BKWine Tours | the wine and food tour specialist

A young wine country with big ambitions | wine tour New Zealand

Britt Karlsson — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:11:04 +0000

URGENT! Book now!

New Zealand is a faraway country that has a lot to offer wine lovers. But that’s certainly not all. Nature lovers and, not least, foodies will also get their fill.

On our odyssey through the country (adventurous, though not quite as adventurous as the original), we experience the country’s largest city, Auckland, beautifully situated by the sea, and the capital, Wellington, also by the sea.

In fact, you are rarely far from the sea in New Zealand. This also applies to the wine regions. We visit Waiheke Island, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Marlborough and Central Otago.

We visit pioneers (New Zealand is a young wine country) and newly established, enthusiastic winegrowers. There is a lot of dynamism in New Zealand’s wine regions. With its relatively cool climate, wines with beautiful freshness are produced, which many consumers are looking for today.

We visit both small family-owned vineyards and some larger producers.

Our lunches are often at the wineries, where we take the opportunity to taste even more of the estate’s wines, along with specialities such as salmon, lamb, local cheeses, mussels, and other seafood (we will eat the famous lobster from Kaikoura, of course).

There will also be time to visit Rotorua, known for its geysers and mud pools. And plenty more.

Join us on this adventure and discover a different wine country, far away. We promise you many surprises. Good ones!

Come on this stunning wine tour to New Zealand with both Britt and Per of BKWine, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators (*).

New Zealand, 10-25 March 2027

URGENT!

Book now!

Watch this introductory video about our New Zealand wine tour.

(*) And the only one who has authored 13 award-winning wine books.

More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour: See pictures and videos from New Zealand in the latest wine tour’s Facebook group.

Wine Travel at Its Finest

When you travel with BKWine, you travel with true wine authorities: Britt and Per Karlsson. For over 20 years, we have personally created and led hundreds of tours for thousands of wine lovers across Europe, South Africa, South America, and Oceania. We are the authors of 13 award-winning books, recognised by the Swedish Academy of Gastronomy, Gourmand International, and the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). Our publications are frequently used as core material in both professional and enthusiast wine education.

Our expertise is globally recognised. We have been named “Best Wine Guide” and “Best Wine Tour Operator” by the Wine Travel Awards, and our journeys have been hailed as the “World’s Top Wine Tours” by the world’s leading travel media. Beyond our tours, we write in-depth on wine for BKWine Magazine and are regular contributors to Forbes.com and frequently serve as expert judges in prestigious international wine competitions. We have also acted as speakers and advisors on wine tourism for organisations, regions and nations including the UN (UNWTO), The World Bank, Vinitaly, Ukraine, the Languedoc and others.

Our mission is to provide you with an unparalleled wine and culinary experience. The gastronomy on our tours is legendary. Because we personally design every itinerary and have visited thousands of estates over the decades, we know exactly where to find the most authentic people and the most unique, hidden gems. We don’t always take you to “the big and famous”—that would be too easy. Instead, we focus on unique rencontres: meaningful encounters with people, wine, and food.

We aren’t here to sell you bottles; we are here to provide a profound wine experience and memories that last a lifetime—all while ensuring you have a truly wonderful time. When you choose BKWine, you are travelling with the experts, with Britt and Per, who created the journey, ensuring you receive the very best experience possible.

Continue reading: A young wine country with big ambitions | wine tour New Zealand

The post A young wine country with big ambitions | wine tour New Zealand was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Britt Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

Where to eat in Auckland? Restaurant recommendations, New Zealand

Per Karlsson — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:23:11 +0000

Auckland has no shortage of restaurants, but finding the right place for a relaxed dinner in the city centre can be surprisingly difficult. The waterfront and harbour is full of restaurants, some with great views, but many are busy, noisy and touristy. Not our style. Instead, this guide gives you our personal recommendations to places that have good food, comfortable and calm atmosphere and are within walking distance. In addition to those we have tried ourselves, we give you some more that look like promising candidates for a future visit on our next wine tour in New Zealand. We have also included a few wine bars. This list will give you a good wine and food start to your tour of the country (hopefully on the BKWine NZ wine tour).

Auckland is New Zealand’s biggest city. This is where our wine tour of New Zealand starts. It is right on the water, with a busy leisure boat and commercial harbour out towards the Hauraki Gulf. It is built on a dormant volcanic field, which one can clearly see from the shape of the surrounding hills. The central part of Auckland (where our hotel is located) is called Auckland CBD (Central Business District).

Here are a few restaurant recommendations in Auckland. All are within walking distance from the downtown area near the ferry terminal (CBD, Central Business District) where most hotels are located, and certainly the one where you will be staying if you join our New Zealand tour.

The recommendations are partially based on our own experience as well as on information I have gathered from other sources (which may then be less accurate but still inspirational).

What we look for are restaurants that offer:

Good but not necessarily luxurious food. Our wine tours lunches are usually very high quality with several dishes, so in the evening it can be nice with something simple and relaxing. I rarely go for “star chef level” in the evening on our tours.
I abhor loud music in a restaurant. Why go for dinner with someone if you have to shout to talk?
I don’t want “you all share it on the table”. I want to choose my food.
I don’t want set menus where I can’t choose. (That’s partially because in the evenings, I might just want a single dish, after our copious lunches.)
Good wines is a plus but it is not an important point (we get plenty of good wines at visits and lunches.)

There are plenty of restaurants in downtown Auckland. Many of them tend to have loud (or very loud) music, which I can’t stand, so I try to avoid them. Quite a few are clustered around three areas:

The Viaduct Basin

A very busy and very crowded area, so crowded and noisy that I mostly avoid it, but definitely an area that’s worth taking a look at, if nothing else for the views around the harbour. Many of the eating places are rather touristy but have a good view over the harbour. The Viaduct Basin has an impressive collection of sailing and motor yachts.

North Wharf

Is just beyond the viaduct, both facing the sea and on Jelico Street. There are plenty of restaurants, mostly quite bustling. Beer and burger, lots of Asian restaurants (an Asian street food place at the end if you like that), the fish market, which is both a fish market and a few quite simple fish restaurants, an Italian (Baduzzi) that is quite okay but with a modest wine selection, and much more. Nice but not our favourite, except for the view.

But it can be more fun and enjoyable to search out some of the other places if you want a good place to enjoy your first few evenings in New Zealand and sample the wines and the gastronomy. For example, not far at all:

Britomart

Is on the other side of the ferry station. Named not after a British market but after an 1840 warship. Several restaurants of varying types in this area. It is a bit calmer here.

Restaurants where we have been

Recommendations for places that we have personally visited and liked.

(Keep in mind that the restaurant scene can change rapidly; some disappear and some sprout.)

Advieh

1 Queen Street, Intercontinental Hotel. Modern Middle Eastern-inspired cuisine. Quite nice and quiet, a little bit up-market but not too much (in the Hotel InterContinental). https://www.adviehrestaurant.com/

Alma

In the Britomart area. Spanish-inspired with a slightly confusing menu (a mix of small dishes and proper dishes), but very nice food and not too loud music. Lots of Spanish wines (!) with a few NZ wines made from Spanish grape varieties, which is fun. https://www.alma.nz/

The Living Room

At the Park Hyatt (next to the Wynyard Crossing (the viaduct) in the Viaduct Basin harbour). Relaxed and calm bistro, excellent wagyu burger and fries. Quite calm. I usually don’t like hotel restaurants, but this was good. https://www.parkhyattsydneydining.com/the-living-room They also have Onemata that is more trendy and upmarket. At the back, they have The Pantry, a nice and calm cafe with delicious sandwiches and other food.

Café Hanoi

Next to the “Ghost Street” restaurant in Britomart, is a pretty nice Asian resto. A bit noisy (we’re really sensitive to noise…). Good choice for Asian food (not necessarily Vietnamese). https://cafehanoi.co.nz/

Orbit 360

At the top of the Sky Tower. Luxury restaurant with unbeatable views. Rotates while you eat (but slow – if you get dizzy, it’s because of something else…). https://skycityauckland.co.nz/restaurants/orbit/

Botswana Butchery

In the Ferry Terminal building. I have not been there, but we usually have our farewell dinner on the New Zealand wine tour at Botswana Butchery in Queenstown, and that’s excellent, so I assume this is too. Seems often quite busy. https://botswanabutchery.nz/auckland/

Tacoteca

1/90 Wellesley Street West, rather different, taco place, spicy and rather noisy (loud music) – but if you like tacos… Odd but quiet location next to a gym hall and parking place. https://www.tacoteca.co.nz/

Onslow

9 Princes Street. This is the restaurant of Josh Emett (a renowned NZ chef). It is sophisticated, located in a beautiful building. It’s elegant, the service is professional, and the food is refined Kiwi-European. A bit on the posh/fine dining side in a quiet part of town. 15 min walk from the ferry terminal and our hotel. https://www.onslow.nz/

Fuga Japanese Brasserie

Japanese, yes. Brasserie, no. Not sure I want to mention this because it is our own small, secret, calm and quiet, very simple oasis place… But okay! A very small Japanese restaurant close to the Sky Tower. Very simple, very basic, but we had very nice sushi, and it was calm and quiet. It may be worth checking if they do BYOB, since the wine choice was limited. https://fuga.co.nz/

Restaurants where we have not been

But that looks interesting from recommendations and what I have seen about them. So, comments are not ours, except the comment at the very end of each commentary:

Amano

Britomart. “Italian-inspired powerhouse located in a beautiful heritage warehouse. While it is popular, the high ceilings and open layout prevent it from feeling clubby and busy.” https://savor.co.nz/amano. Looks pretty nice.

Ebisu

Britomart. “Contemporary Japanese. Located in a historic warehouse. It has high ceilings and spacious booths, which helps keep the noise levels down compared to its neighbours. The food is exquisite (don’t miss the Ebi Mayo or the Black Cod), and the wine and sake list is one of the best in the city. It’s polished without being ‘luxury-stiff’.” https://savor.co.nz/ebisu

Ghost Street

Britomart. “Modern Chinese. Located in a basement beneath Britomart, this place is the definition of “moody.” It’s dimly lit with recycled timber and exposed brick. It’s underground and tucked away; it doesn’t get the “walk-in” bar crowd that makes places like Cafe Hanoi noisy. It feels like a private club. The food focuses on Xi’an and Hong Kong Flavors (biang biang noodles, scallop wontons).” https://ghoststreetakl.nz/menu/. It’s next to Café Hanoi as well as another restaurant that looks pretty nice.

Ahi

Level 2, Commercial Bay, 7 Queen Street. Next to InterContinental Hotel. Upmarket NZ food. https://ahirestaurant.co.nz . Also runs Origine Bistro, 172 Quay Street, Auckland CBD, NZ-style French food. Both are in the shopping centre in front of the ferry terminal.

Some new short additions to consider (that we haven’t been to yet)

The restaurant scene changes fast. Here are some that I only heard of recently but that look like good candidates:

Mr Morris

Britomart. “Next door to Café Hanoi, and does inventive Pacific-influenced New Zealand food. ‘relaxed and welcoming’. Its wine list is specifically curated to work with the food rather than being an afterthought.” https://www.mrmorris.nz/ Looks nice, slightly sophisticated.

Hugo’s Bistro

Shortland Street, “only a few minutes’ walk from the ferry terminal and has a more intimate, European-bistro character.” https://hugosbistro.co.nz/

Bossi

Italian, in the heart of Britomart. https://www.bossi.co.nz/

Kingi

Britomart. “It is the seafood restaurant at Hotel Britomart, with a strong sustainable/local-produce angle.” https://www.kingibritomart.com/

And then, some wine places (that I haven’t been to yet)

Just some inspiration for you to explore, suggestions for wine bars with wine by the glass:

Ground Wine Bar, 10 O’Connell Street.
Somm Wine Bar & Bistro Shed 22, Princes Wharf
The Wine Room by David Nash, 2/43 College Hill
My Bar — 12 Durham Street East
Ortolana, 31–33 Tyler St, Britomart.

Here’s a Google Map with place markers for these restaurants in Auckland.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1O7Lhs47pCHW6ue3xG9N0lgcOnH9RBhg&usp=sharing

Please add your own favourites by posting a comment, or give us comments on the ones I mention (in a comment).

Continue reading: Where to eat in Auckland? Restaurant recommendations, New Zealand

The post Where to eat in Auckland? Restaurant recommendations, New Zealand was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Per Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

Wine, food and spectacular sceneries: A fascinating journey through Chile and Argentina | wine tour

Britt Karlsson — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:33:17 +0000

Argentina is one of the world’s largest wine countries. Tradition and European influences meet the dramatic landscapes of the Andes. In Mendoza, vineyards spread out at the foot of snow-capped mountains, and modern bodegas like architectural wonders coexist with family-owned farms.

We stay in Mendoza for a few days to experience this landscape and taste some truly great wines. Then we cross the mighty Andes, a magnificent journey that takes the whole day. We enjoy lunch at a high altitude (10,500 ft), just before we come to the border crossing.

On the Chilean side, the Pacific breeze and the coastal cities of Viña del Mar, Casablanca, Valparaíso and San Antonio await. Here, the cool winds help produce elegant, fresh wines.

The tour continues to Colchagua, home to cabernet sauvignon, carménère, and, of course, a pisco sour or two. Throughout the journey, we enjoy delicious asados for lunch with the wine producers and fantastic private wine tastings at some of these two countries’ most prominent wine producers. A great treat.

Come on this exciting wine tour to Argentina and Chile with Britt and Per of BKWine, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators (*).

Chile-Argentina, 11-24 January 2027

Book now!

(*) And the only one who has authored 13 award-winning wine books.

More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour: See pictures and videos from Chile and Argentina in the latest wine tour’s Facebook group.

Wine Travel at Its Finest

Continue reading: Wine, food and spectacular sceneries: A fascinating journey through Chile and Argentina | wine tour

The post Wine, food and spectacular sceneries: A fascinating journey through Chile and Argentina | wine tour was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Britt Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

The green country with the long coast and the great wines | wine tour New Zealand

Britt Karlsson — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 07:15:49 +0000

New Zealand is a wine country where nature plays a central role. Here, dramatic mountains, green valleys and the big ocean are always close by.

We start the tour on the North Island. We visit Auckland, Wellington, and the wine regions of Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Martinborough. We’ll have an exciting ferry ride to the South Island. Here, the wine regions stretch from sunny Marlborough, with its world-famous sauvignon blanc, to the slightly cooler, but equally sunny, Central Otago, where pinot noir develops a full-bodied yet very elegant character.

Each region offers a unique combination of climate, soil and views that make every new place we stop at a nature experience. Even the rest-room stops on the tour are small touristic mini-experiences. (This may sound odd but it is actually true. Join us and you will see!)

We taste wines at small family-owned farms and sometimes at larger producers. We walk among rolling vineyards and enjoy local gastronomy, such as fresh fish, seafood, lamb, and delicious cheeses. In between tastings, you will have time to discover the country’s wild beaches, alpine peaks and geothermal landscapes.

We taste a lot of wine, but there will be a perfect balance between wine, food and magnificent New Zealand nature.

Join us on this adventure and discover a different wine country, far away. We promise you many surprises. Good ones!

Come on this stunning wine tour to New Zealand together with Britt and Per of BKWine, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators (*).

New Zealand, 10-25 March 2027

Book now!

(*) And the only one who has authored 13 award-winning wine books.

Wine Travel at Its Finest

Continue reading: The green country with the long coast and the great wines | wine tour New Zealand

The post The green country with the long coast and the great wines | wine tour New Zealand was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Britt Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

Burgundy and Champagne, a tour with the best French wine and food | an exceptional behind-the-scenes wine tour

Britt Karlsson — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 07:15:36 +0000

Burgundy feels unpretentious in many ways. Small-scale, small cellars, basic equipment, simple tasting rooms, friendly people. It’s almost paradoxical, because in the middle of this unpretentious environment, some of the world’s most sought-after wines are created, sometimes at breath-taking prices. During our days in the Côte d’Or region of Burgundy you will realise that world-class doesn’t have to look fancy.

Enjoy fantastic wines (both premier and grand cru) and Burgundian cuisine, which is often traditional homemade cooking, it goes incredibly well together! Our six-grand-cru lunch is quite something to remember. Discuss with producers and you’ll get an insight that is difficult to get from books. And last but not least, enjoy the picturesque little town of Beaune, a gem.

After enjoying some of the best wines in the Côte d’Or, we will travel north and stop in Chablis, taste some wines and have a lovely lunch.

We then continue on to Reims, the capital of Champagne. Champagne may feel the competition from other sparkling wines around the world – from Franciacorta to Prosecco and everything in between – but champagne is still one of the strongest wine brands in the wine world. It is worth its weight in gold.

But Champagne is no stranger to change and to experimenting with new methods, new styles and new ways of expressing terroir. The climate has also changed. The grapes ripen better today than they did just a generation ago. It is a positive change (for Champagne) and perhaps we see already a slight shift in the taste profile, a slightly rounder fruit. We will hear more about this on site.

The producers are happy to tell us how they are adapting, how they are thinking about the future and how they see the balance between tradition and innovation. All while we try beautiful champagnes in different styles.

Join us for a behind‑the‑scenes deep dive on this Burgundy-Champagne tour, where we also enjoy some truly delicious lunches, always accompanied by top-quality Burgundy or different styles of Champagne.

Come on this exceptional tour to two of the world’s most respected wine regions with BKWine, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators (*).

Burgundy – Champagne Grand Tour, 23 September – 1 October

Book now!

(*) And the only one who has authored 13 award-winning wine books.

Wine Travel at Its Finest

Continue reading: Burgundy and Champagne, a tour with the best French wine and food | an exceptional behind-the-scenes wine tour

The post Burgundy and Champagne, a tour with the best French wine and food | an exceptional behind-the-scenes wine tour was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Britt Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

Bordeaux, a reference point in the world of wine and a must to visit | wine tour

Britt Karlsson — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:19:45 +0000

Bordeaux has long been one of the great reference points in the world of wine, loved and imitated. But even here, things are changing. Consumer tastes are changing, and although a classic Bordeaux never goes out of style, there is a clear shift in the expression of the region.

More and more producers are making wines that are meant to be enjoyed earlier. You shouldn’t need a deep wine cellar or decades of patience to appreciate a good Bordeaux.

During the tour, we will try a variety of different styles: from lighter, fruitier expressions to the more austere and structured ones that have made the region famous. We will visit some of the large, famous châteaux – Château Lascombes, Château Beychevelle, Chateau Haut-Bailly just to name a few – but also the small family-owned estates where you can meet the people behind the wines and get a feel for the craft.

In fact, those who just focus on “the big and famous”, they really do miss out on what is much of the essence and soul of Bordeaux; a bit like being content to see a glossy poster of Mona Lisa instead of seeing the real thing. This tour is for those who want to see the real thing in Bordeaux.

We will also stop in Sauternes for a wonderful lunch at a Michelin starred restaurant. Other lunches will be in private salon of the chateaux. The gastronomy on our Bordeaux tour is extraordinary.

Bordeaux is big, complex and endlessly fascinating. Come along and get to know Médoc, Graves, Sauternes, Saint-Émilion and Entre-Deux-Mers, five areas with completely different personalities.

Enjoy châteaux lunches, exquisite wines and that special feeling of being in the middle of one of the world’s most dynamic wine regions.

Come and discover French wine and food in Bordeaux on this luxurious wine tour with BKWine, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators (*).

Book now!

Bordeaux wine tour, 13-19 September

(*) And the only one who has authored 13 award-winning wine books, one of which is on Bordeaux wines.

We can add that we have also written an award-winning book about Bordeaux.

Continue reading: Bordeaux, a reference point in the world of wine and a must to visit | wine tour

The post Bordeaux, a reference point in the world of wine and a must to visit | wine tour was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Britt Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

A young wine entrepreneur making a name in Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina | Britt on Forbes

Per Karlsson — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:58:52 +0000

Mendoza in Argentina has made a huge success of growing malbec and selling it to the world. It started at the end of the 1980s. Malbec from Argentina became a brand. For a while, everyone was happy, producers as well as consumers. But things have changed. The grape is no longer enough. Now, ambitious producers in Mendoza are looking to give their wines a local identity. We take a closer look at the now-famous Paraje Altamira GI in Uco Valley, southern Mendoza, and talk to Nicolas Goldberg at Finca La Igriega.

Including an overview of Argentinian wine production.

Read more in Britt’s article on BKWine Magazine, originally published on Forbes: Finca La Igriega focusses on local Identity in Paraje Altamira, Argentina | Britt on Forbes.

Travel: Come on a wine tour to Chile and Argentina with BKWine.

See: See pictures and videos from Chile and Argentina in the latest wine tour’s Facebook group.

Continue reading: A young wine entrepreneur making a name in Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina | Britt on Forbes

The post A young wine entrepreneur making a name in Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina | Britt on Forbes was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Per Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

How to make the most of your wine tour to Italy (or elsewhere) | Per on Forbes

Per Karlsson — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:03:30 +0000

Most of us have felt it: standing in front of a restaurant wine list in Italy, utterly overwhelmed, or wandering in front of a wine shop shelf full of unfamiliar names. Elisabetta Tosi’s new book “Sip Easy” tackles exactly that problem, but not in the way you’d expect. This isn’t another book about grape varieties, appellations, or regional facts. Instead, it’s a practical survival kit for actually enjoying wine on the ground: what to say, how to order, when to trust the waiter, and why the wines you loved on holiday might not be there on your local market (but that’s okay). Per reviews the book, finding in it much of the same philosophy he brings to his own wine travels and wine tours: be curious, seek out the unfamiliar, and trust the place. Tosi’s advice, he notes, works just as well in France or Spain as it does in Italy.

You travel to Italy, and you want to thoroughly enjoy the wine and the food on your trip. Elisabetta Tosi’s book “Sip Easy — The Relaxed Traveler’s Guide To Navigate Italian Wine With Confidence,” is an excellent guide, but not at all as you would expect.

Originally published on Forbes.com, this article is republished here in an expanded form with additional context, content, updates, and editorial insights relevant to BKWine Magazine readers and other wine-lovers.

Why do we travel to wine regions, go on wine tours? To tick famous names off the dreaded bucket list and drink more of what we have at home (but perhaps cheaper)? Or is travelling in wine country a way to go beyond what we are already familiar with and hope for pleasurable surprises, explore and discover. Maybe even jump into the unknown. If you are more like the latter, like I am, Elisabetta Tosi’s new book is for you.

Elisabetta Tosi is a long-established and respected Italian wine journalist. She is a specialist on Veneto and Valpolicella but have travelled extensively around all of Italy, and taken foreign visitor around wine regions, seen their plight and confusion facing the wine list at a restaurant or the uncertainties on how to get the best out of a wine tour.

Her new book “Sip Easy” is presented as a guide for those who plan to go to Italy and who want to make the most of their time to enjoy wine and learn about it on-site. You might expect it to be full of information about Italian wine regions, grape varieties, appellations, etc. It is not. It is totally different.

Instead, Sip Easy is a practical handbook on what to say, what to do, and how to behave to get as much out of your vinous time in Italy. In fact, it says next to nothing about wine regions, grapes and the rest.

And yet, it is brilliant. It is probably the best handbook you can find to really enjoy and discover Italian wine. “Not a travel guide or a wine course, but an Italian Wine Survival Kit!” says to presentation.

As a bonus, the same method will serve you exactly as well in any other country you will visit on your wine travels.

How to just simply enjoy wine without wine courses

It tells you how to explore the wine country you’re travelling in from a practical perspective, what to do and say in restaurants, how to find the most exciting wines, how to avoid the tourist traps, and how to make sure you get as memorable experiences as possible.

It is idiosyncratic and a bit quirky. And it is almost always exactly right, spot on, in its advice.

It is a practical handbook that has the ambition to remove the anxiety you might feel when diving into the sometimes unbearably complex Italian wine world.

“In Italy, wine is not simply a beverage. It is culture, history, storytelling, family memories, landscapes, art, and much more. Wine is one of the most authentic connections to your heritage and land.”

In Italy (or in France, or in Spain…) you don’t just drink a glass of wine. You drink culture and history too.

“It’s likely you feel overwhelmed by the Italian wine world when you are in Italy. Sometimes, even the passion of Italians when they speak about wine can feel a bit much,” says Elisabetta Tosi.

Wine is different in Italy

Her book is a guide to get around all that and make you comfortable navigating wine in Italy. It also explains some of the sometimes curious (curious for foreigners) habits and traditions around wine in Italy.

Here are some examples:

Do not expect to find soft, smooth poolside-sipping wines in Italy. “Wine in Italy is made to accompany food.” And it does it excellently. With food, you want wines with some tannins and good acidity, and that’s exactly what you get in Italian wines.

Booking and paying for a tasting and visit cost

One vital piece of advice in Tosi’s book is about organising a visit. Yes, there are wineries that you can visit that don’t require a booking. You can just drop in, get a tasting, buy bottles if you want and maybe even get something to eat. But that is usually the big touristy places with visits that are good for those who just want a drink, not so good for those who want to get some insight into what the winery does.

So, for all except the biggest and most touristy wineries it is essential to contact them in advance and arrange for a visit. Yes, it is a constraint. But it is also, in a way, a show of respect. The winery is more often than not a small family business and they’re not just sitting around waiting for visitors to arrive, they’re busy somewhere running the business.

A visit and a tasting can cost anything from nothing to well over 100 euro. Usually, bigger places are more expensive. Sometimes the price is waived (reimbursed) if you buy some bottles. If the visit is free, then you should out of courtesy at least, buy a few bottles. Hopefully they were good. Most certainly they were good. Elisabetta Tosi explains the intricacies of this in great detail.

As an aside (not relating to the book), I can add that as a tour operator often organising wine tours in Italy, we sometimes find the pricing of visits in Italy puzzling, and sometimes incongruent. Some wineries in Italy charge hefty fees, say 50-70 euros or more for a tasting of four basic-range wines. Expensive and not memorable. This happens surprisingly often in Italy (more often than in other countries). High price for not much value.

Why not take the opportunity to dazzle the visitor with something special and memorable instead? They have the opportunity to turn the visitor into ambassador for their wines but instead they offer a very modest experience. But for the visitor used to Napa Valley tasting pricing, everything will look cheap.

Pay for the bread?

Often in Italy, the bill has a small charge for “coperto”, often explained on the bill as the charge for the bread, and it is there even if you did not ask for bread.

“I had to pay for coperto at the restaurant, but I did not order the bread!”

This is a very old tradition going back to the Middle Ages (that also exists in some other European countries) for giving you space at the restaurant and a roof over your head. Tosi pointedly notes that this is insignificant compared to the almost compulsory and today next to exorbitant tip practiced in the US. So why be upset?

I had a great wine but I can’t find it at home

Some wine travellers are disappointed by the fact that some of the great wines they tasted when travelling are not available at home.

“Accept that some wines exist only where they’re made,” says Tosi.

But I’d say it is broader than that. One of the main points of travelling is exactly that, to find things that are not available at home.

And anyway, not all markets have all wines. This is sometimes particularly painful to realise for travellers coming from the Swedish monopoly market who sometimes thing that everything is available in Sweden…

There is, of course, the possibility to a) ship the wines from the producer (not always easy), or b) find out if the producer you like has an importer near you.

Is tradition quality?

Tosi also has some more concrete information on how to understand the Italian wine classification system. For example, DOC (denomianzionen di origine controllata) and DOCG (denomianzionen di origine controllata e garantita), reserve, classico, superiore and some other things you can find on a label do not necessarily indicate quality; instead they are signs that the wines adhere to certain rules and regulations and come from a specific place, often very closely linked to tradition.

For this reason, it can pay to go outside or beyond these honorific denominations and try a “simple” IGT or even a “vino di tavola”. Think back a few decades and you may recall when the now famous super-tuscans became famous: rebels (at the time) refusing the regulations and therefor selling their wines as simple vino di tavola. Now are they among the most famous.

Selecting wine in restaurants and wine shops

Tosi has a number of excellent pieces of advice on how to order and drink wine in a restaurant.

Some Do’s: Do ask for advice. Do trust local wines. Do let the waiter pour first. Do hold the glass by the stem.

Some Don’ts: Don’t ask for ice in your wine (this, however, can be quite okay in some instances, a hot summer day when the wine is served too warm, and it is of very modest quality). Don’t smell the cork (you won’t notice anything anyway). Don’t fill the glass too much. Don’t lift up your glass to meet the bottle… Don’t order sweet soft drinks with the food – Italians believe sugary drinks ruin the taste of good food (and right they are!).

But most importantly: “Relax. Italians care about wine, but they care even more about enjoying the moment. A smile and a bit of curiosity will always be appreciated, even if you break a rule or two…”

When ordering wine in a restaurant, or buying wine in a shop, she has another excellent suggestion. Many people would start looking for something they recognise, “Ah, finally a wine I recognise; I’ll take that”. That is exactly the wrong way to go if you want to discover the exciting Italian wine landscape. And I absolutely agree with her on this. “When examining a wine list or shop shelf, mentally sort options into ‘grapes I’ve heard of’ and ‘grapes I haven’t heard of.’ And then, start with the second category.”

That is the perfect advice to make you come home from Italy with more knowledge and more enjoyable wine experiences. When you have the opportunity, choose a grape you don’t recognise, a wine region you have never heard of, a producer that you are not at all familiar with. Try something new and something different. Why would you travel far away to taste things that you can taste at home?

Pairing food and wine

Another thorny subject that Tosi broaches in the book is pairing food and wine. Her advice is simple: pairing wine and food is not complex; it is simple, not thorny at all. This is a subject that so many authors have spent pages and pages on trying to explain to us how to find the perfect match. The perfect match does not exist. Except at a specific location at a specific occasion – then, it can be perfect.

The simplest rule is “combine local with local”, but then again, that is just practical. Conventional rules are at best just that, conventional; at worst, bad advice. Be daring, be curious. Don’t over-think it.

One thing Tosi mentions is something that people rarely talk about, but that makes much sense: “drink with the seasons”. Certain foods are on the menu, or on the market, in springtime: asparagus, young pecorino, lamb, and they go well with spring-type wines. In autumn, the season is for more solid food, for example stews. That’s the season for more solid wines, time for the Piemontese wines, the Bolgheris, the Puglian wines.

Or to use Tosi’s final words on it: “The Italian approach to wine pairing isn’t really about wine at all. It’s about the place. At some point during your trip, you will sit at a table that’s slightly wobbly, on a terrace overlooking something beautiful, and someone will put a plate of food in front of you that you didn’t entirely understand when you ordered it, alongside a glass of a wine you likely have never heard of, made from a grape you can’t pronounce. And everything will be perfect. Not because you followed a rule, but because you trusted the place. That’s the Italian way.”

A book for the curious wine lover

“Sip Easy — The Relaxed Traveler’s Guide To Navigate Italian Wine With Confidence,” is a self-published book available on Amazon. As such, it is not the most elegant book, but in a way, that is a reflection of the message it has. Don’t over-complicate things and don’t judge a wine by a fancy label (or a book by a fancy design). Sip Easy is available on Amazon here (and also on other national sites). It’s a small investment for a much greater enjoyment.

It may look a bit overwhelming with a book with so many pages that doesn’t teach you the facts about Italian wines, but just how to “behave”. And I might not agree with every single advice. For example, it is perfectly acceptable (to me) to add ice to a wine if it is served too warm and not of any noteworthy quality. And I am not sure that it makes sense to use some of the Italians phrases in the book when you won’t understand the answer anyway. But why now? At list it will create a smile.

But Sip Easy is a perfect travel companion, short enough to read on the plane to Italy, and full of tips that will make you enjoy your wine exploration more. A book for the curious wine enthusiast. But the advice is not only valid for Italy, but the same advice also works just as well in France or Spain and in almost any other wine region. Be curious. Ask questions. Don’t go looking for what you can find at home, but try what you cannot find at home. Explore!

I travel more than a third of the year, due to the work I do as a wine journalist and as a wine tour operator. Travel much in Italy’s many wine regions but also in many other wine countries, and one of the best parts of that is to discover new things, things that I didn’t know before.

What’s the point of travelling if it is just to drink what I can get at home?

In fact, when reading the book I sometimes chuckled quietly to myself, thinking “that’s exactly the kind of advice I would give.”

And finally

If you are curious about discovering wine and gastronomy, in Italy or other wine countries, there’s no better way than to travel on one of our BKWine wine tours! And practice all the advice from Elisabetta Tosi.

Continue reading: How to make the most of your wine tour to Italy (or elsewhere) | Per on Forbes

The post How to make the most of your wine tour to Italy (or elsewhere) | Per on Forbes was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Per Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

Weather, wind and wine in New Zealand | wine tour

Britt Karlsson — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:01:52 +0000

New Zealanders talk a lot about the weather. Maybe to be expected in this country, a narrow country, an island thrown out into the Pacific Ocean. Almost all of New Zealand is influenced by the sea and ocean winds. It is not an obvious wine country, and it is also, without competition, the youngest of the New World countries.

Success has come quickly. The vineyard area has grown at a record rate. Today, it is around 43,000 hectares, distributed across the North and South Islands. Here, it is still something of an adventure to make wine.

We take you on a road trip through almost the entire country (at least a big part), from Auckland, the largest city, to Queenstown in Central Otago.

On the way, we stop in Rotorua and look at geysers and other geothermal wonders. If we are lucky, we see a kiwi (the bird, that is). We stop in Hawke’s Bay, the second-largest wine region, and in Wairarapa/Martinborough, and taste, among other wines, their world-famous pinot noir.

We make a quick stop in Wellington, the capital, then take the ferry to the South Island (3 hours, with a chance to see albatrosses and dolphins), and on to new adventures. We start with the largest wine region, Marlborough, which, you will see, is not only about sauvignon blanc. After Marlborough, we head for nature experiences at Mount Cook and the Southern Alps before continuing down to Central Otago and charming Queenstown.

In between all this, we have also had time to get to know the Maori culture. We will taste many wines, enjoy delicious lunches, meet some of the country’s most famous wine producers, and sample local seafood.

Join us on this adventure and discover a different wine country, far away. We promise you many surprises. Good ones!

Come on this stunning wine tour to New Zealand with Britt and Per of BKWine, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators (*).

New Zealand, 10-25 March 2027 (detailed programme coming soon)

Book now!

(*) And the only one who has authored 13 award-winning wine books.

Wine Travel at Its Finest

Continue reading: Weather, wind and wine in New Zealand | wine tour

The post Weather, wind and wine in New Zealand | wine tour was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Britt Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography

Amazingly many styles of wine, landscapes and regions | wine tour in South Africa

Britt Karlsson — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 07:21:24 +0000

Making wine in South Africa may seem easy; the climate seems ideal. Dry Mediterranean climate with cooling sea breezes and rarely too high temperatures. A really pleasant growing season for the vines.

Often it is, but unfortunately, drought is a problem that appears from time to time (as can flooding be). Nothing is perfect, but the fact that South Africa makes great wines is undeniable.

The vines are found in a relatively limited area in the Western Cape, in the southernmost part of the country. But the growing conditions vary. There is a big difference between the southern areas that are influenced by the cool Ocean stretching towards Antarctica and the northern, warmer parts inland. Today, the producers are keen to take advantage of these differences to make wine in different styles.

After a couple of days in Cape Town, we travel around the wine regions and then have the opportunity to see and feel these differences in the wines for ourselves.

We visit classic regions such as Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, Swartland and Tulbagh in the north, Paarl, and Walker Bay on the cool south coast.

We also have time for some sightseeing in Cape Town. Table Mountain is a must, and also the Cape of Good Hope, where wild waves crash against the rocks. You have time to stroll around Stellenbosch and look at the unique chalky-white Cape Dutch houses. And admire the beautiful mountains that watch over Franschhoek. And walk along the sea in Hermanus.

The wine country that has everything?

Come on this fabulous wine tour to South Africa with Britt and Per of BKWine, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators (*).

South Africa, 14-24 February 2027

Book now!

(*) And the only one who has authored 13 award-winning wine books.

More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour. See pictures and videos from South Africa in the latest wine tour’s Facebook group.

Wine Travel at Its Finest

Continue reading: Amazingly many styles of wine, landscapes and regions | wine tour in South Africa

The post Amazingly many styles of wine, landscapes and regions | wine tour in South Africa was originally published on BKWine Tours and written by Britt Karlsson. Copyright BKWine and BKWine Tours. If you see it published elsewhere in full it has been republished without our permission.

BKWine Tours - Discover and Enjoy Wine with Us, the Real Wine Experience

Read more:

BKWine Magazine, on wine, travel and gastronomy
On BKWine’s Wine Photography: Photography on Wine, Food and Travel | BKWine Photography