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Tag: wine tours

  • Wine Tasting Tours on the Cheap

    It’s Friday, and so many workers around the world are starting to watch the clock and anticipate that first drop of weekend wine. You could have another get together with the girls, the same old bottle of sav blanc, and trashy reality TV, or you could do something different this weekend and go wine tasting. Wine tasting sounds like a posh activity for the well-to-do, and it can be, but it’s also an excellent way for frugal travelers to pass the time.

    If you want to do things on the cheap, forget about private tours. Sure you might enjoy the intimacy and a ride in a luxury vehicle, but these tours can cost hundreds for every person in the party. Look for small wine tour operators that drive larger buses. With more people on board, these guides can keep the costs down.

    If you want to cut costs even further, consider asking a non-drinking friend or one of your pals’ teenage kids to play chauffeur. Chip in for their gas and a little extra for their trouble, and it’ll cost you next to nothing. You’ll miss out on the expert knowledge of a qualified guide, but you’ll have the flexibility of planning your own itinerary. Most wineries have comprehensive websites which display the details on their range of wines and cellar door hours so it’s easy to plan your own route.

    Wine tasting costs around the world vary significantly. In Australia, you’ll rarely pay to taste wine. In New Zealand, a small tasting fee of a few dollars is common, but you will usually recoup this if you buy a bottle or two. In America, small wineries will often offer free tastings while larger wineries tend to charge between $5 and $50 to taste their wines. Others also have a cap on the amount you can taste for free. In Europe many wineries charge between five and ten euros to taste, while others offer complementary tasting sessions.

    All that drinking is fun, but it’ll go to your head if you forget to eat. Many wineries have restaurants attached to their cellar doors, but they can be pricy. Taking a picnic lunch is a more affordable option. The world’s wineries have some beautiful outdoor areas just waiting for you to relax and refuel amongst the vines.

    Touring a vineyard and attending a wine tasting can be a fun, educational part of a custom culinary tour on a budget.
    Touring a vineyard and attending a wine tasting can be a fun, educational part of a custom culinary tour on a budget.

    While wine tasting is affordable and sometimes even free, you shouldn’t think of it as a cheap way to get liquored up. Wine makers put their heart and soul into their vintages after all. If you enjoy the wine you taste, make sure you take home a bottle or two. It’s a great souvenir of your wine tasting trip, and an excellent way to make your vacation in the vineyards last a little longer.

  • Affordable South Australian Wine Tours – See Best Wineries with Alfie

    There are many tours designed to introduce tourists to South Australia’s wine regions, but few have the relaxed, personalized service of Alfie’s Wine Tours.


    Alfie leads tours to the state's premiere wine regions: the Clare and Barossa Valleys, Adelaide Hills, and the McLaren Vale. The latter tour sets off every Thursday, whether there's only one keen wine taster or a bus full. My husband and I were lucky enough to enjoy one of those private tours on a recent Adelaide vacation. There was no missing Alfie's bright yellow bus parked outside our hotel bright and early. The 45-minute drive to the McLaren Vale passed quickly as Alfie told us all about himself and encouraged us to do the same. Alfie is a debt collector by trade, but runs the wine tours as a hobby. Clearly he loves his work, meeting people from all over the country and the world and sharing his passion for a good drop. [caption id="attachment_3860" align="alignright" width="150" caption="A Barossa Valley vineyard"][/caption] His tour takes in some of the smaller wineries in the McLaren Vale, which gives wine enthusiasts the chance to taste vintages not available in their local liquor store. Penny's Hill Wines was our first stop, a friendly winery with an extensive range of whites, reds, and dessert wines. After a little early morning tasting some tucker was in order, and Alfie obliged with an antipasto platter. After some cheese and European sausages we were ready to take on Woodstock, a small family owned winery with beautiful leafy grounds and knowledgeable, bubbly staff. We couldn’t resist taking home a bottle of their very pricey, but delicious Stocks Shiraz, along with a few other drops. Australian Boutique Premium Wines was the next stop along the tour. The name sounds fancy, but this is a back-to-basics operation set inside a rustic metal shed. Owner Bob Harrison looks to support the little guy by gathering the best boutique wines from around the country to add to his range.  The simple surrounds mattered not as we treated ourselves to bubbles, stunning whites and red, and some interesting varietals. So much wine quickly took its toll, so it was great to see lunch was next on the agenda. While we busied ourselves with more tasting at Parri Estate, Alfie cooked up a two-course lunch in the winery's parklands. With bellies full it was off to Oxenberry Farm and dessert. There was the liquid kind available, including the beautiful Right Nut Liqueur Muscat, and a fruit platter and chocolate fondue served by Alfie. Needless to say, after all that indulgence we couldn't help but doze on the way back to our hotel! There are many luxury wine tours offering private experiences and limousine travel, but if you simply want to see South Australia's wineries a trip with Alfie is much more economical, and every bit as fun. Tours start from $70 per person, including lunch.

  • Australia’s Best Shiraz at South Australia’s Wine Capital, The Barossa Valley

    Australians are wine pioneers, inventing the wine cask or wine-in-a-box and the innovative screw-cap lid. While the land Down Under has many wine regions to explore, few have the allure of South Australia’s Barossa Valley. The Barossa is located around 60 kilometers northeast of the South Australian capital of Adelaide.

    Vineyard in the Barossa Valley, South Australia
    A vineyard in the Barossa Valley, South Australia

    The region is famous for shiraz, or syrah as it’s called in many parts of Europe and The United States. Here the red wine is bold and earthy, full of flavor yet surprisingly elegant and complex. Wine buffs may come for the shiraz, but they shouldn’t dismiss the region’s other wines. The area also produces excellent grenache and cabernet sauvignon, white varieties including riesling and semillon, and even some fortified dessert wines.

    The Barossa Valley is home to around 50 wineries, so it’s ambitious for tourists to see them all.


    Big names like Jacob’s Creek, Penfolds, Wolf Blass, and Yalumba entice tourists, but the smaller boutiques are often more enticing. They’re less crowded, so guests generally enjoy a more personalized wine tasting experience. While they often have a smaller range of wines to taste, these wines tend to be perfected by the winemakers. Jenke Vineyards, Rockford, Vine Crest, and Rosenvale Wines have some of the area’s best.

    Most Barossa Valley wineries encourage travelers to stop by and sample wines at their cellar door. Complimentary wine tastings are conducted by vineyard staff or the wine makers themselves who are eager to share their knowledge of the wine varieties. Feel free to ask any questions you have to make the most of your wine tasting experience.

    The best way to see the Barossa Valley’s wineries is to join an organized wine tour. Groups including Groovy Grape Getaways, For Wine or Reason (call: 0438 388 883), and Alfie’s Wine Tours will take care of the transport, leaving you to enjoy the day’s tasting. Many tours will collect you from your accommodation and return you to your hotel at the end of the day. Wine tours typically include stops at four or five of the region’s wineries, some of the area’s other attractions, and a restaurant or winery for lunch.

    If you do hope to take a self-guided tour, ensure you are mindful of Australian drink driving laws. It is illegal for drivers to have a blood alcohol level above 0.05, which is equivalent to two standard alcohol drinks. You may be fined and have your license revoked if you exceed this limit. For that reason, it’s smart to leave the car at home if you hope to enjoy some of Barossa Valley’s finest wines.

  • Wine Tours Worldwide

    For wine lovers there is nothing better than combining your love of wine with your love for travel. It’s the perfect reason to see the world and indulge in one of your favorite hobbies. Imagine sitting back after a day beachside with a bottle of wine it would cost hundreds to obtain in the states.


    Or you could be viewing the beautiful countryside of Australia, Chile or Argentina while touring some of the most famous wine countries in the world. FrugalMonkey understands that an interest in wine fuels travel plans, so check out some of these wine specific areas that are perfect for vacationing.

    Australia Wine Tours

    Adelaide, Australia, located in Southern Australia is one of the most famous wine regions in the country. Tours of this beautiful countryside include tasting a variety of Adelaide wines, meeting winery owners and even making some of your own wines. While Australia is known for its geographic beauty and being a popular travel location, wine lovers are flocking to this popular travel location to indulge in wines not found anywhere else in the world. Check out FrugalMonkey’s entire section on Australia travel. It is fully equipped with not only wine information but travel in and around this spectacular country.

    South America Wine Tours

    South America has been a favorite tourist location and has lately been making quite a name for itself in terms of wine production. Chile and Argentina are some of the two largest exporters of wine in the world so it makes sense that wine and travel lovers alike are flocking to these two neighboring countries to see some of the world’s most geographically diverse countries and to sip some of the greatest wines being produced worldwide. Argentina specifically has a very travel friendly wine country, with Mendoza offering hundreds of miles of wineries available for tasting along with a wine fair that takes place each year in March. Check out FrugalMonkey’s section on Mendoza wine for details!