La Dolce Vita Wine Tours - Epicurean Tours

Immerse yourself in the wine, cuisine, and culture of Italy and Spain on these 6-day gourmet tours. Enjoy private, in-depth conversations with winemakers as you tour a range of top estates. In addition to user-friendly wine education, you'll enjoy culinary treats, such as gourmet wine dinners and excursions to olive oil producers and artisan cheesemakers. And you'll have fun with a hands-on cooking lesson.
New in 2009:
XTREME TUSCANY
This wine-intensive tour hones in on Brunello di Montalcino and Super Tuscans, delving into some of Tuscany's most famous cult wines, pioneers and iconoclasts, as well as some of its most important historic names. Find out why Brunello reins supreme, what makes Super Tuscans so super, and why Sassicaia inspires such awe. Explore two regions of Tuscany: its Wild West, called the Maremma, and the medieval hilltown of Montalcino.

Renamed Xtreme Piedmont, this is a wine-intensive tour for enophiles and wine educators, featuring marquee names in Barolo and Barbaresco. Get to know Piedmont wine like a pro!

2009: May 11-16

Italy's legendary Barolo and Barbaresco hail from Piedmont, in the foothills of the Alps. A gourmand's delight, Piedmont is equally famous for its truffles and elegant cuisine. Enjoy a cooking lesson in the guides' 15th century townhouse, and a medieval festival in the fall.

2008: October 6-11
2009: October 4-9

The Slow Food movement, born in Piedmont, celebrates local food traditions and biodiversity around the world. Every two years, it holds a huge food fair, Salone del Gusto, in Turin. Enjoy two days in Turin, then four more tasting truffles and Barolo in the Langhe hills.

2008: October 20-25 (offered again in 2010)

A 3-day mini-tour in Piedmont during the height of truffle season. Visit Alba's truffle fair, see a truffle dog put through its paces, and taste these fragrant tubers paired with Barolo.

2009: October 22-25; October 30-November 1

Venice is home to Harry's Bar and the Bellini; Verona to Juliet's balcony. Visit both while getting a taste of the region's top wines. Sightseeing in Venice and Verona alternate with countryside tastings of prized Amarone and pretty Soave.

5 days/4 nights. Available as private custom tour only; price dependent on group size & level of accommodations

What's so super about Super Tuscans? Why does Sassicaia inspires such awe? Find out while exploring the Maremma coast, called "the Wild West of Tuscany." Then step back in time to the medieva city of San Gimigano, home to Dante's Vernaccia wine.

2008: June 9-14

Visit the ancient heartland of Tuscany and its three historic wine zones: Chianti Classico, Montalcino, and Montepulciano. Glorious landscapes, Renaissance hill-towns, art treasures, and pecorino cheese await.

2008: May 19-24; June 1-7; July 7-12; September 15-20; October 13-18
2009: May 18-23; July 6-11; Sept. 14-19; October 12-17

Experience Greek temples, Byzantine cathedrals, and the Mediterranean sun and sea in all their glory. Western Sicily also offers the old port of Marsala and a new breed of innovative winemaker, as well as ancient fusion cuisine born of the island's multicultural past.

2009: May 18-23; Sept. 7-12

Explore the past and future of Spanish wine. Rioja and Ribera del Duero are two wine regions now enjoying a dynamic renaissance. Sample the multitude of styles, from classic Rioja to modern alta expresion wines. Plus, visit Burgos to see Spain's largest cathedral, and Bilboa to peruse its most modern museum, the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim.