Munskänkarna, (*) the large Swedish association for wine tasters and wine enthusiasts, recently conducted a survey among its members about which wine regions they prefer to travel to or have travelled to. The three wine regions that came out on top as destinations for wine tours were:
- Champagne
- Piedmont
- Tuscany
It is clear that wine enthusiasts are eager to travel and discover the wine where it is made. Of the regions in the top ten, we at BKWine organise tours to almost all of them.
Three hundred nineteen members of the Munskänkarnas association participated in the survey. Of these, 87% had at some point been to a wine region to taste wines and to learn more.
The entire top-ten list looks like this:
- Champagne
- Piedmont
- Tuscany
- Moselle
- Loire
- Alsace
- Alto Adige
- Bordeaux
- Burgundy
- Douro
There are no big surprises on the list. It is clear that the desire to travel is closely related to which wines are currently popular. Five years ago, Veneto (with Soave and amarone) would certainly have been on the list — after all, amarone was for a long time one of the Swedes’ favourite wines — but today, amarone wines have lost (a little) in popularity, and this is reflected in the most desirable wine destinations.
Champagne, Piedmont (Barolo in particular) and Tuscany are the Swedes’ favourite wines today. It is, of course, also visible in how popular BKWine’s tours are to these destinations. However, it is clear that the first two have a huge lead in popularity over number three.
Mosel is a destination that sometimes appears on our travel program, but not often. The fact that this German district is so high on the list has probably a lot to do with the fact that it is one of the closest wine districts for an excursion from Sweden. A bit like Champagne being very popular with Belgians or Brits.
The Loire is an old classic that has long been a bit in the shadow but has now received a well-deserved renaissance. It is a district with great wines, both whites and reds, often undervalued. A popular destination with us too.
Alsace used to be a popular wine region, but for quite some time now, it has been struggling against the odds on store shelves. That is unfortunate because they make great wines. The popularity of Alsace and its high position on this list can partly be attributed to its northern location, making it easy for Swedes to go there (often by car).
Alto Adige is an adorably beautiful wine region in northeastern Italy. It is not very well known, and there are not many wines from there in Sweden. But it has been named Munskänkarna’s Wine Region of the Year 2023 which undoubtedly is what placed it on this list. We at BKWine have had it in mind several times, but it has never made it onto our travel programme. But if you’re interested — perhaps your entire wine-tasting group — we’ll happily arrange a tailor-made trip there.
Bordeaux and Burgundy are two of the most classic and prestigious wine travel destinations. Two great French classics. These are, of course, two wine regions that the true wine enthusiast wants to visit at least once. They are just as big classics on our wine tour program. The very first wine tour we did, privately arranged for friends, was to Bordeaux in 1986. There are probably few who know Bordeaux and Burgundy as well as we do. We do tours there several times a year.
And finally, in tenth place, the Douro Valley. Portugal also takes a spot on the list, alongside France, Italy and Germany, with the Douro. It is evidently a district that attracts Swedes, despite the long journey there. It’s easy to understand why. Of course, they make brilliant wines, and the city of Porto is a truly charming gem. But it’s the vineyard landscape up by the river that makes this region so special. One of the world’s most spectacular wine landscapes, breathtakingly beautiful.
If you want to travel to one of these wine regions, just get in touch!
And we do wine tours to plenty of other destinations that you can enjoy with us too.
Can you find a better wine tour? A wine tour operator you can trust more? Which can give you a better wine experience and more insight and pleasure? Commercially independent of the wine producers and therefore able to take you to the best visits.
Sweden’s longest-operating and most experienced wine tour operator and no doubt a similar place worldwide. Author of 11 award-winning books, including a course book for Munskänkarna. International consultants in wine tourism. NE-Nationalencyclopedia’s wine editors. Writers at Forbes.com. International wine judges. The only Swedish wine writers regularly quoted internationally on, e.g. Wine Business Monthly, OIV, and others. Just to mention a few things.
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