A photo posted by Lazenne (@lazenne) on Aug 13, 2015 at 8:48am PDT

Wine Travel 2016: Still Making Plans? We’ve got some ideas for you.

If you joined us for The Great Piedmont Wine Giveaway earlier this year, you may remember answer some questions about your Wine Travel 2016 plans. We want to know where everyone is going. Yes, the obvious reason is that we want to make sure you have access wine travel products to get your prize bottles home. But, admittedly, we were also just curious what vineyards were calling.

If you follow Lazenne on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter you probably know that we like wine travel as much as our customers. It literally is our job.

We stopped in Lausanne on Sunday and also explored the vineyards around Lake Geneva. What a picturesque area!

A photo posted by Lazenne (@lazenne) on May 17, 2016 at 4:23am PDT

Since it’s right in our backyard - and, it’s work - we regularly scope out European wine areas so we can share information with you about them. That is why we were curious your 2016 wine travel plans. We wanted to know: Are there places we should have on our Wine Travel 2016 list?

Architecturally, Bodegas Ysios is stunning. It was designed by architect Santiago Calatrava as a symbol of the new Rioja. It's meant to mimic the rolling Sierra de Cantabria mountain range behind it. The winery is open to visitors offering a walk through its modern interior, along with a tasting of three of their wines in the tasting room upstairs.

A photo posted by Lazenne (@lazenne) on May 3, 2016 at 12:21pm PDT

Well, let’s talk about your list. It’s a big one - mixed with some that one might consider usual suspects, and other lesser known areas.

Overall, there seemed to be consistent country themes with specific regions more dreamed about than others.

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Where Are Your Top Wine Travel 2016 Destinations?

Overall findings indicate that wine travel is hot on people’s minds in 2016. The Lazenne Wine Travel 2016 Survey queried 199 respondents from all over the world. Collectively, 83 percent of said they plan to make two to four wine travel 2016 trips. The big plans are to hit wine regions in the U.S., Italy, and France.

U.S. Leads Top Wine Travel 2016 Destinations

In terms of regions, the U.S. showing isn’t not a huge surprise as 55 percent of respondents were American. According to a  AAA survey, domestic travel in the U.S. is expected to increase in 2016. A Northern California remains the biggest draw for the U.S. wine travel - in 2015 Napa county visitors spend a record $1.27 billion dollars, an 8.9 percent increase from 2014. Washington and Oregon rounded out the top three with Finger Lakes and Texas wine country also making the list.

Wine Travel 2016 Findings: Italy and France Continue to Dominate

In Italy, Piedmont inched out Tuscany as the top destination. The lesser known Northern Italian wine region has been getting more and more attention from wine and lifestyles media in recent years and it shows in the findings. Of the respondents interested in wine travel in Italy in 2016, 37 percent aspire to see the land of Nebbiolo. Tuscany wine travel wasn’t far behind at 22 percent.

If you are ever in Piedmont a trip to Contratto, one of Italy's oldest sparkling wine producers, is a must. The historic cathedral cellars, now designated to become a UNESCO Heritage Site, are a real treasure, and among the finest of their kind. These huge underground cellars, covering more than 5,000 square meters, were built into the heart of the hill that protects the small town of #Canelli, the home of the winery, excavated from tuff limestone to a depth of 32 meters. #Repost from our partners @travel_langhe ・・・ We found just enough #SparklingWine (#Spumante) to get us through this winter at #cantina #contratto #canelli #pupitres #surlieaging #champagnemethod

A photo posted by Lazenne (@lazenne) on Mar 9, 2016 at 9:09am PST

In France, Bordeaux (23 percent), Burgundy (15 percent), and Champagne (13 percent) take the top stops.  

Canada, while not high on the list, made a surprisingly healthy showing, garnering more interest than Australia and New Zealand. Canadian Wine Regions to check out include Niagara and Okanagan Valley.

Wine Travel 2016: What Dreams May Come

We were also interested in the where to next travel category, so we asked people their top three dream wine travel destinations. Across the board Italy was in the first, second, and third category. Primarily because many respondents listed actual regions. Piedmont across the board stayed top as the region of interest. Sicily and Mount Etna, while not a top spot, also was a destination of consideration.

In France, the usual suspects continued to dominate with Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. But an interesting standout was Alsace.

Volnay, Bourgogne

A photo posted by Lazenne (@lazenne) on Apr 11, 2015 at 12:07pm PDT

Some fun wine travel destinations that came up enough to get us thinking included Croatia, the Mosel in Germany, and of course Portugal. Spain had consistent interest, but it still seems to be taking a back seat to the big regions in Italy and France.

Wine Travel Planning Tips:

We are happy to share more on our findings and Wine Travel 2016 our infographic as requested. Please contact us for more information.

The Lazenne Wine Travel 2016 Survey: The survey was conducted from February to March 2016 in conjunction with The Great Piedmont Wine Giveaway. Findings came from 199 global respondents, most notably North America, Western Europe, and Australia. Special thanks to those involved in the program: PleaseBringMeMyWine.com, Azienda Agricola Rivetto, Francone Winery, Azienda Agricola Demarie, Azienda Vitivinicola Gianni Doglia, and GirlsGottaDrink.com. Inquire at contact@lazenne.com for more details on the findings. 

 

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If you have any Wine Travel 2016 tips to share with our readers, please leave a comment below - guides or info on popular regions, travel deals, locations worth noting?