Gourmet Holidays

On all our tours the local food and how it combines with the wines is important, but on these Gourmet Holiday tours, food takes centre stage! We visit producers of local speciality food where we have an insight into how they are made or found, taste the produce and there is often the possibility to buy some goodies to take home in order to be able to re-create some of these wonderful flavours in your own kitchens.

As these are still Arblaster & Clarke Wine Tours, we also visit our selection of wine estates in the region, and at meals we will of course be tasting the best regional wines to match the food. For us ‘gourmet tours’ do not just mean gastronomic ‘high class’ restaurants, it can equally be excellent fresh local produce prepared in a traditional way. So meals on the tours range enormously from hearty traditional regional fare to gastro adventures at great restaurants. (If you are looking for tours that include several Michelin starred meals, do also consider the Reserve Collection tours, in particular to Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône and Champagne which all feature at least one Michelin starred meal as well as several gastronomic meals at top wine estates).

Although these are not cookery tours, no doubt along the way you will pick up some interesting recipes and tips to try out at home.

Each tour is accompanied by a local wine and gourmet guide who joins you for the touring and the included meals only - so that for the handful of non included meals you can choose to give yourself a break, ready for the next delicious meal, or explore on your own or take the advice of the local food guide as to where to dine.

Tours

Gourmet Piemonte

22 - 25 October 2009

This is an extremely good value autumn short break giving you the chance to visit some of Northern Italy’s classic food markets and stock up on some superb ingredients for your festive entertaining or purely for your own enjo...

Gourmet Istria

29 October - 2 November 2008

Istrians tend not so much to think of themselves as Italians, Croatians or Slovenes, more as Istrians first who happen to be Italian, Croatian or Slovene. The majority of Istria is in Croatia and that is where this tour is base...

Gourmet Emilia-Romagna

18 - 21 October 2008

Parma ham, vintage balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano Reggiano.... these are just some of the famous culinary delights of Northern Italy which we will be savouring on this interesting tour. Emilia Romagna claims to be the culinary...

Bruges & Christmas Beers

2 - 4 December 2006

Arblaster & Clarke began escorting tours to taste the specialist beers of Belgium in 1988. We were, and remain, intrigued by the many idiosyncratic styles, including Kriek (cherry beer), lambic (wild fermentation) monastic Trap...

Ceylon Tea & Gourmet Tour - Sri Lanka

24 February - 3 March 2004

This tour, set up with Dilmah, the leading estate tea-grower, starts in the colonial Galle Face hotel on the water front in Colombo. We visit Dilmah’s offices where the blendings are made, and hope to attend a tea auction. Up...

Gourmet Azores

Our fabulous new gourmet tour visits the spectacular archipelago of the Azores. The nine islands of the Azores have a mild climate, dramatic mountain ranges of volcanic origin and were uninhabited until 1427. Situated in the mi...

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