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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About US Wine Trails
US wine trails are a great option if you are looking for an interesting vacation idea. The rolling hills and picturesque scenery provide an exciting backdrop to the wine tasting and vineyard tours.
There is at least one active winery in each state, although they tend to be clustered together in certain areas because grapes grow better in certain areas, depending on the weather, soil conditions, and other aspects.
What is a Wine Trail Exactly?
Wine trails are usually a joint effort between the wineries, the department of transportation and the state's tourism bureau, which means the wine trails will have signs and marked routes along them so you can navigate your away around without getting lost.
Wine trail laws often designate certain highways as part of the trail so wineries can buy wine trail signs with arrows pointing to their locations. The signs are purple or green with a grape cluster logo. Using these is easier than trying to locate every winery separately and exploring a state you might never have been to before just by using a map.
The Best Wine Trails and Wine Tours
There are wineries from the west coast to New England and in between and one of the best things about wineries being in clusters is that it allows you to visit several in one day without driving for hours in between visits. This is why wine travel vacations are so popular.
California is perhaps the state most people think of when they think about famous wine trails and it is true that California is world famous for wine production. More than half the states in the US have wine trails though and these have clustered groups of wineries to give you a fantastic wine tasting experience. Not only can you sample the wonderful wines but you can also browse the gift shop and choose a nice wine to take home with you or choose a few different ones to keep yourself or give to friends.
As an alternative to California, why not try Iowa, Arizona, Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, or Connecticut? Each of these places has multiple wine trails and it is not necessary to travel to California for good wine if you live on the east coast or if it is really far away from you.
You can expect different flavors at each winery because no two wineries are the same. The experience should be enjoyable and most wineries have friendly, helpful staff that will help you.
Where to Stay
Where there are wineries there are hotels, guest houses, and inns that you can stay in and meet like-minded travelers and wine enthusiasts. These places might get crowded in the height of the summer and at weekends so make sure you book your room in advance.
Even if the wineries are all close to one another you might like to visit two in one day and two the next day, for example, rather than trying to cram all four into one day. Also, if you have traveled to the state for the wine trail you will need to stay for at least one night, so why not book a hotel or hostel where you can relax, meet other people, and take the time to enjoy the region as well as the wineries located there.
