Laithwaite’s offers £15k world wine tour

Laithwaite’s is inviting wine aficionados to take the trip of a lifetime, travelling for six weeks across some of the world’s most famous vineyards from £15,000 a ticket.

The “Grape Escape”, dubbed the ultimate round-the-world private wine tour, will see travellers take in the sights, and wines, or five continents, 16 locations and 12 countries over 42 days.

Laithwaite’s Wine has teamed up with specialist travel company Winerist to curate this “one-of-a-kind vine voyage” with highlights including stop-offs at Mount Etna, Table Mountain and Napa Valley, as well as visits to the 120km cellar tunnels of Cricova in Moldova and the centuries old vines outside of Nashik, near Mumbai in India.

Beth Willard, expert Wine Buyer at Laithwaite’s Wine, said: “The Grape Escape is an all-out celebration of wine. Of course it’s ambitious, but it will give lovers of wine the chance to undertake an unforgettable voyage through some of the most renowned wine spots in the world, as well as many places that are not traditionally associated with winemaking. One day you’ll be sipping wine looking over at Table Mountain and the next you’ll be deep in the ancient cellars of Transylvania, it’s a truly epic adventure.”

“Every year in my role as a wine buyer we are fortunate enough to visit these incredible locations in search of great wines and so it’s great to be able to give people the opportunity to walk those same vines, to taste wines straight from famous barrels and to admire the backdrops enjoyed by some of the world’s best wine producers.”

The trip will take 42 days to complete and prices begin at £15,000. For more information on snapping up a ticket, click here. 

Click through to see where Laithwaite’s Grape Escape tour will take you, and the wines you could be tasting along the way…

FRANCE

Provence, France

Length of Stay: 6 nights

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie invested in Chateau Miraval because they fell in love with the area’s tranquillity. They even make their own wine here. At Domaine de Pontfract, just next door, you can follow in the footsteps of cinema royalty and enjoy the same great wine.

Try the wine: Domaine de Pontfract Rosé 2014

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France

Length of Stay: 1 night

Head south to visit a celebrity of a different kind; Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Home of unbeatable reds, enjoy a glass from the ruins of the great castle which stand above the vast acres of vineyards below.

Try the wine: Le Prince de Courthézon 2012

SPAIN AND ITALY

Rioja, Spain

Length of Stay: 2 nights

No round-the-world wine trip would be complete without visiting the Rioja region. A stay at nearby San Sebastian, with its high concentration of Michelin Star restaurants, will give you energy to explore the area’s numerous legendary vines.

Try the wine: Baron de Barbon Reserva 08

Tuscany, Italy

Length of Stay: 2 nights

From Spain, you’ll make the short flight into the extraordinary Tuscan countryside. Wines in Tuscany are among the most expensive in Italy and are made in their own unique way.

Try the wine: Tenuta Lamiata Brunello di Montalcino 2009

Mount Etna, Italy

Length of Stay: 2 nights

Italy is home to some of the most dramatic and severe vineyards in the world. Unsurprisingly, the wines at Etna are spectacular and super-charged.

Try the wine: Orgoglio Bianco Zibibbo 2012

MOLDOVA AND ROMANIA

Cricova, Moldova

Length of Stay: 2 nights 

Moldova has a rich wine heritage spanning many centuries and its wines were the toast of the Russian Tsars. Explore the award-winning cellars and wines at Cricova, and the 120 kilometres of underground roadways that are today home to over 1 million bottles of wine.

Try the wine: Cuvée Aleksandr NV

Transylvania, Romania

Length of Stay: 2 nights

Vampires, Dracula and wolves howling on the plains, Transylvania doesn’t always evoke thoughts of wine. The city and its many cellars however, have a rich winemaking history and a drop of Feteasca Neagra Shiraz will make you thirsty for more.

Try the wine: Burebista Feteasca Neagra Shiraz 2014

INDIA

Nashik, India

Length of Stay: 5 nights

Perhaps surprising, India has been producing wine for hundreds of years, aided by the influence of British colonizers in the 19th century. A few hours drive from Mumbai, you’ll visit the Sula vineyard, which is one of India’s leading wine producers, combining Indian roots and international influences to produce award-winning wines.

Try the wine: Sula Nasika Sauvignon Blanc 2013

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Margaret River, Australia

Length of Stay: 2 nights

Fly into Perth and head south to Margaret where arguably the best Chardonnay being made in Australia can be found at the Woodlands Wines. The winery is set in a natural amphitheatre with a backdrop of huge towering gum trees. Sit back and listen to the Kookaburras sing.

Try the wine: Woodlands Chardonnay 2014

Barossa Valley, Australia

Length of Stay: 2 nights

The wine industry in Barossa Valley is the main source of employment for many residentsand a guided barrel tasting at the cult RedHeads studio will demonstrate how much passions and craft goes into creating these fantastic big reds.

Try the wine: RedHeads Tomahawk Shiraz 2012

Queenstown, New Zealand

Length of Stay: 4 nights

Next stop on the ‘Grape Escape’ is Queenstown, New Zealand. The area has a reputation for adventure, but if you’ve chosen to spend the day skydiving, white water rafting and hiking, there is no better place to sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of the best Pinot Noir in the world.

Try the wine: Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2014

UNITED STATES

Napa Valley

Length of Stay: 3 nights

A scenic drive up from Los Angeles to Napa Valley takes in over 40 different grape varieties, passing places like Santa Barbara, Edna Valley, Big Sur and Hearst Castle. However, you can’t beat your final destination, Napa Valley, for sheer beauty and seriously good wines.

Try the wine: Vidal Vineyards Merlot 2005

SOUTH AMERICA

Elqui Valley, Chile

Length of Stay: 2 nights

This extraordinarily scenic wine region stretches from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Andes Mountains in the east. Despite no rain falling in the area for nearly six years and engulfed by desert, it hasn’t stopped luscious green vineyards producing incredible wines packed full of refreshing flavours. Follow the path of the Elqui river and enjoy’s nature’s amazing diversity.

Try the wine: Elqui River Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Mendoza, Argentina

Length of Stay: 3 nights

Experience red wine and steak like never before in the heart of Argentina’s wine country, Mendoza. Famed for its intense and powerful reds, the bodegas (wineries) in the area help dish up the perfect accompaniment to the unforgettable flame-grilled menu at Francis Mallmann’s Siete Fuegos Asado; the ideal place to sample a glass.

Try the wine: Fabre Montmayou Gran Reservado Malbeintensec 2012

SOUTH AFRICA

Western Cape, South Africa

Length of Stay: 3 nights

Despite being a ‘New World’ country, winemaking in South Africa dates back to 1659 and the country produces many different styles of wine. One of the best places to enjoy the sheer beauty and clarity of light on offer at South Africa is the vineyards outside of Cape Town with views over to Table Mountain.

Try the wine: The Rustler Chenin Blanc 2014