FrugalMonkey Discount Travel News

Tag: wine

  • Designing a Custom Culinary Tour on a Budget

    There are lots of travel companies out there that charge big bucks for “customized” culinary or wine tours of a specific region.

    A consummate foodie who usually travels on a budget, I frequently drool over the descriptions of these tours while simultaneously starting woefully at my bank account balance. While many of these culinary tours are wonderful experiences, they are, without a doubt, hard on the budget. One day it dawned on me that, with a little planning and foresight, I could plan my own culinary trip. In this post, I give you some tips for designing your own culinary tour on a budget. Besides the obvious financial benefits of designing your own tour, you can truly customize the experience because, well, you’re the tour guide.
    • Choose a destination with a rich culinary culture. This may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but it’s important that you do a bit of preliminary research on various places to determine whether or not the culinary or wine culture is rich and varied enough to base an entire trip on. Of course, places like New York, France, Italy or Napa Valley jump to mind, but there are loads of other options. For example, Spain’s Basque region is home to unique culinary traditions, and many places throughout the U.S. (such as Minneapolis) have become havens for chef-owned restaurants. So, you don’t necessarily need to stray that far from home (which can be easier on the budget).
    • Determine your priorities. What do you want to experience? Are you most interested in where food/wine comes from (the agricultural aspects)? Perhaps you’d like to visit some farms or vineyards. Is restaurant dining your passion? Then you’ll most likely want to spend most of your time eating out. Is cooking your passion? You should concentrate on identifying opportunities for meeting chefs or taking a cooking class or two. Do you like to shop and prepare your own food while traveling? Then you’ll no doubt be visiting local specialty food shops and markets.
    • Ask like-minded travelers to share in the adventure. Culinary travel is more fun (and more budget-friendly) when you can share the experience with a travel partner or a group. Ask some of your fellow foodies to come along with you. Some of the more obvious benefits include being able to share appetizers and a variety of dishes at restaurants (being able to try a lot of different things without breaking the bank) and having someone who can help you remember the name of that delicious wine you tried during your vineyard tour. [caption id="attachment_5444" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Touring a vineyard and attending a wine tasting can be a fun, educational part of a custom culinary tour on a budget."]Travel to Chablis photo[/caption]
    • Research opportunities at your location based on your foodie priorities. Now that you’ve established your priorities, the real research begins. Search for farms or vineyards that offer tastings and private tours. Scour the Internet for restaurant reviews, locations and menus. Identify chefs you’d like to meet (if possible) or cooking schools in the area. Find out what types of specialty food shops or outdoor markets are at your destination. I think it’s helpful to organize this information in an Excel file or some other document. Make note of the opening hours of restaurants and markets and contact information for all of the places you’re interested in visiting.
    • Make reservations far in advance. It’s best to secure reservations for restaurants, tours and classes as far in advance as you possibly can, especially for popular destinations.
    • Be ready to roll with the punches. In addition to bringing your appetite you should also bring patience and a sense of humor. As with any trip, the best laid plans don’t necessarily guarantee 100% success. However, if you look at mishaps/miscommunications as opportunities instead of disappointments, you’ll get a lot more out of the experience. If a restaurant loses your lunch reservations, just think of it as a great excuse to try some of the excellent street food the area is known for.

  • Wine and dine with travel to Australia

    Bad news for Napa but excellent news for travel buffs and wine connoisseurs, Australia’s wines are making an excellent impression among industry professionals. In a recent blind taste test, wines from Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Tasmania and Western Australia competed well against Rieslings and Chardonnays from Europe and North America. So much so that despite Australia’s recent bout with bad weather, the current global economy, an invasion from harmful caterpillars and if you can believe it even more unnamed trouble with local harvests, Australian wines are garnering some serious attention. While wine regions such as Perth, Australia have been popular among wine lovers for decades (Perth has a famous wine cruise) this new increase in quality and standard is bringing wine lovers and travelers to Australia in droves.

    Australia has traditionally been known for having exceptional Chardonnays, but old vine reds and other varieties are starting to become serious contenders for the top of list among educated wine lovers. The diversity of the cold region wines produced in Australia and the quality of wines now emerging make Australia an excellent travel destination for those who love to wine and dine in the shadow of an outback sunset.


  • Check Out Wine Country in South Africa

    Wine connoisseurs and those who simply love a good wine are in heaven when traveling to South Africa.


    The wide selection of different wine flavors and wine regions mean an excellent variety of locations and tastes when visiting South Africa. There are literally hundreds of wineries scattered throughout the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa. Because of the distinctly different climates of the two regions the wines produced in each of these two regions varies greatly. This makes traveling through South African wine country a hard vacation to beat for the wine lover who is looking for new and interesting varieties.

    The most famous wine regions in South Africa are its oldest and most reputable. Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Constantia represent the largest and most famous wine regions in South Africa with a rich history in the study of viticulture and a reputation for turning out amazing varietals. Travelers will find Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and other varieties at extremely high quality.


    The beauty of the countryside is hard to beat as well. The Eastern Cape wine region is called the Hemel en Aarde Valley, which resides near whale watching piers and is an area known for its interesting turnout of white wines. Travelers to this region love the wealth of activities the Eastern Cape offers in addition to its amazing wines.

    South Africa draws a large number of tourists each year because of its gorgeous beaches. Yet, there is much more in the way of culture and wine that will bring an amazing time even to the most sophisticated or difficult to please traveler. FrugalMonkey has extensive information on South Africa as well as its wine industry. Read up on the rich history behind South African wine and then look over the outdoors activities South Africa offers its tourists. Check out this extensive section on South Africa and start planning your South African vacation now. Cheers!

  • Travel To Mendoza

    If you’re a wine lover, look no further than Mendoza, Argentina. FRUGALMONKEY has all the information on traveling to wine country in Mendoza including links to some of the best bodegas, or wineries, in Argentina. To find good travel deals to Mendoza, you must first visit either Santiago or Buenos Aires. Travel from these two capitols is frequent and fairly cheap to Argentina’s wine country. While you’re in Mendoza, sample the world famous Malbec (Argentina’s signature grape) or choose a more adventurous afternoon of rafting or rock climbing in the nearby Andes. What ever your flavor, you’ll have an excellent time visiting one of the largest and most upcoming wine countries in the world. For you rugged travelers, check out overnight buses from Santiago and Buenos Aires as well. The road is long, but luxurious and some of the best wine in the world awaits you upon your arrival. Salud!