Latest News
Plan ahead for some winter sun
Why not escape the coming winter to experience the sunshine of harvest-time in the New World vineyards of South America? On an A&C tour you’ll meet the winemakers, or family members (sometimes of course this is one and the same), to host exclusive visits. The tastings that our generous hosts line up are extensive and often they’ll entertain you with a home-cooked BBQ or lavish gourmet picnic in their own homes. You can enjoy the company of your sociable travelling companions whilst A&C’s knowledgeable wine guide is on hand to put the days tastings into context.
Chile, Argentina & Uruguay 9-21 February 2010
South American wines at their best! This unique wine tour of Chile combines the opportunity to compare and contrast the wines of these three exciting countries. One of the highlights is the unique opportunity to stay as guests at a private wine estate in the Maipo Valley. This is not a hotel and is not open to the general public. It has a superb swimming pool, tennis courts and offers horse riding through the vineyards or carriage rides for the less adventurous. Each day you’ll enjoy leisurely lunches and private tastings at a selection of the top wine estates. From Chile we take the spectacular pass across the Andes, where sightings of condors are usual. In Argentina we visit Cassone, Zuccardi and Salentine. On to Uruguay we discover the powerful Tannat grape with the exuberant Daniel Pisano and at the beautiful estate of Juanico. We finish with a night in lively Buenos Aires. £3599 per person.
NEW from A&C:-
Vineyards of Chile 9-21 February 2010
Chile is 2700 miles long and sandwiched between the Andes and the Pacific. The vineyards used to be almost entirely on the hot, Central Valley floor but they have spread to cooler, more interesting regions; north and east into the Andes foothills, west to the coast area, and south, even as far as Patagonia.
Winemakers are extremely excited about what this can bring, this is ‘regionality’ in the making. Pinot is being planted near the coast; Syrah on high rocky terraces; Chardonnay on the cool plateau with limey soil. To say the results are encouraging is a huge understatement, Chile is buzzing. This tour offers the chance to meet the key winemakers at this critical time for the Chilean wine industry. £3499 per person.
January 2011 quite genuinely sees a wine cruise with an extraordinary difference - The Galapagos Islands & Wine Cruise, 28 January -5 February 2011 - this is the first cruise of it’s kind to involve an exploration of The Galapagos Islands combined with spectacular onboard wine tastings every evening followed by a first class dinner with further wines. The wines selected quite naturally come from the rest of the continent, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay (Ecuador has no wine worth mentioning). An exceptional selection of wines will be brought onto the ship from the best South American producers to demonstrate how the South American wine industry is maturing into an industry of innovative winemakers producing stellar wines. Explorations on the islands are led by naturalist guides and as sailing takes place at night a full day is available at each island with plenty of time to experience the stunning flora and fauna and the spectacular species of wildlife indigenous to the Galapagos.
The best way to illustrate this cruise is for you to visit our website: http://www.winetours.co.uk/tours/view/214/galapagos-islands-wine-cruise
This will provide a full itinerary, explaining which islands are visited, cruise ship and cabin information, water sports, visits and tour images including a video.
For full details of Arblaster & Clarke Wine Tours please call +44 (0) 1730 263111 or visit www.winetours.co.uk
