Spelunking, Snowshoeing and More: 8 Unusual Wine Tasting Experiences Around the World

Wine tastings typically involve sitting down at a winery while someone explains the details behind each pour. “These are the grapes that were used.” “This is how it was made.” “Are you picking up on these citrus notes?” You know, the standard stuff. 

But the experience can be so much more than sip, spit (or drink) and repeat. Thankfully, a growing slew of hospitality businesses—from winery and hotel professionals to adventure outfitters—are seeing the value of combining a thrilling excursion with a delicious and educational wine tasting. 

If you’re seeking to shake up your next wine-fueled adventure, consider these fun and unusual tasting experiences around the globe.

SpéléOenologie 

Bidon, France

Step into coveralls, don a headlamp and lace up your hiking boots to descend beneath the Earth’s surface for an otherworldly adventure called SpéléOenologie—a term that combines the words “spéléology,” the study of caves, and “oenology,” the study of wine. Operated by Les Dégustations de Jézabel, the excursion features local, professional cave guides for three-hour explorations into the Saint Marcel Cave, also known as Grotte Saint-Marcel, in France’s Rhône Valley.

Once inside the cave, tour owner Jézabel Janvre leads a tasting of three wines from the Ardèche region: a white Côtes du Rhône and two red Côtes du Rhône bottles, one of which aged in the cave for two years—in pitch black.

“Halfway [through the tour], we stop by, sit down in the clay, turn off all the [headlamps] and do the wine tasting in the absolute darkness,” says Janvre. Tasting the wines inside the dark cave—without sights, sounds and other smells to distract you—creates an opportunity to home in on your nose and palate.

“Smell and taste become the two main senses we use in the absolute darkness,” she says. “They are tenfold—especially smell‚ since we are in a cave.”

SpéléOenologie experiences start at 78€ (about $88) per person and can be booked online through the Grotte Saint-Marcel website. 

Taste, Paddle and Pedal Sonoma Tour

Sonoma County

For those who can’t choose between biking and paddling, WineCountry Experiences in Sonoma offers the Taste, Paddle and Pedal Sonoma Tour. Over the course of five hours, adventurers start with a guided bike tour through the Green Valley, stopping at boutique wineries for tastings along the way. Next, they tuck into a picnic featuring local foods before setting out in a kayak for a guided tour of the Russian River. There’s the opportunity to jump out and swim, too, so bathing suits are encouraged.

WineCountry Experiences’ Taste, Paddle and Pedal Sonoma Tours are available year-round and can be subject to weather conditions. Booking ahead is advised and pricing is $275 per person. This includes guides, bike and kayak rental and lunch. Wine tasting fees and guide gratuities are not included.

Zip ‘n Sip

Paso Robles California

In California’s Paso Robles wine country, the owners behind Ancient Peak Winery also operate Margarita Adventures, an agritourism company geared toward active travelers. Set on their ranch, a nature expanse the size of NYC’s Central Park, the team combines wine-related experiences with heart-pumping thrills. 

The most popular experience is called the Zip and Sip: six different zipline courses that traverse the rugged Central Coast terrain at the foot of the Santa Lucia Mountains, followed by a wine tasting. Some of these lines fly you right above the vineyard’s Pinot Noir plots, while others will have you lording over towering oak and pine trees. The adventure continues with a walk on a 300-foot-long suspension bridge before you’re finally whisked away to sample five of the brand’s estate wines (plus cheese).

Margarita Adventures’ Zip ‘n Sip package is available year-round and starts at $298 for two people. It can be booked on their website.

Wine Tasting and Stargazing

New South Wales, Australia

In the Blue Mountains, where steep gorges and sandstone cliffs create a breathtaking landscape, you can sign up for a countryside excursion that combines stargazing with wine tasting. Hosted at Dryridge Estate in the Megalong Valley, about a 90-minute drive from the big-city lights of Sydney, this two-hour experience is pretty immersive, thanks to two astronomers and a sommelier as guides. 

At sunset, the somm will pour tastings of seven of Dryridge’s wines as you nibble on a platter of charcuterie, cheese and pickled veggies. Once the sun is fully set, your astronomers will pull out the telescopes so you can get a closer look at various constellations (like the Southern Cross), the moon’s craters and Saturn’s rings. They’ll also regale you with local legends about the night sky and answer questions you might have about astronomy.

Blue Mountain Stargazing hosts the Wine Tasting and Stargazing experience once a month for AUD 135 (or 88 USD). There’s also an option to include a car transfer for an extra cost. Everything can be booked on their website.

Guided Sip & Ski Tour 

Suttons Bay, Michigan

Wine tasting doesn’t slow down when fall turns into winter in Michigan. In fact, the folks at Grand Traverse Bike Tours encourage that you partner a wine tasting with a cross-country ski adventure on the Leelanau Trail. 

“Winters can be long in Northern Michigan, so you have to make it fun,” says Nick Wierzba, owner of Grand Traverse Bike Tours. “We have great wines, so why not make a day of exploring the wintery vineyards and tasting wine?”

On the Guided Sip & Ski tour, you’ll start with a tasting at Shady Lane Cellars, a boutique winery known for its estate-grown Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Then, you’ll strap on your skis for a scenic jaunt through the peninsula’s natural expanse, which includes vineyards, orchards and woodlands. A guide will point out all the must-sees, provide snacks along the way and ensure you don’t meander too far from the trail. Before the day is over, you’ll pop into Farm Club, a stylish barn-like restaurant, for some soup and cider.  

Grand Traverse Bike Tours offers its guided Sip & Ski experience a few times every winter. The price starts at $68 per person, if you bring your own cross-country skis, and $98 per person, if you need rentals. This also includes wine tasting at Shady Lane Cellars and supper at Farm Club. Once dates are announced for the winter season, you can book here.

Altitude and Terroir with Micato Safaris

South Africa

For an entirely five-star take on a progressive wine tour in South Africa, luxury tour operator Micato Safaris can organize a day of heli-tasting at handpicked wineries in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and, for Pinot Noir lovers, Hemel-en-Aarde. 

A customized itinerary starts with a helicopter pickup in Cape Town. From there the remainder of the program is curated based on what you want to do and where you want to go. This can include a bubbly breakfast at Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch or fresh-from-the-barrel tastings at Franschhoek estates like Boschendal or Leeu Passant, where you may want to pick up some of the country’s best Chenin Blancs as souvenirs. One of South Africa’s top sommeliers, Joseph Dhafana can even lead your sky-high excursion, which you can cap off with a sundowner at a secluded beach or clifftop helipad.

This Micato Safaris private heli-tasting excursion starts at $18,000 for up to three guests for up to five hours. It must be booked as part of a larger itinerary or travel program with Micato.

Torch-Lit Hike with Wine and Cheese Tasting

Arosa, Switzerland

Hiking to a winery or wine tasting might sound old news to most oenophiles. To elevate the tried-and-true experience, the uber-luxurious Tschuggen Grand Hotel in the Swiss Alps developed a mile-long winter hike through the charming village of Arosa that starts when the sun begins to set. 

Once it’s dark enough, your guides will distribute and light tall candlesticks to brighten your way through the destination’s fairytale-like terrain. Depending on the conditions, you may have to do this on fluffy snow or some slippery ice, so don’t forget your winter boots. 

The mini-hike ends at Tschuggen’s sister property the Valsana Hotel, where you’ll taste through a selection of Swiss cheese (curated by local dairy shop Sennerei Maran) as well as white and red wines by winemakers from the surrounding areas such as Weingut Obrecht, Lauber and Davaz. Swiss wines aren’t widely exported much, which makes this tasting all the more special.

This experience is exclusively available to Tschuggen Grand Hotel guests and can be added to your package when booking your stay on the website or through the concierge when you’re already on property. Cost is 250 Swiss francs (or approximately $350) for up to six people. 

Becoming a Winemaker Escape Game

Touraine, France

At the Pierre & Bertrand Couly winery in the Loire Valley, put your wine knowledge to the test during this hour-long escape room game. Like your typical escape room adventure, you’ll need to get through a variety of tasks to declare victory. This time, however, the setup has you interviewing to become the next winemaker through a series of tasting tests to prove you have what it takes. And if you do, the reward is not quite a position at one of the Loire’s most well known wine houses, but you do get a bottle of wine to sip and savor for your troubles.

The escape game is available everyday at the Pierre & Bertrand Couly winery. It can be booked on their website for 20.50€  to 28€ (or $24 to $32) per person, depending on group size. 

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