Savor, Sip, Sleep: Top 8 International Food & Wine Regions

Travel offers a perfect excuse to eat, drink, and be very merry, especially when you're visiting one of the world's most tantalizing and tempting gastronomical regions. It was a tough task, but we narrowed down the myriad choices to our Top 8 International Food & Wine Destinations.

At each one, you can expect to savor fine food, sip world-class wine, and spend your nights in Hideaways-approved luxury. Consider this our "tasting menu" of favorite experiences! And remember, you can customize your own toast-worthy trip when you take advantage of the services of a Hideaways Travel Specialist (800-843-4433). Each expert agent offers exceptional, detailed, and thoughtful travel planning like you'll never get online or when you go it alone.

Yountville, CA
Napa Valley is comprised of several quaint towns along Highway 29, and one of our favorites is Yountville, ideal in its small stature, peaceful pace, and abundance of must-experience restaurants. Yountville is the picture of leisurely living, a tranquil place full of warmth and character, and with a main street that just begs an early-morning stroll.

Where to Savor: Bottega, with cuisine by Chef Michael Ciarrello, as well as AdHoc, Bouchon Bakery, and French Laundry, all three with cuisine by Chef Thomas Keller—be sure to make your reservations at French Laundry many months in advance.
Where to Sip: Domaine Chandon, serving bubbly spirits in an inviting tasting room with one large wall of glass looking out onto lush, art-filled grounds.
Where to Sleep: Bardessono, a LEED Platinum-certified retreat that seamlessly blends modern luxury with old-fashioned earth-friendly values. You'll savor every moment here, from your first taste of the artisan-crafted coffee in the morning to snuggling in your bed's organic linens each night.
Learn More: Hideaways Aficionado® Club members are invited to get more insight by reading The Napa Valley, Revisited and More Than Fine Wine in Napa Valley. Not yet a member and want to see what you're missing? Join now!

Woodinville, WA
Washington Wine Country is colossal, with something like 30,000 vineyard acres and more than 500 wineries. Where do you start? Our suggestion: Just 20 miles northeast of Seattle, the delightful city of Woodinville offers a little bit of everything that Washington Wine Country has to offer, from striking Pacific Northwest architecture to three very different yet equally compelling dining spots that conveniently share a parking lot with a superb hideaway!

Where to Savor: Mere steps separate these three dining pleasures: The Barking Frog, for casual yet elevated locally inspired cuisine; Redhook Brewery, for brew and burgers; and The Herbfarm Restaurant, for a famous nine-course dinner with six matched wines that earned the restaurant its coveted AAA Five Diamond Award.
Where to Sip: The parking lot we mentioned earlier? Well, it's also the perfect place to park and walk just a minute or two to Chateau St. Michelle and Columbia Winery to sample some of the region's most famous offerings.
Where to Sleep: Willows Lodge, the kind of inviting place that's hard to leave, with lovely locally inspired architecture, spacious rooms with deep soaking tubs and most with stone fireplaces, and an Eden-like garden that even has a couple of pet pigs. As mentioned earlier, Willows Lodge shares a parking lot with our three recommended restaurants, and guests enjoy complimentary breakfast at The Barking Frog.
Learn More: Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to get more insight by reading Hideaways on the Road and As You Like It: U.S. Wineries. Not yet a member and want to see what you're missing? Join now!

The Hamptons, NY
This part of the world may be best known for its rich residents, tony stores, and dazzling beaches, but those who are "in-the-know" head here for its rather divine restaurants and wineries. If you're not in the mood to pack upscale, consider making the North Fork of Long Island--just a ferry ride from The Hamptons, AKA the "South Fork"--your home base, or at least enjoying this lovely, vineyard-dotted spot during a day trip.

Where to Savor: North Fork Table in Southold, for seasonal and locally grown produce; and SouthFork Kitchen in Bridgehampton, for sustainable seafood and local delicacies.
Where to Sip: Wlffer Estate Vineyards in Sagaponack has one of the most enchanting settings of any winery, anywhere, and some seriously good wine to go with those views. Both are best enjoyed from the breezy terrace.
Where to Sleep: c/o The Maidstone, a 19-room going-green, Scandinavian-inspired boutique hotel in East Hampton with six equally tempting room categories: Divine, Heavenly, Magnificent, Fabulous, Cozy, and Intimate.
Learn About Another New York Wine Region: Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to get additional insight by reading Discovering Fine Wine in the Finger Lakes. Not yet a member and want to see what you're missing? Join now!

Barossa Valley, Australia
This continent/country isn't exactly around the corner. But once there, you'll be amazed by its diversity and how well worth the effort it is to get there. Celebrate your time "Down Under" at Barossa Valley in South Australia, one of the country's best-known wine regions.

Where to Savor: Appellation at The Louise, where Chef Ryan Edwards and his team approach the art of fine dining with this mission: "Fresh is not just best, it is the only reason to cook!"
Where to Sip: This wine region is home to more than 80 open-to-the-public wineries, as well as 50 small producers that are open to VIPs only; become a VIP when you stay at The Louise (see below) and open all those closed winery doors with their "Exclusive Wine Experiences" tour.
Where to Sleep: The Louise, a stunning luxe retreat with roomy guest suites, an emphasis on private spaces, and an awe-inspiring vista of several thousand vineyard acres. As alluded to earlier, The Louise also is home to Appellation, a gourmet restaurant that in itself is worth however
many hours you spend on the airplane getting there.
Learn More: Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to get additional insight by reading An Aussie Walkabout. Not yet a member and want to see what you're missing? Join now!

Cape Town, South Africa
Called the "Cape Winelands," Cape Town's wine region is divided into several regions, each with a distinct "wine route" that offers undulating vineyard views dotted with unique Cape Dutch homesteads. The most well-known routes are Paarl, Stellenbosch, Wellington, and Franschhoek.

Where to Savor: The Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hoenort (see below), offering limited seating for just 45 lucky guests who get to enjoy Chef Peter Tempelhoff's acclaimed reinvention of classics with an emphasis on local produce and flavors, and paired with local wine.
Where to Sip: Stellenbosch is the route closest to Cape Town and has several wineries of note, including Delair, Delheim, Saxenburg, Spier, and Welmoed.
Where to Sleep: The Cellars-Hoenort in Constantia, Cape Town, resting on the slopes of Table Mountain and with just the right dose of tranquility on nine acres of world-renowned gardens. It's the elegant country estate you've always dreamed of!
Learn More: Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to get additional insight by reading A Mountaintop Experience. Not yet a member and want to see what you're missing? Join now!

Franciacorta, Italy
Some say the name of this magnificent wine region—bordered to the north by Lake Iseo, to the east by the Rhaetian Alps, to the west by the Oglio River, and to the south by Mt. Orfano—comes from "francae curtes," a small medieval community of Benedictine monks that attained tax exemption in exchange for teaching locals how to grow grapes! Today, Franciacorta is renowned for its production of sparkling wines of the same name; in 1995, the "Terre di Franciacorta DOC" status was also awarded to still white and red wines.

Where to Savor: Gualtiero Marchesi Restaurant at L'Albereta (see below), named after the Chef who is well regarded as the "Maestro par excellence" for his simple, high-quality, and beautiful classic cuisine like "scrambled eggs with caviar and chives," "penne, asparagus and truffle," and "open ravioli" (Hideaways Aficionado Club members can access the recipe for Chef Gualtiero Marchesi's "open ravioli" here).
Where to Sip: Bellavista, with its photo-worthy views of ancient parks, woodlands, and vineyards stretching all the way to Mt. Orfano and Lake Iseo, as well as Contadi Castaldi winery, with its long arched underground passages that are perfect for refining Franciacorta wines.
Where to Sleep: L'Albereta, perched on a hilltop in the Italian Alps amid orderly rows of grape vines, and with a stunning view of Lake Iseo, the place radiates a sense of calm, culture, and the refinement of a wealthy family's country estate.
Learn More: Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to get more insight by reading A Taste of L'Albereta. Not yet a member and want to see what you're missing? Join now!

Mendoza, Argentina
A short 90-minute plane ride from glitzy Buenos Aires will land you in serene Mendoza, the epicenter of Argentina's wine region, which boasts more than 900 wineries. Want something extra special to toast? In addition to breathtakingly beautiful landscapes and very friendly locals, this vast region claims more than 320 days of sunshine a year!

Where to Savor: If you stay at Cavas Wine Lodge (see below), or even if you don't, be sure to try its restaurant, which serves a magnificent vineyard view along with lunch and dinner, and features organically grown produce with a seasonal menu that changes every three months.
Where to Sip: Bodega Ruca Malen, with its architecturally pleasing tasting room (oh, those mountain views!) and some unique offerings like vertical tastings, 5-course paired lunches (with options for vegetarians and children), and something they call the "Wine Blending Game," where each participant mixes different blends and presents their favorite to the group, which then does a collective blind-tasting and votes for the best blend.
Where to Sleep: Cavas Wine Lodge, an upscale inn with just 14 free-standing and architecturally interesting adobe-style guest bungalows in the heart of Mendoza, at the foot of the snow-capped Andes. It has its own 35-acre vineyard that produces wine exclusively for guests!
Learn More: Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to get more insight by reading Great Vacation Ideas. Not yet a member and want to see what you're missing? Join now!

Wine-Themed Cruise with AmaWaterways
Okay, technically this isn't a food and wine "destination," but AmaWaterways' 12 custom-designed, luxurious river vessels—sailing in Europe, Russia, and the Mekong—take you deep into the authentic experience of a destination and invite you to savor delicious local dishes along with free-flowing local wine. With these five wine-themed cruises for 2012, you'll enjoy an even greater emphasis on gourmet pleasures.

Learn More: Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to get more insight about all your cruising options, including why we especially enjoy river cruising, by reading our 2012 Special Report: Cruising. Not yet a member and want to see what you're missing? Join now!

Customize your own toast-worthy trip now by calling a Hideaways Travel Specialist (800-843-4433) or emailing them at ts@hideaways.com. Each expert agent offers exceptional, detailed, and thoughtful travel planning like you'll never get online or when you go it alone.