Thanks, John. Things have obviously changed a lot since I used to go on wine trips, more than 25 years ago. I did plan a few: I organised a trip to the Loire Valley for a group of 14 over a long weekend, for example. We sailed across the channel on the night of the great storm of 1987 and, although I have many memories from that trip, I have not, nor will ever repeat, the experience - far too stressful. I have also been a guest of Champagne Mercier and Caves de Turckheim, both including (long) lunches at Michelin-starred restaurants. Most of my other experiences have been spontaneous: cycling the Alsace wine route three times, calling at various wine houses; walking around the lovely town of St Emilion and just popping into an open winery; catching the trolley bus from Verona to Soave and spending a delightful afternoon there; Taylor's Port in Vila Nova da Gaia (that was a bit more formal); Blandy's in Madeira; and a wonderful day walking through the Beaujolais hills, stopping off at various wineries along the way. The only time I regretted not planning well in advance was, coincidentally, my trip to Piedmont during truffle season. Everywhere was booked in Alba so we ended up in Asti and we had to taste the wines in restaurants and trattorie, rather than the vineyards. I have promised myself a return visit, perhaps combined with a trip to Chianti and Brunello but it hasn't happened yet. In those days I worked in the railway industry and, as one of the perks, I had free travel on most European rail networks, so that is the way I travelled: excellent mode of transport but a bit restricting sometimes. Sounds as if I will need to plan things a more carefully for any future wine trips. Thanks for the tips.
Thank you, Steven! You have definitely had some excellent wine trips! Wish it was easy to be as spontaneous these days. Taking the trains in Europe is an excellent way to go! I definitely do that between most of the major cities. Hope that you enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Excellent channel John, thank you! Any chance you could give us viewers a few minutes on one of your future videos discussing wine barrel maturing vs bottle aging, and when the bottle aging clock actually begins? It is a topic my friends often do not fully understand. Your videos discussing second wines vs second labels were a great example of putting forth a clear definition of these nuanced terms.
@@billlemon8271 thanks very much! Appreciate the positive feedback! I’ll definitely give that some thought. Glad the second wine vs second label was useful! I remember it confused me when I was starting out so wanted to make it clear.
Thank you for the video. I will be in Bordeaux for a few weeks and am hoping to visit a few chateaux. I agree that sometimes finding a good winebar is a great substitute for tasting wines of the region.
@@ricknelsteel Sounds terrific! Yes for those who have already been there, they don’t need a number of additional visits on subsequent trips unless they enjoy them.
Greatly enjoyed this video, John! The tips are very practical and sensible. I do practice most of them and try to schedule my winery as far back as possible. However, this isn't often the case, but no matter the situation, I always try to research months in advance. I will watch again your video and drop comments again later. Cheers and happy new week ahead, John!
@@AttorneySomm You’re welcome, John! All professional tips, indeed! Also, you’re right, not all wineries have bottles for sale in their premises, like at Pio Cesare in Alba.
Great tips, may I ask what hotel you referenced in Piedmont with the great views? We are looking at a trip there in 2025 and in initial planning stages, so this whole video is timely. TY
Thanks very much! Glad it was useful. Yes, absolutely. That hotel is Palas Cerequio. They book up early and don't have many rooms. This past fall I stayed at Casa di Langa and that was excellent too.
Thanks! I do stay busy, but the wine work that I do is enjoyable, so I don't worry about being busy that way. And with courts being more receptive to zoom hearings and doing more data privacy work, I can do my legal work from wherever I am in the world and need not be in the office. I have gotten much better about building in down time during wine trips and that has definitely made them even more enjoyable! I graduated from law school in 1997.
@@AttorneySomm Thanks for the reply! As said, thanks a lot for your content, I do enjoy it a lot! In case you visit Finland, let me know and we can take few bottles out of the cellar :D
Thanks, John.
Things have obviously changed a lot since I used to go on wine trips, more than 25 years ago.
I did plan a few: I organised a trip to the Loire Valley for a group of 14 over a long weekend, for example. We sailed across the channel on the night of the great storm of 1987 and, although I have many memories from that trip, I have not, nor will ever repeat, the experience - far too stressful. I have also been a guest of Champagne Mercier and Caves de Turckheim, both including (long) lunches at Michelin-starred restaurants.
Most of my other experiences have been spontaneous: cycling the Alsace wine route three times, calling at various wine houses; walking around the lovely town of St Emilion and just popping into an open winery; catching the trolley bus from Verona to Soave and spending a delightful afternoon there; Taylor's Port in Vila Nova da Gaia (that was a bit more formal); Blandy's in Madeira; and a wonderful day walking through the Beaujolais hills, stopping off at various wineries along the way.
The only time I regretted not planning well in advance was, coincidentally, my trip to Piedmont during truffle season. Everywhere was booked in Alba so we ended up in Asti and we had to taste the wines in restaurants and trattorie, rather than the vineyards. I have promised myself a return visit, perhaps combined with a trip to Chianti and Brunello but it hasn't happened yet.
In those days I worked in the railway industry and, as one of the perks, I had free travel on most European rail networks, so that is the way I travelled: excellent mode of transport but a bit restricting sometimes.
Sounds as if I will need to plan things a more carefully for any future wine trips. Thanks for the tips.
Thank you, Steven! You have definitely had some excellent wine trips! Wish it was easy to be as spontaneous these days.
Taking the trains in Europe is an excellent way to go! I definitely do that between most of the major cities.
Hope that you enjoy the rest of your weekend!
This was very well done. Thank you.
@@silasmoser301 Thank you! Appreciate the kind feedback! Cheers!
Excellent channel John, thank you! Any chance you could give us viewers a few minutes on one of your future videos discussing wine barrel maturing vs bottle aging, and when the bottle aging clock actually begins? It is a topic my friends often do not fully understand. Your videos discussing second wines vs second labels were a great example of putting forth a clear definition of these nuanced terms.
@@billlemon8271 thanks very much! Appreciate the positive feedback! I’ll definitely give that some thought. Glad the second wine vs second label was useful! I remember it confused me when I was starting out so wanted to make it clear.
Thank you for the video. I will be in Bordeaux for a few weeks and am hoping to visit a few chateaux. I agree that sometimes finding a good winebar is a great substitute for tasting wines of the region.
@@crrizello5157 Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you have a terrific trip! It is a fantastic region to visit.
I’ve done a few trips to Bordeaux now. 2-3 visits in a week is enough. Last time was a 3 day city break with no wineries and it was great.
@@ricknelsteel Sounds terrific! Yes for those who have already been there, they don’t need a number of additional visits on subsequent trips unless they enjoy them.
You have become my favorit wine youtuber. Keep up the great work!
@@andi2381 Thanks very much! Greatly appreciate that! 👍🍷
Greatly enjoyed this video, John! The tips are very practical and sensible. I do practice most of them and try to schedule my winery as far back as possible. However, this isn't often the case, but no matter the situation, I always try to research months in advance. I will watch again your video and drop comments again later. Cheers and happy new week ahead, John!
Thanks very much, Margaux! Glad you approve of the tips! Hope you have a terrific week ahead! Cheers!
@@AttorneySomm You’re welcome, John! All professional tips, indeed! Also, you’re right, not all wineries have bottles for sale in their premises, like at Pio Cesare in Alba.
@@margauxml Yes I enjoyed that visit very much too!
@@AttorneySomm I loved the Pio Cesare tour and tasting, too! Pricey but worth it (I guess😁)!
Great tips, may I ask what hotel you referenced in Piedmont with the great views? We are looking at a trip there in 2025 and in initial planning stages, so this whole video is timely. TY
Thanks very much! Glad it was useful.
Yes, absolutely. That hotel is Palas Cerequio. They book up early and don't have many rooms.
This past fall I stayed at Casa di Langa and that was excellent too.
I'm one that profits from your advices🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😅😅😅😅😅
Excellent! Very glad to hear it!
Your presented schedule is still quite busy in my humble opinion. Coming from Scandinavia, I'll take it slower. Thanks for the great content!
Thanks! I do stay busy, but the wine work that I do is enjoyable, so I don't worry about being busy that way. And with courts being more receptive to zoom hearings and doing more data privacy work, I can do my legal work from wherever I am in the world and need not be in the office.
I have gotten much better about building in down time during wine trips and that has definitely made them even more enjoyable!
I graduated from law school in 1997.
@@AttorneySomm Thanks for the reply! As said, thanks a lot for your content, I do enjoy it a lot! In case you visit Finland, let me know and we can take few bottles out of the cellar :D
@@-itkindaworks- My pleasure! I would enjoy that! Definitely still on my list. Thank you kindly! Cheers!