Beyond Wine and Beer: 8 Famous Local Drinks to Taste
Around the World
Wine-tasting and brewery-touring
trips are popular in countries around the world. From California’s Napa Valley
to Portland, Oregon to Mendoza, Argentina, to Australia to the the Czech
Republic, Germany, Italy and France, there are thousands of wine-growing
regions and beer-brewing centers all across the globe. If you’re a wine or beer
lover, it’s easy to pick a spot and set off on a tasting trip as near or far as
you desire.
But connoisseurs of other beverages
need not be left thirsty. From Mexico to Japan, in nearly every corner of the
world, you can find a local, traditional beverage and plan a tasting tour
around it. Some of these destinations offer organized tours and beverage trails
while in others you’ll do better to simply head to the nearest pub to drink
with the locals. No matter which you pick you’ll have the chance to sip a
bit of the local culture and enjoy a tasty drink too. Here are a few beverage
and destination ideas to get you started.
BootsnAll is your source for the
best indie travel tips and inspiration. Are you indie?
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and you won't miss a thing!
Bourbon
tasting in Kentucky
Not many people realize that Bourbon
is the United States’ only native beverage, and that the only place it is
produced is in the state of Kentucky. Bourbon has been made here for over 200
years and to make planning a touring vacation a little easier, eight of the
distilleries in the state have formed the Bourbon Trail, a route that runs
between Louisville and Lexington, near the small towns of Bardstown and
Frankfort.
Most of the distilleries on it offer
tours and tastings for free. To learn about a single brand of Bourbon in depth,
plan on visiting a distillery for the tour and tasting, which will take about
one hour in total. At each one, you’ll learn the history of the distillery,
walk through the production facilities and learn how the Bourbon is made, and
then get to taste 2-3 different varieties.
The Maker’s Mark tour is especially
interesting – visitors not only get to see the bottles get their famous (and
patented) wax topper, they also get to taste the fermenting mash (which tastes
like warm beer) and can even sign up to have their name put on a Bourbon
barrel, the contents of which will go through the distilling process and then
be bottled and labeled with that person’s name.
Other than sipping Bourbon all day,
there is a lot to see and do in the region. Bourbon country is also horse
country, and surprisingly, wine country. Horse-lovers can visit the Kentucky
Horse Park, which often hosts horse shows, and has interactive exhibits where
you can learn about the history of different riding styles and come face to
face with dozens of unique breeds from around the world. You can spend an
afternoon at the races at Keenland or visit a Thoroughbred horse farm.
Oenophiles can check out any of the twenty wineries in central Kentucky.
Tequila
tasting in Mexico
The state of Jalisco, in Mexico, is
the tequila capital of the world. It’s home to the municipality of Tequila, the
area for which the locally produced spirit gets its name. Tequila is made from
one plant, Blue Agave, and the good stuff bears almost no resemblance to the
stuff that gave you a nasty hangover back in college. Tequila at the source is
complex, nuanced, and delicate enough make you go back on your promise to never
drink it again.
True tequila, like certain kinds of
wine, can only be produced in designated areas. The finished product must
contain at least 51% Agave, but the best versions are 100% Agave. When first
distilled, the drink is called blanco tequila. The liquor aged in oak will then
be called either resposado (rested, when it ages for two months to one year) or
añejo (aged, which requires it spend at least one year in the barrel) tequila.
In Jalisco, the areas surrounding the towns of Arandas and Tequila produce some
of the best tequilas.
You can start your tour of the
tequila spirit off with a visit to the very first producer, Jose Cuervo, which
is located in the town of Tequila. While bad hangover memories may start coming
back to you at the mention of the name, it’s worth a visit to try some of the
premium tequilas, many of which are compared to fine cognacs in their
complexity. Next door to Cuervo, Sauza also offers a tour and tasting.
For those who want to leave the
planning to someone else, companies like Tequila Tours will arrange all your tours
and provide transportation. For even more tequila education, you can visit the
National Museum of Tequila, which houses over 300 artifacts related to the
history and production of the spirit.
Tequila is the main attraction in
the area and while you’ll find stores selling tequila and tequila-related
souvenirs all over town, there’s not much else to do nearby. If you’re looking
for a little more action, you can stay in Guadalajara (about an hour away from
Tequila) and plan a day or overnight trip to the area.
Cognac
tasting in France
Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux may
be the big name destinations for those on a tasting tour in France, but Cognac
(located about 3 hours by train from Paris) is becoming a popular choice for
travelers looking for something a little different.
96% of the world’s cognac comes from
the Cognac region and the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac),
an organization of 5,000 cognac merchants from the area, has a website that can
help you plan your trip.
In addition to visiting the historic
town of Cognac, wandering its narrow streets and exploring its medieval castles
and cathedrals, you can cruise down the Charente River, dine on traditional
cuisine at nearby restaurants, spend the night in a lavish French Chateau, or
have a cognac picnic in the French countryside.
To taste the Cognac, which is
created when wine ages and then is blended with brandy, you can visit one of
the four major distilleries – Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin, and Courvoisier.
Together, they produce the majority of Cognac available throughout the world.
Each of these offers distillery tours and tastings, as do many of the area’s
smaller cognac producers.
Port
tasting in Portugal
Port wine, a Portuguese style of
fortified wine, was created in the Duoro Valley in northern Portugal. Usually
served as a dessert wine, it is often sweet, with a richer, heavier taste than
other wines. There are several different styles that come in two main varieties
– wines that have aged in sealed glass bottles, which are usually smoother with
fewer tannins, and wines that have aged in wooden barrels (also called tawny
port), which often have a more intense flavor.
Most Port comes from the Duoro
Valley, which is the third-oldest protected wine region in the world. The
Valley takes its name from the Duoro River that flows from Spain to Porto. The
Valley itself stretches from nearly the Spanish border to the village of
Barqueiros, about 40 miles from Porto.
In Porto, you can indulge in fine
food, explore 12th century architecture, and taste port at the Port Wine
Institute. The organization’s website offers resources for planning a trip
further into the Valley, where 54 wineries along the Port Wine Route welcome
visitors for tours and tastings. Along the route you’ll also have the
opportunity to boat down the Duoro River, go horseback riding, hike, and
explore traditional Portuguese towns.
Vodka
tasting in Russia
Vodka, made from fermented grain,
rye, wheat, or potatoes, is named for the Russian word voda, meaning “little
water”. Though no one can say for certain which country invented the beverage,
its origins are firmly rooted in the Eastern European areas of Poland and
Russia, and it’s easily the most-popular spirit consumed in Russia – over 70%
of all liquor drank in the country is vodka.
Russia is home to over 180 vodka
distillers, so no matter which region of country you visit, you’ll be able to
find cheap, strong vodka to sample at any bar or restaurant. But any tasting
tour of vodka should start at the Vodka Museum in Moscow, where visitors can
learn the drink’s history and the role it plays in Russian culture. In the
tasting room, sample premium vodkas from several different makers, along with
traditional vodka accompaniments like caviar
To see how vodka is produced, head
to one of the distilleries that welcome visitors for tours. Many of these can
be visited from Moscow or St. Petersburg. Near Moscow, check out the Moscow
Cristall Vodka Distillery, which produces 17 different vodka products. In St.
Petersburg, visit Liviz, which makes the Smirnoff brand, among others.
Sake
tasting in Japan
Sake, a Japanese beverage made from
rice, has been consumed in the country since the 3rd century (and possibly
before). Today the drink is popular all over the world and sake breweries exist
in other parts of Asia, and even in America. But if you are a sake lover,
you’ll want to head to the source for a sake tour of Japan.
Sake is made when rice is boiled and
fermented. The liquid leftover from the mixture is then carbon filtered,
pasteurized, and bottled. Like other beverages, sake is divided into several
categories depending on the quality. It can also be filtered or unfiltered, and
be served warmed or chilled. While it is most often drank on its own, using it
in cocktails and “saketinis” is also becoming popular.
Two popular producers, the Tamanohikari
sake brewery and Gekkeikan, which opened in 1637 and is still Japan’s largest
brewer of sake, both welcome guests for tours of the production facilities and
tastings of the sake varieties. Both are located near the city of Kyoto and are
within walking distance of each other.
There are over 2,000 sake breweries
throughout Japan, so if you don’t make it to Kyoto, you can still sample some
sake and tour a brewery. The Hakutsuru brewery in Kobe offers free admission
and an informative tour, with video presentations on the making of sake,
followed by a tasting session. Near Tokyo, the Ichinokura brewery is a popular
stop for tourists.
Sherry
tasting in Spain
Jerez de la Frontera is the capital
of sherry country in Spain. Drunk mostly as an aperitif, the beverage is a
fortified wine made from local white grapes. After the wine’s fermentation is
complete, the liquid is fortified with brandy, and then aged for a minimum of
three years, which results in a heavier, drier taste.
The town itself has plenty of
attractions to lure visitors. Flamenco dancing was born in the region and
Spain’s Royal Equestrian Academy, home of the famous “dancing horses” is
located here. Narrow lanes and soaring Gothic and Moorish architecture make it
a beautiful place to explore while the city’s cosmopolitan feel (thanks to
trendy boutiques and restaurants) keep big-city travelers enthralled.
The sherry bodegas welcome visitors
for tours and tastings, and showcase the rich history of both the town and
beverage. Valdespino winery dates back to 1264. González Byass bodega features
a dome designed by Gustav Eiffel, and the design of Pedro Domecq was inspired
by Cordoba’s Mosque. All three, plus many others, have comprehensive websites
that can help you plan a visit. The Jerez Tourism website is also quite
informative and offers suggested routes for sherry wine, visiting the white
hill towns of the Andalusia region, exploring the culture of bullfighting, and
visiting the area’s equestrian attractions.
Coffee
tasting around the World
For a nonalcoholic beverage tasting
tour, explore the world of coffee production. A tour to a coffee plantation can
be an eye-opening experience, beginning with the revelation that coffee beans
come from the seeds of little red fruits that grow on trees and are harvested,
dried and then roasted to create coffee beans as we know them. As one of the
most popular beverages in the world, coffee is produced around the globe, in
Central and South America, Asia, Africa, and in the US state of Hawaii.
With such widespread production
locations, it’s easy to find a place to taste coffee on your travels. Some of
the most popular coffee tourism locations include Hawaii, Honduras, Colombia, Jamaica, Brazil
and Costa Rica.
Kona coffee, one of the most
expensive varieties in the world, is grown on the west side of the Big Island
of Hawaii (near the city of Kona). With dozens of coffee farms (like Mountain
Thunder) offering free tours and tastings, it’s easy to organize your own
driving tour of the island’s best coffee.
Costa Rica is another large
coffee-producing area. Coffee is the country’s third-largest export, and there
are several options for tours in the central area of the country, near San
Jose. Espiritu Santo offers a comprehensive tour that includes a visit to the
coffee fields and production facilities plus a lesson in tasting and comparing
coffee samples in the plantation’s tasting room.
In Honduras, the area of Copan (near
the Mayan ruins, about 7 miles south of the Guatemalan border) is home to the
country’s major coffee producers. Welchez may be the largest producer (they
offer a tour and dining in their coffee shop) but Finca el Cisne offers the
most interesting tour. Here you can spend a day on the farm, learning about
coffee production, as well as sampling indigenous fruits grown on the property,
and then tour the grounds on the best possible transport – by horseback.
Jamaica, Colombia, and Brazil also
harvest and export large quantities of coffee. Many coffee plantations in these
countries offer tours and tastings of their facilities as well.
Email:
greenplanettravelers@yahoo.com
