vineyard. We spent some time harvesting grapes…and sampling a few along the way as well. After our buckets were full, we headed back to the winery to empty our buckets into larger bins. We then proceeded to stomp the grapes.

After working hard in the sun, we then got a tour of the wonderfully cool cellars. Our excursion ended in the dining room, where we enjoyed a delicious three-course lunch. Each course was expertly paired with one of the local wines.

Why I Loved It

While this excursion ended with a typical tour of the wine cellars and a tasting of the local wines, it started off in a unique way. It was so much fun to actually get out and participate in the harvesting! I loved having a more interactive experience on this excursion.

3. Rice Wine Tasting in Vietnam

What I Did

I had a fun and adventurous morning in Vinh Long, Vietnam on my Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong River cruise on Avalon in February 2020. We spent the morning at a local workshop which makes several different rice-based products, including rice paper, rice wine, and rice candies. The wine part of the excursion was where it got a bit exciting. After learning how rice wine is distilled, we got to sample two different types of rice wine: plain rice wine and cobra wine. And yes, cobra wine is exactly like it sounds…rice wine sits and ferments for up to one year with actual snakes in it. The plain rice wine is pretty harsh and has quite a kick to it. The cobra wine is much smoother and surprisingly good.

Why I Loved It

I love a good adventure, and this excursion definitely provided that! How many times will I get the opportunity to drink wine made with actual snakes? Probably very few, so I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this once-in-a-lifetime excursion.

4. Cachaça Tasting in South America

What I Did

I got to enjoy two different cachaça tastings on my Carnival in Rio cruise on Azamara in February 2023. The first was in Ilhabela, Brazil. After a fun morning exploring the lovely town of Ilhabela and a couple of different waterfalls, we ended at a cachaça distillery at the Toca Waterfalls. Here we learned how the traditional Brazilian spirit is distilled from fermented sugarcane juice. Since no tour to a distillery would be complete without a tasting, we ended with the opportunity to sample the many different flavors of cachaça they make here. Aside from the plain cachaça, there were other flavors such as cinnamon, lemongrass, and coffee. The lemongrass was my favorite!

The day after my visit to Ilhabela, I had a wonderful 4×4 tour in Parati, Brazil. After rumbling through the jungles and playing in the Pedra Branca waterfalls, we visited the Pedra Branca Cachaça Distillery. This gorgeous location is perched on a hillside with breathtaking views of the area. We got another crash-course on cachaça production here, then headed to the tasting room. This location also offered a wide variety of flavors, and I had fun sampling many of them. My favorite here was flavored with a local Brazilian fruit.

Why I Loved It

I was not familiar with cachaça before these two excursions. I love learning new things when I am traveling, and these two stops were a great opportunity for me to learn (and taste!) something new. Both of these locations also came with some stunning views and scenery, which is always a plus in my book!

5. Porto Tasting at Calem Porto Cellar

What I Did

The first excursion on my Northern Cities Voyage cruise on Azamara in June 2022 was a fun and tasty morning in Porto, Portugal. It was a dreary day, but we ended the morning tour in the warm and dry Calem Porto Cellar. This cellar has been producing wine for more than 150 years. We first toured the gorgeous cellar, where our guide explained the history of and the process to make port wine. We finished the tour with a wonderful tasting of three different port wines: fine white, late bottled vintage ruby port, and special reserve tawny port. They were paired with a couple of different cheeses, some crackers, and some chocolate. All three were delicious. Saúde (that’s how to say ‘Cheers’ in Portuguese)!

Why I Loved It

Admittedly, my experience with port wine is pretty limited, so this was great to understand a bit more about it. I liked this tour because it introduced me to a new type of wine. This excursion was also when I first met the onboard photographer on the Pursuit, Konstantin, who was also on the excursion. We became great friends on this cruise, and this excursion will always remind me of how much fun we had together on that dreary day (and our shared love of chocolate!).

6. Rudesheimer Coffee

What I Did

One of my favorite excursions on my Romantic Rhine cruise on Avalon in June 2017 was the morning we spent in Rudesheim, Germany. After a fabulous tour of Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum, we walked to the Rudesheimer Schloss. Here we were in for a wonderful treat – Rudesheimer coffee! This local specialty starts with sugar in the bottom of the cup. Some of the local brandy is added and is set on fire to caramelize the sugar. Next, coffee is poured on top to extinguish the flame. Whipped cream and shaved chocolate top it all off. Der Kaffee ist köstlich (the coffee is delicious)!

Why I Loved It

I fell in love with the charm of this tiny town on the Rhine. It was a bit of a dreary morning, so this warm and delicious coffee definitely hit the spot. The ritual of making it is very interesting. The coffee itself is absolutely delicious. This excursion proved to be “not your average (cup of) Joe!”

7. Wine World Experience at Winzer Krems

What I Did

I participated in the Wine World Experience at Winzer Krems on my Active & Discovery on the Danube cruise on Avalon in August 2018. While this was basically a typical winery tour – a quick view of the gorgeous vineyards, a tour of the cellars, and a tasting of three wines along the way – this experience also included a movie about wine making and the winery. The movie was presented in 3D and included a multi-sensory experience: smells and breezes were piped in at certain points to heighten the overall experience. The three wines I tasted were delicious: a Grüner Veltliner (a light and refreshing white wine, a local specialty), a Blauer Zweigelt (a dark, rich red wine with hints of black cherry), and a traditional Riesling (a sweet and refreshing white wine).

Why I Loved It

This excursion made the list for two reasons: the ‘4D’ movie made it a bit more interesting than a typical winery tour and tasting, and the location has breathtaking views. This was also a great option to sample some wines that I had not yet tried.

8. Wine Tasting in Endingen

What I Did

Another fabulous excursion on my Christmastime in Alsace and Germany cruise on Avalon in December 2021 was a visit to the tiny town of Endingen, Germany. Here I participated in a wine tasting and tour of the town. Altogether we visited three different wine cellars and tasted three different wines along the way: two whites and a red. All are produced locally and are natural (unfiltered) so they are a bit more cloudy than typical wines. Needless to say, all were delicious (even if it was all before 11:00am!).

Why I Loved It

The tour guide was a local winemaker who was a very sweet man with a lot of fascinating stories about the wineries here and the town itself. He was a pleasure to spend the morning with. I also really enjoyed the “progressive dinner” vibe of this tour…we visited three different wineries and walked from one to the next. We got a glass at the first winery and kept it with us as we made our way through the tour, stopping to get it refilled at each winery.

9. Calvados Tasting at Busnel Calvados Distillery

What I Did

Another fun and delicious excursion on my Northern Cities Voyage cruise on Azamara in June 2022 was a tour of the Busnel Calvados Distillery. Calvados is a delicious brandy made from apples and/or pears. We met up with our guide, an employee at the distillery, for a leisurely tour of the grounds and the distillery itself. Located in the heart of the Pays d’Auge region of Normandy, Busnel has been making Calvados since 1820. Today it is the oldest of the major Calvados producers.

After the interesting tour we got to the good part…the tasting! We tasted two different types of Calvados: Pommeau de Normandie (a very fruity aperitif made with pure apple juice and Calvados, aged in oak barrels for at least 14 months) and Calvados VSOP (made from a blend of Calvados and aged for at least 4 years in oak barrels). We also sampled some of the apple jelly they make from the remains of the apples after they are pressed to make the Calvados…nothing goes to waste here!

Why I Loved It

I loved the leisurely pace of this excursion. We had plenty of time to enjoy the tour, and the tour itself was very extensive and informative. I had never tried Calvados before, so it was fun to learn more about it and to get to enjoy a few different samples. This is also another location that gets extra points for the scenery. This distillery is located in a stunningly beautiful area of Normandy, France.

10. Wine Tasting at Blanck Family Winery

What I Did

I enjoyed an optional wine tasting excursion in the heart of Alsace wine country on my Romantic Rhine cruise on Avalon in June 2017. It was a beautifully scenic drive through the vineyards and countryside. We visited the Robert Blanck Winery. Their cellars are full of old wooden barrels, including one that is over 300 years old (and it’s still used today!). We then had a tasting of four wines: Cremant D’Alsace Brut White, Reisling Coteaux D’Obernai, Gewurztraminer Dorenberg, and Pinot Noir Rouge D’Ottrott. As the locals say, “skilt” (cheers)!

Why I Loved It

This one made the list because of the family aspect of the facility. One of the owner’s daughters was our guide through the cellars and led the tasting afterwards. She had some fantastic stories to tell about the winery and her family. This one is also on the list for sentimental reasons…this was the first wine-related excursion I did on my first-ever cruise!

Conclusion

I love a good tour and tasting of wines and other spirits. This list includes my ten favorites, at least so far! From traditional wine to other spirits such as brandy and cachaça, I have had a lot of fantastic tastings on my cruises so far. Many of those on this list are my favorites because of the unique experiences that came with the tastings. Others are here because of the flat-out beauty of the location. Either way, they each hold a special place in my heart.

Links

Curious about what some of my other favorite experiences are? Click the button below to check out my other ‘Top 10’ lists:

Want to learn more about my experiences on each of the cruises covered in this post? Click the buttons below for the full pages for each of the cruises:

Interested in booking your own fabulous cruise? Click the buttons below for further information about Avalon and Azamara cruises: