Page 253 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY
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STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY BY TOM GABLE
pain has always been one of our fa- raison in April and May to big strokes of yel-
vorite sources for values in high-qual- lows, oranges, and reds brushing over the land
ity, well-aged red wines from anywhere after the harvests in September and October.
S in the world. We buy it regularly at We find lower costs and smaller crowds during
home and have vivid memories of enjoying it these shoulder seasons. Temperatures are
during previous visits throughout the country, cooler, too.
whether in small restaurants on the road, in For planning on your own, should you not
Paradors, or in finer establishments discov- have a good travel advisor or to get ideas for
ered over the years in Madrid, Sevilla, brainstorming with him or her later, start with
Barcelona, Granada, and places in between. the Rioja Wine Website and the Spain national
But we had never ventured into Rioja in tourism site. Each has deep resources, includ-
northern Spain, the source of its best red ing exploring multi-day road trips anywhere in
wines, or the neighboring Basque region. We Spain, choosing hotels, and finding custom-
were scheduled to visit Beaune, France, in the ized tours.
spring of 2022 for the annual meeting of offi- Our flight from Lyon to Biarritz, near
cers of the American chapters of the Cheva- Donastia-San Sebastian, was just 1 hour and
liers du Tastevin, an international Burgundy 15 minutes, not much longer than a flight
group, held every five years at the Clos du from New York City airports to Washington’s
Vougeot rather than in a U.S. city. Given how Dulles, or San Diego to Phoenix. Biarritz
close everything is in Europe, we found it easy Airport has rental cars, taxis, Uber and other
to extend our stay for new adventures in La rideshare services, and bus transportation.
Rioja, Bilbao, and San Sebastian after enjoying We recommend renting a car if you plan on
the best of Burgundy. touring Rioja and the Basque region for more
Spring and fall are our favorite times for than a day or two, or booking tours with
travel, too. Vineyards go through some of their drivers included.
most colorful changes, from bud break and ve-
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