Cheers to a cheeky glass of wine and discovering where it all started.
With so many smells and tastes to choose from, it can be hard to make sure the choice of wine is the right one. So, The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guides are ideal pocket books to give practical help and a real insight into the wine’s background.
Ideal for stocking fillers, the books, released jointly Académie du Vin Library and Club Oenologique retail at £12.99. All provide a wine history and geography, where to stay and eat in each location and wine routes for day trippers, with the following being six of the best.
Rioja by Fintan Kerr – One of the great wine regions of the world, the historic Rioja is full of hilltop villages with narrow cobbled streets, medieval walls and in the vineyards, evidence of winemaking which dates back to the Roman times. Today, ancient and modern combines and author Fintan Kerr, a Barcelona based writer is an expert on Spanish wines.
Publication Date: 15th October 2024
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781917084505
Pages: 184
Rhone Valley by Matt Walls – The wines of the Rhône Valley are among the finest in the world, made by families who have worked their land for generations. The guide introduces the winemakers with intimate knowledge of local history, geography, culture and traditions. And then there’s the food of the Rhône: olive oil, black truffles, cheese, charcuterie and the most delicious, sun-warmed tomatoes you’ll ever eat.
Publication Date: 1st September 2025
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781917084680
Tuscany by Paul Caputo – Award-winning writer Caputo takes the reader on a taste of discovery, through this wonderful region with its rolling hills and gorgeous villas. It’s a nirvana for wine lovers and the book gives tips on how to make the best of a stay from centuries-long history to the best wineries to visit, the trattorias of Montalcino and the lesser-known delights of Bolgheri.
Publication Date: 1st July 2025
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781917084611
Pages: 200
Napa Valley by Maria C Hunt – This guide is the perfect companion for the wine lover and the wine curious. Covering the history of this beautiful wine region and its visionary founders, its unique geography and the wonderful variety of wines Napa produces. The guide goes from Spring Mountain to St Helena and Carneros to Coombsville.
Publication Date: 01-06-2025
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781917084604
Pages: 200
Bordeaux by Georgie Hindle – Hindle has been writing about wine since 2011 and is a proud member of two of the oldest Bordeaux brotherhoods: La Commanderie du Bontemps du Médoc, des Graves, de Sauternes et Barsac and Les Hospitaliers de Pomerol. The guide centres on Bordeaux, the spiritual home of wine, firing the imagination of anyone who has ever pulled a cork. Bordeaux is much more than the glamour of the great estates and the book helps discover those hidden secrets.
Publication Date: 31-10-2024
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781917084512
Pages: 200
Switzerland by Simon Hardy and Marc Checkley – With its towering snow-covered peaks, storybook villages and mirror-like lakes, travellers have been drawn to Switzerland for centuries. But the wonderful wines of this unique Alpine country are less known. Switzerland is home to hundreds of grape varieties with vineyards planted on ancient stone terraces, cling to the mountain slopes. The wines of Switzerland are one of Europe’s hidden treasures and there’s never been a better time to discover them.
Publication Date: 01-09-2025
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781917084697
Pages: 200
All of these Smart Traveller’s Wine Guides are available to buy from the official website: www.academieduvinlibrary.com as well as high street and online book sellers.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Photograph courtesy of Académie du Vin Library
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