If you’ve ever wanted to explore Italian wine country in its many facets—that is, beyond wine and into the realm of food, culture, lifestyle, and fashion — then there’s a new website made just for you: The Grand Wine Tour.
More and more, wine lovers head to Italy to experience Italian culture and not “just” taste wine all day. This is particularly true with the new legions of wine bloggers and writers who come for the story behind the wine, a story that often encompasses the people, land, and culture surrounding it. No winery is an island, after all. Now, reading over the titles of recent articles published on The Grand Wine Tour’s website — A guide to enjoying Italy all through the winter; The underground wineries of Piedmont; Top restaurants in the Langhe to taste local cuisine — it’s clear that the team behind the content is attempting to bridge the gap between viniculture and the rest of Italian culture with their truly unique approach.
Why “Grand Tour?
As the editors explain, the name comes from those grand tours of the 19th century, when young aristocrats (namely British and American) toured the capitals of France and, most especially, Italy. “The Grand Wine Tour is an exploration of Italian culture through its most enjoyable element: wine. And even though modern conveniences have made the world small, we still have a longing for a world that is bigger,” they explain.
Among the innumerable number of blogs that exist, a smallish slice is entirely devoted to Italy; even fewer are written in English by bloggers and journalists who experience these aspects of Italy first-hand; and fewer still focus on more than one or two wine territories of Italy. Among those, do any then connect the vinicultural aspect not just to food and travel, but lifestyle, culture, fashion, and more? In our experience: no—not until The Grand Wine Tour.
Based on the articles they’ve published so far, the editors at The Grand Wine Tour are quickly filling that gap. And in the process, they’ve already published some fantastic material! We’re excited to follow along and be part of this new project, and see where it goes in 2017.