wine

If you’ve had the pleasure of spending some time in the South of France, you’ll know this sparkling stretch of Mediterranean coastline is synonymous with sun-kissed afternoons drinking carafe after carafe of pretty salmon-hued Côtes de Provence rosé. The arrival of shorter days and cooler nights doesn’t seem to hamper anyone’s enthusiasm for a glass of it, either! In fact, even the merest hint of sun during winter is accompanied by cries of ‘time to open a bottle of rosé!’

Never fear, however, if you’re not a fan of said pink drink. It doesn’t hold a liquid monopoly along the Côte d’Azur! Far from it in fact! If you prefer to seek out a locally brewed beer, a specialty spirits bar, the perfect view to share a bottle of Champagne, or (dare we say it), a glass of vin blanc or vin rouge, here’s our drinker’s guide to the French Riviera!

It’s February already! Which means that the Super Bowl has just been won (and lost) for another year, the Oscars are just around the corner … and we’re on an unavoidable collision course with that most ‘romantic’ of day’s mid-month, Valentine’s Day.

Granted, all the Hallmark cards, red roses and ‘I ♥ U’ balloons may reek of commercialism, but dig a little and there are some rather heartwarming stories and traditions to warm even the coldest hearts of the more cynical amongst us. Many of which involve wine, hooray!

The topic of travelling with wine is one which confuses even the most seasoned traveler.

Since, once you get over the hurdle of calculating just how many bottles you can take with you on the plane (still not sure? See our guide here), the question becomes how to safely transport them.

After a memorable trip abroad, the last thing you want to return home to is a suitcase full of red-stained, wine-perfumed clothes, your precious bottles of Bordeaux (carefully selected after rigorous tastings) shattering mid-Atlantic.

Here at Lazenne, it’s our business to help travelers unravel the mystery which is travelling with wine (it’s possible!), and provide the materials by which they can securely do so.

Which is why we are very excited to introduce the newest addition to our range, the Wine Hug.

Europe is home to some of the most famous wine regions and wine brands on the planet, so it makes sense that the continent is a great place for the wine traveller to explore. Sometimes it can be easy to plump for the most well-known regions, or it can be daunting choosing which ones to visit.

We've asked our friends at the Winerist to recommend their top 5 wine regions in Europe. These wine regions give a mix of the well-known and the up-and-coming to help you plan your travel for 2015. Whether you’re a wine buff, wine beginner or avid traveller, they have something special for anyone who wants to avoid the tourist traps and go off the beaten path! So here we go: