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THE BEST WINE, BEER, & MORE

Ireland’s pubs are at the social heart of their communities, providing a gathering place where locals and visitors can enjoy good conversation, music, food, and, above all, the perfect pint.

No exploration of the pleasures of the global table would be complete without a visit to the sources of the glorious liquids that fill our glasses, quench our thirsts, and refresh our spirits.

The journeys on these pages will satisfy many different kinds of appetites. For those who appreciate—or seek to learn more about—great wines, there are tours of celebrated wine-growing regions, opening doors into the vineyards and cellars of Champagne in France, California’s Sonoma County, Mendoza in Argentina, and South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. For whiskey connoisseurs, a pilgrimage to the misty Scottish isle of Islay reveals the scenic and remote locations where the world’s great single malts are made. Rum-lovers may prefer the balmier islands of the Caribbean and the rich variety of the region’s tipples. And for those who like their beverages served with plenty of tradition, and local color, destinations range from the quirky pubs of rural Ireland to the throbbing conviviality of Munich’s Oktoberfest, when millions of visitors indulge their dual passions for robust German cooking and distinctive beers.

KENTUCKY

BOURBON

A distillery worker empties Bourbon barrels at Heaven Hill Distilleries, Bardstown, founded in 1934.

The magnificent landscape of the Bluegrass State provides the backdrop to great distilleries.

The northeast corner of Kentucky—an area roughly bounded by the cities of Louisville, Bardstown, Lexington, and Frankfort—is home to nearly every major bourbon distillery in the world. Driving from the massive Jim Beam operation and the quaint Maker’s Mark complex to recently rechristened Buffalo Trace, past rolling wheat fields, fancy bluegrass horse farms, craggy limestone outcroppings, and the knobby foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, visitors can find bourbons that are as varied as the landscape in which they are produced. Straight bourbons are whiskies made from at least 51 percent corn, distilled at no more than 160 proof, and aged for at least four years in brand-new oak barrels with charred interiors that impart color and flavor. Despite these common guidelines, the Bluegrass State’s favorite liquor can vary from smooth to spicy to a stinging 120 proof, while aromas and flavors include hints of vanilla, cherries, sweetcorn, and even leather. How does each amber bottle develop its distinct personality? The best way to find out is to visit the distilleries that offer tours to see the bourbon-making process. Most tours end with complementary tastings, making Kentucky bourbon country all the more charming as the day goes on.

Bourbon Cocktails

For the purest experience, order your bourbon straight. Otherwise, you can drink it with water or ice, or both, or try a bourbon-based cocktail.

■ For an Old-Fashioned, water, bourbon, bitters, and sugar are served over ice, garnished with an orange slice and one maraschino cherry.

■ A refreshing summer drink, a Mint Julep is a combination of bourbon and sugar served over crushed ice and several sprigs of fresh mint. Juleps are traditionally served at the Kentucky Derby in early May.

■ A Manhattan consists of bourbon, sweet vermouth, and bitters (optional). They are combined, chilled, strained into a cocktail glass, and garnished with a maraschino cherry.

CALIFORNIA

SONOMA WINES

Tranquil Sonoma Valley is ideal vineyard-touring country.

Enjoy world-class wines, beautiful country, and fine cuisine in the home of California wine-making.

Napa may have kicked off the California wine boom after Prohibition ended, but connoisseurs also relish neighboring Sonoma County, not just for the marvelous quality of its vintage but also for the rustic ambience and personal touches that have nearly disappeared in the Napa Valley. Spanish priests first brought grapes and wine-making to Sonoma when they founded Mission San Francisco Solano in 1823, and in the 1850s Hungarian émigré Count Agoston Haraszthy created the state’s first modern winery (Buena Vista Carneros). Haraszthy was also responsible for introducing many of the region’s most celebrated grape varieties, including Zinfandel. About 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of San Francisco, Sonoma remains a throwback to a much older, more romantic California—a mosaic of vineyards, orchards, and quiet country towns where it is still possible to combine wine-tasting with biking and hiking. End your day with a dip in a redwood hot tub beneath the stars, and listen to the coyotes howl as you sip your Sonoma Chardonnay.

Sonoma Wineries

■ Count Haraszthy’s historic Buena Vista Carneros winery has daily tours, a tasting room, and the original 1862 cellar dug by Chinese coolies.

■ Kenwood Vineyards is one of the valley’s most prestigious names in wine, producing award-winning Cabernet, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc among others.

■ The Sebastiani Vineyards Wine Hospitality Center in Sonoma town boasts excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

■ Valley of the Moon Winery has been owned over the years by a variety of characters from Oriental scholar Eli Sheppard to mineral king George Hearst.

WASHINGTON

WINERIES IN WASHINGTON

Ripe black grapes from Columbia Valley, Washington, are used to produce the region’s Cabernet Sauvignon wine.

One of the world’s top wine regions, Washington State is proud of its strong, superb quality vintages.

The big, walloping flavors of spice, game, blue fruits, and toasted nuts waltzing with intensity, elegance, and finesse tell the tale of Washington State Syrah. Garnering accolades worldwide and attracting visitors to some of the country’s most remote vineyards, this treasure from France’s northern Rhône Valley has found another place to call home. While Syrah is the new star here, lushly concentrated, Bordeaux-style blends, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, are whispered to represent the best French Pomerol and St. Emilion styles. Do not think you have to slog through the mists and wind-driven downpours of Seattle to the vineyards producing these wines, because they are located on the east side of the Cascade Range, where a different climate prevails. The warm, desert-like regions of the vast Columbia Valley, including the Yakima Valley, Red Mountain, and Walla Walla wine areas within it, are blessed with stunning vistas of orchards, farms, and vineyards. The northern latitude also ensures that the grapes receive up to two hours more sunlight daily without getting too hot.

Washington State Towns

■ Less than an hour northeast of Seattle, Woodinville in the Sammamish River Valley is a friendly wine town with more than 40 wineries, including the historic and beautiful grounds of Chateau Ste. Michelle and the Victorian mansion of Columbia Winery.

■ Three hours east of Seattle, the Yakima Valley is a hub of apple- and hop-growing as well as wineries. The wineries are far apart but worth the visit. Hedges Cellars and Hogue Cellars are recommended.

■ The town of Walla Walla has a downtown area dotted with wine-tasting rooms, outdoor cafés, gourmet grocers, and acclaimed restaurants. July’s Onion Festival pairs super sweet Walla Walla onions with the region’s wines.

OREGON

OREGON’S MICROBREWERIES

Widmer Brothers, a celebrated microbrewery in Oregon, produces beers inspired by traditional Bavarian brews.

For more than 30 years, Oregonians have been at the cutting edge of the American microbrewery boom.

While Californians concern themselves with the finer points of Chardonnay, the folks up the coast in Oregon are obsessed with perfecting a different sort of beverage—beer. A number of factors have stoked the trend, including a cool, wet climate ideal for cultivating hops and barley, some of the most pristine water in North America, and people who still think that homegrown and homemade are better than anything that can be bought in a store. It all started with 26-year-old German immigrant Henry Weinhard, who arrived in 1852 with his own copper brewing kettle and a knack for making great beer. By the early 1970s, Weinhard’s business was facing intense competition from megabrewers. It produced a brand new beer, “Private Reserve,” based on Weinhard’s original recipe—the region’s first handcrafted or gourmet beer and the spark for many other Oregonians to create their own amber nectar. Portland now has more microbreweries than any other city in the U.S., and many homegrown Oregon suds are now legendary among beer connoisseurs—Widmer Hefeweizen, Hair of the Dog’s Adam, and Steelhead’s Raging Rhino Red to name a few.

The Oregon Beer Trail

With more brewpubs than anywhere else in the nation-more than 70 in total-Portland is a natural place to start and end your journey along the Oregon Beer Trail. The Widmer Brothers Gasthaus on North Russell Street offers all the well-known Widmer brews in an 1890s’ Victorian hotel beside the brewery. Another atmospheric spot is the Western-style Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub on the Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, which serves pretty good grub, too.

Next, head over to the Pacific coast, where the McMenamins Lighthouse Brewpub perches on the precipitous Cascade Head, overlooking the Pacific Ocean just north of Lincoln City. Farther south, down drop-dead-gorgeous Highway 101, is the Rogue Brewery in Newport, with its two-story brewpub, panoramic views of the fishing harbor, and 50 taps.

From there, head southeast through the Coastal Range to the lush Willamette Valley, home to Steelhead Brewery in Eugene and the British-style Brewers Union Local 180 pub in Oakridge (on one of the scenic routes up to Crater Lake). From Eugene or Oakridge, it’s an easy drive north on Interstate 5 back to Portland.

MEXICO

ON THE MESCAL TRAIL

A lonely agave tree towers over the spectacular landscape In Mexico’s Oaxaca state.

Produced by a process introduced by the Spanish, mescal’s smooth, smoky flavor has won it a worldwide following.

Like tequila but purer, mescal is distilled from the agave (related to the century plant, or maguey) and is made in the arid regions of Mexico, including the southern state of Oaxaca. In Oaxaca City, start in the downtown chocolate district, where the stores offer samples of local mescals not available elsewhere. To see how mescal is made, and for further opportunities to try different varieties, follow the tasting trail from Oaxaca to the village of Santiago Matatlán, where the beverage was originally produced. Santiago Matatlán is known as the “mescal capital,” and the route into the village is dotted with palenques, or distilleries, most of which provide tours of the mescal-making process. The agave hearts, or piñas, are roasted in a pit lined with hot rocks and then crushed to produce a pulp. In many places this is done by machine, but some producers still use a donkey to pull a heavy stone wheel over the roast agave. The pulp is fermented in wooden vats and then double-distilled in copper or ceramic stills. After sampling different mescals at the distilleries, you can buy some to accompany your predinner appetizers back in the city.

Rock-lined pits are used for roasting the agave hearts before distillation.

Mescal Types

■ Minero is doubled-distilled and aged for less than two months. It is also called silverado or blanco.

■ Reposado is aged for two months to one year and has a more refined taste than Minero.

■ Pechuga is distilled with a chicken breast. The small amount of fat rendered from the chicken adds flavor and body.

■ Called the cognac of mescals, Añejo is aged for at least one and up to 12 years. It is the smoothest and costliest of mescals. Sip slowly.

■ The Cremas are milky and lower in alcohol because of added flavorings, ranging from passion fruit to cappuccino.

CARIBBEAN

RUM AROUND THE CARIBBEAN

The Caribbean is famous for its idyllic sandy beaches, such as Soufrière on St. Lucia, as well as its rum.

This molasses-based drink exploded onto the market in the 16th century, fueling world trade, and is still a global favorite.

As surely as reggae, Rastas, and pirate rogues, rum is an enduring symbol of the Caribbean. More than a drinking phenomenon, it is the region’s historic, cultural, and economic raison d’être. Although the distillation of sugarcane juice originated more than a thousand years ago in the old world, it did not reach its peak until the 17th century, when enslaved people in the West Indies ascertained that molasses could be fermented into a tasty alcoholic beverage. The demand for rum in Europe and its North American colonies fueled a sugarcane boom in the Caribbean, which in turn sparked demand for many more slaves and the so-called “triangle trade” that formed the basis of North Atlantic trade for several hundred years. Rum became part of island culture: Now and again it was used as currency in place of precious metal; the British Royal Navy’s tradition of a daily ration of rum for all the crew started on ships in the Caribbean and spread around the globe (a tradition ended in 1970); and as in the West Indies song “Dead Man’s Chest,” rum was the drink of pirates, brigands, and scalawags. Connoisseurs drink it straight or on the rocks, but rum is a good base for any number of cocktails, from the Cuba Libre (rum, cola, and lime) and Mojito to Long Island Iced Tea.

Caribbean Rum Tours

■ Since 1749, the Appleton Estate in Jamaica has produced the reggae island’s best rum. Appleton 21 Years is considered one of the Caribbean’s best premium rums.

■ Bacardi, now based in Puerto Rico, started life in Cuba in 1862. The Cataño factory tour includes an interactive museum and tasting room.

■ Although no one knows for sure, the Mount Gay distillery on Barbados claims to be the world’s oldest rum producer, with a history spanning 300 years.

■ St. James on Martinique produces rum from sugarcane juice rather than molasses, giving a richer taste than regular rum. The distillery includes a tasting room and rum museum.

The White Horse Tavern in Greenwich Village, New York City, is famed for the caliber of its literary clientele.

PERU

PISCO—PERU’S ESSENTIAL SPIRIT

Tourists and residents from nearby Ica flock to the Huacachina oasis, attracted by its setting and tranquil lake.

This pale brandy—foundation of the famed pisco sour—is the subject of fierce pride in Peru.

One would never expect brandy to bring two nations to the verge of war. But such is the case with pisco, which has been a major bone of contention between Peru and Chile for hundreds of years. With just as much fervor as they take to soccer fields and international boundary disputes, both countries claim the pisco sour cocktail (made with lemon or lime, egg white, and bitters) as their national drink. But there is no disputing the beverage’s origin: It was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers in the coastal valleys of southern Peru and named either after the port of Pisco, from which it was shipped, or the conical pisco pottery, in which the brandy was aged. Nowadays, the lush oasis town of Ica is the focal point of Peruvian pisco production, with more than 80 bodegas (cellars) churning out millions of bottles each year. Somewhere between 38 and 46 proof, pisco derives from a single type of grape, most commonly the dark Quebranta grapes imported by the Spanish. There are also aromatic piscos made from Muscat and other green grapes, and potent acholado (half-breed) piscos that contain a blend. Grapes are harvested in February and March. After distillation, the liquid is aged for at least three months before it is deemed worthy of imbibing. Old school Peruvians drink it straight up, without ice, and consider the sour cocktail an insult to pisco’s good name.

Ceviche, Peruvian Style

Peruvians and Chileans argue over who makes the best ceviche, a tasty seafood mix that is among South America’s most iconic dishes. Although it takes many different forms, Peruvian ceviche in its purest form is raw corvina (sea bass) marinated in a mixture of lemon, lime, onion, and aji chili for around three hours, a process that pickles the uncooked fish and infuses it with a tangy citrus flavor. Ceviche is normally served with cancha (roasted maize kernels) and a portion of the leftover marinade in a shot glass.

Nowadays, there are all sorts of variations: ceviche made from shark, octopus, squid, shrimp, scallops, crab, mussels, sea snails, and all sorts of white fish. And there is nothing quite like chasing it with a pisco sour.

BRAZIL

CACHAÇA IN BRAZIL

Bottles of Brazil’s sugarcane alcohol cachaça—some with aromatic herbs to give an extra, unique flavor—line the shelves of a bar.

This potent distillation forms the basis of the country’s national cocktail and is a fine drink in its own right.

Walk into any bar in São Paulo, Brazil, and you will find cachaça—the distilled liquor made from sugarcane that is an iconic part of Brazilian culture. It is a “rags to riches” story that began near the town of São Vicente, in the region of São Paulo, in the 16th century, when sugarcane was harvested by enslaved people, who were allowed to let the leftover juice ferment into alcohol. It wasn’t long before they hit on the idea of boiling and distilling the juice to produce something altogether more powerful, and cachaça was born. Production has not changed much since then—sugarcane is crushed to extract the juice, which is fermented for 24 hours, then distilled in copper boilers, and either bottled immediately or stored in wooden barrels to achieve a smoother, rounder taste. Once a “poor man’s drink,” it has now achieved international status as the prime ingredient in batidos (fruit juice mixtures) and cocktails—most notably, Brazil’s national drink, caipirinha—a sublime combination of cachaça, lime, and sugar that has become popular all over the world. Cachaça is mainly produced in the state of São Paulo, in Minas Gerais, and in Rio de Janeiro, but there are cachaçarias—bars serving different types of cachaças—across Brazil. Brazilians who drink it pura (straight) often deliberately spill a few drops “for the saints” before imbibing. It is certainly something that deserves a healthy respect.

Caipirinha Cocktail

There are many versions of this classic drink, which varies between regions. Optional extras include fruit juices and lemonade.

Mash the lime and sugar into a glass. Fill the glass with ice and pour in the cachaça. Keep stirring the contents as you pour to mix in the sugar thoroughly.

ARGENTINA

MENDOZA’S WINERIES

The cellar of Salentein in the Uco Valley is designed as a theater in the round with barrels set on stepped trancepts.

Central Argentina’s Mendoza Province produces a host of magnificent wines in an equally splendid setting.

In the shadow of the perenially snowcapped Andes, Mendoza Province reigns as Argentina’s wine capital, producing three-quarters of the country’s total output. Malbec is the name of the game here—a robust, fruity wine with overtones of black currant and prune (ideal with steak). But as the country becomes better known on the world wine circuit—it’s already the fifth global wine-seller—its varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, are fast gaining ground. As you head out on the region’s wine roads—glorious, weaving lanes punctuated with tunnels of trees and peek-a-boo views of snow-draped peaks—you will not fail to come across one of the region’s 650-plus bodegas (cellars). Some are old-fashioned wineries, others state-of-the-art architectural masterpieces. The best place to begin is the High Zone (best known for Malbec), the most convenient to Mendoza, the province’s capital (about an hour away). The beautiful Uco Valley, about two hours away, is also worth the drive. Notable bodegas include Luigi Bosca in Luján de Cuyo, whose descendants brought vines from Spain in 1890; ultramodern Bodegas Salentein in Tunuyán, with a spectacular Andean backdrop; and the landmark Bodega Catena Zapata, a fabulous faux pyramid.

Argentina’s Other Wine Regions

Mendoza may be the self-styled capital of sunshine and good wine, but vineyards extend for more than 1,200 miles (1,930 km) along the country’s western border. Cafayate in Salta Province is notable for its high-quality Cabernets and fine vintages of fruity Torrontés. Argentina’s highest-altitude and oldest surviving winery—Bodega Colomé—is here. Founded in 1831, it is 9,849 ft (3,000 m) above sea level.

La Rioja Province, especially in the Chilecito area, is also making distinctive, high-quality wines. Farther south, in the Rio Negro Valley, cool-climate varietals like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are likewise being acclaimed, as are sparkling wines. It is no wonder Argentina is the world’s fifth largest wine-producer, becoming bigger and better every day.

JAPAN

SINGLE MALT IN SAPPORO

Sapporo’s whiskey distilleries are not the only attraction. The massive ice sculptures made for the annual Snow Festival draw visitors from around the world.

World-class, and fast becoming world-famous, Japanese whiskey is best sampled at the source.

Over the years the Japanese have developed a discerning taste for single-malt whiskey—their distilleries provide a malt for every palette. At Nikka Distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido, 31 miles (50 kilometers) west of Sapporo city, you will find masculine malts crafted to perfection. Their Taketsuru Pure Malt won the Gold Medal at the International Spirits Challenge in Britain in 2008, and their Nikka Whisky Yoichi 1987 received international acclaim by winning the honor of Best Single Malt Whisky in the World at the 2008 World Whiskies Awards in Glasgow, Scotland. It may be near impossible to get your hands on the limited edition single malt (with just 2,000 bottles released), but seeing where the prize-winning drink was concocted is as simple as joining a tour of the distillery. Yoichi’s founder and one of the fathers of Japanese whiskey, Masataka Taketsuru, studied whiskey-making in Glasgow for two years before founding his own distillery in Hokkaido in 1934. His life was dedicated to perfecting the beverage. When sampling his Yoichi distilled single cask, single malt, or pure malt whiskey, you’ll see that his talent lives on.

Whiskey Galore

■ Keep an eye out for Nikka Whisky’s namesake bar, The Nikka, near Susukino station, in Sapporo’s busy nightlife district.

■ Try one of the Suntory bars, such as Suntory Stylish, also in the Susukino area. Suntory is the distiller of another one of Japan’s highly praised single malts, Yamazaki.

■ Feeling hungry? Forget the wine with dinner. Instead pair a Japanese whiskey with your meal. A stiff whiskey drink is an acceptable dinner accompaniment and is even said to bring out the flavors of Japanese dishes, such as sushi. Cheeses and other seafood dishes are also good single malt matches.

Kegs of sake have been donated to a shrine in thanks for the harvest.

JAPAN

SEEKING OUT SAKE

Brewery-workers prepare rice for sake.

Not really a wine, nor exactly a beer, Japan’s celebrated national drink is in a category—and class—of its own.

For thousands of years the Japanese have crafted, refined, and delighted in sake—their unique rice alcohol—and now the rest of the world is joining them in the pleasure. With the country boasting more than 1,600 sake breweries, tourists can sample various kinds while finding out how water and rice are transformed into Japan’s top drink. Just like a good wine relies on superb grapes, the rice used in sake is essential to the creation of a good product, and brewers use special sake rice with a high starch content. Turning this rice into rice wine begins with a mechanical process that polishes the grains to the kernel. The kernels are washed, soaked, and steamed, before koji mold and yeast are added to the mix—making sake technically more a beer than a wine. The rigorous process takes more than a month to complete and is followed by the sake settling in storage for around six months. Day-trips to breweries are easy to organize from Tokyo or Osaka. The Ishikawa brewery in Fussa, western Tokyo, first opened in 1881 and still retains its traditional charm. Reminiscent of Japanese temple grounds, it features two 400-year-old zelkova trees enshrining Daikokuten, the god of wealth/good fortune, and Benzaiten, the goddess of water—both essential to the making of sake. Hakutsuru brewery, established in 1743, is situated in Kobe (near Osaka).

How To Drink Sake

Today, sake is best served chilled, though traditionally it was always served warm as the old brewing process and method of storage created a taste better suited to heating. Warming sake increased the flavor (and the intoxicating effect) of the brew.

Unlike wine, sake does not improve with age. Buy bottles within a year of the date of manufacture, then drink within six to 12 months.

It seems only fitting that sake goes well with seafood—another Japanese favorite. Just like different wine blends, different varieties of sake can be matched to meals.

AUSTRALIA

BAROSSA VALLEY WINES

Vats of Barossa wine are “pumped over” during fermentation to mix the grape skins and the juice.

With scenic drives from cellar to cellar, South Australia’s Barossa Valley is a top touring destination.

About 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Adelaide, country roads lined with gum trees wind through hillsides striped with the vines of one of Australia’s oldest wine-growing regions, famous in particular for big, bright, high-alcohol red wines. The region has names of global distribution, such as Wolf Blass and Penfolds, but in between the big estates lie many smaller, family-run vineyards selling mainly through the cellar door and offering free tastings and advice. Whistler Wines produces about 9,000 cases a year from its own grapes, and 70 percent of this modest production from two generations of the Pfeiffer family is sold directly to visitors. Customer-friendly weekend concerts are big draws, but the traditional tin-roof homestead has comfortable sofas at any time, and there is a lawn dotted with umbrellas, tables, and chairs at which to enjoy a glass of potent Reserve Shiraz or a fruity Audrey May Sémillon. Rockford Wines occupies ancient brick farm buildings from 1857, where Robert O’Callaghan makes wine from the fruit of 30 local growers, who use traditional hand-rearing methods in keeping with the basket presses and century-old equipment at the winery. O’Callaghan not only produces one of Australia’s best Shiraz but a wine from the obscure Alicante Bouschet grape whose red flesh produces a crisp rosé without the use of skins. It makes perfect summer drinking for the lucky few who come to the cellar door—the only place it is available.

The Vineyard Experience

■ Getting to and around the Barossa Valley is half the fun, as you pass though hamlets of verandaed, low-rise wooden homes with shiny tin roofs, between lines of stately date palms, and wind around hillsides stippled with olives and neatly hatched with vines.

■ At more traditional wineries you can see basket presses at work spewing juice from between their slats, and great lakes of juice and pulp in century-old vats made from local slate.

■ Vineyards are generous with their free tastings and often sell wine by the glass, as well as cheese plates and other accompaniments. Alcohol volumes commonly reach 15 percent, so drivers should take care.

GERMANY

BEER IN BAMBERG

The old town of Bamberg is famed for its traditional architecture and its breweries.

This UNESCO World Heritage jewel of a town is home to some of Germany’s best and most characterful breweries.

Wandering the quiet, cobbled streets to one of Bamberg’s many breweries on a warm fall evening, don’t be suprised if you think you have stepped into 17th-century Germany. Spared from the bombs of World War II, this picturesque Franconian city has kept its original features, including the 12th-century cathedral and Little Venice’s network of bridges, waterwheels, and fishermen’s houses along the banks of the Regnitz River. You will have plenty of time to discover the city as you make your way around a nine-brewery tour. Dotted along both sides of the river, the breweries have distinct personalities, and the beers their own characteristics. You can find one of the city’s most famous beers at the Schlenkerla brewery, beside the cathedral. The dark, creamy, characterful Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer) has been likened in flavor to smoked bacon and is made by kiln-drying the malt over a beechwood fire. Try this with the classic Franconian dish of Schäufele—crispy pork shoulder with dumplings and sauerkraut. If it has all become a little too much, you can even sleep in the Fässla brewery, a block from the north bank of the river, which has rooms available throughout the year.

A Fine Brew

For centuries, the purity of German beer was not just a matter of pride and good practice but of law. The Reinheitsgebot (Purity Order), dating from 1516, was a ducal decree issued in Bavaria. It dictated that only water, barley, and hops should be used in the production of beer in order to eliminate the use of cheap and often unhealthy additives (yeast, though present, was at that time an unknown constituent in the brew).

The decree, which may have been the first food safety law, was only lifted in 1987, by the European Union, in order to permit the import of foreign beers. German beers still adhere to the traditional standards.

The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos, Cyprus, is famous for its Commandaria—a sweet, spicy, unfortified dessert wine.

GERMANY

OKTOBERFEST IN MUNICH

Munich’s waiters and waitresses deliver large orders of beer to a table with expert skill.

The Weis’n, as Munich’s annual festival is known to the locals, is a spirited celebration of the glories of German beer.

The atmosphere is electric. Six thousand people have been sitting thirstily at wooden tables in the huge Schottenhamel tent since 10 a.m. Finally, at noon, Munich’s mayor taps open the first wooden beer keg with a mallet, and the cry of “O’zapft is!—It’s tapped” goes up, signalling the start of Oktoberfest—and beer sales. Founded in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Oktoberfest is now one of the world’s best-loved festivals, attracting more than six million visitors per year. You can choose between 14 huge tents, each with a different atmosphere ranging from the traditional Schottenhamel (the oldest tent at the festival) to Ochsenbraterei (where whole oxen are spit-roasted). All serve lager-style beers specially brewed for Oktoberfest and supplied by six Munich breweries. The smaller Weinzelt tent serves a good selection of German wines. Make sure you sample the menu of traditional Oktoberfest food, too—like the addictive Brathendl (butter-basted roast chicken stuffed with parsley), whose delicious aroma drifts from massive rotisseries in every tent. Other favorites include Schweinshaxn (knuckle of pork), Steckerlfisch (grilled whole fish on a stick), and Brezel (giant pretzels). Waitresses and waiters can carry up to a dozen beer mugs to the long, shared tables, where Bavarians in traditional dress mix with happy tourists from around the world.

Beyond the Wies’n

■ A beer hall, restaurant, and garden in a historic setting in the city center, Augustiner Keller serves traditional food in generous portions.

■ The Englischer Garten park in the center of the city is home to Chinesischer Turm, an outdoor beer garden with a huge seating area arranged around a pagoda.

■ Probably Munich’s best-known beer hall, Hofbräuhaus is housed in an elegant building with vaulted ceilings in the old town near the Marienplatz.

■ Just southeast of the Marienplatz is Viktualienmarkt, an open-air food market that is a feast for the senses. It is open Monday through Saturday.

ITALY

THE NOBLE NEBBIOLO

Nebbiolo vines flourish at Carema, on the Alpine slopes of Piedmont’s Aosta Valley.

Piedmont is the exclusive home of a very particular grape whose special character is expressed in extraordinary wines.

To know Nebbiolo is to understand the hushed tones and reverential air people use to describe this swirling riot of perfumed blackberry, rose petal, and tar. For this is the haunting grape varietal behind muscular Barolo and brooding Barbaresco—wines seemingly as long-lived as the Piedmontese towns and the snowcapped Alps that rise majestically behind the vineyards. Nebbiolo is a temperamental and fussy grape grown nowhere else on Earth. It flourishes in Piedmont—a special corner of northwest Italy characterized by rolling hills and meticulously kept vineyard estates. Here, the dusty purpled clusters hang amid the early morning fog, or nebbia, that cocoons them in late fall when the grapes are picked. The wines take their name from the picturesque villages that lie a few miles apart on either side of the town of Alba, a food- and wine-lover’s Shangri-la. The food here is hearty; thick slabs of local beef braised in rich red wine, substantial pastas, roast pheasant and pigeon, fat chunks of artisanal cheeses, thick cured meats, and soulful white truffle. Barolos and Barbarescos can be nothing short of magnificent but here in their culinary home, enjoyed with convivial company, warmed by the glow of a crackling fire, they are positively magical.

Beef in Barolo

You can replace pricy Barolo with a full-bodied red wine.

Season the beef with salt and pepper, and marinate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Remove beef from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C/Gas Mark 3.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions, celery, and carrots over a low heat for 10 minutes until golden. Spread over the bottom of a large, ovenproof casserole dish.

Wipe out the pan, heat the remaining oil, and fry the meat briskly on all sides over a high heat until browned. Place the meat on top of the vegetables. Add the marinade, cover, and cook in the center of the oven for 3 hours.

Remove the meat and keep warm. Discard the herbs and puree the wine and vegetables. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

ITALY

SANGIOVESE IN TUSCANY

Chianti’s vine-covered hillsides and traditional farmhouses provide the perfect setting for sampling the area’s wines.

Earthy, with flavors of cranberry and cherry, Sangiovese is the grape par excellence of Tuscan sunshine.

There was a time when any mention of Tuscan wines conjured up images of squat, raffia-covered bottles containing sharp-tasting, brown-edged Chiantis. All that has changed. Nowadays, Tuscany offers a glorious choice of wines, from the refinement of a Brunello di Montalcino to the energy of a Chianti Classico, each with its own delicious variations in style. Old-style Chianti was the victim of Italy’s Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) legislation governing wine production in Italy, which required that dull white wine grapes be added to Chianti’s Sangiovese grapes. Then, in the 1980s and 1990s, a fresh breed of Tuscan wine-makers emerged who blended Sangiovese with non-traditional grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and improved winery techniques. Flamboyant, purple-hued showstoppers, the new blends were barred from a DOC classification, so they took the lower ranking of vino da tavola (table wine), but they were awarded their own classification—the Super Tuscans. Recently, DOC requirements have been relaxed, and Chianti can now be made from 100 percent Sangiovese, which has come into its own as an exciting grape, creating wines that shine with exuberance, finesse, and complexity.

Classico, Brunello, and Rosso

The Chianti DOC region covers a large area, mostly in the provinces of Florence and Siena. For top quality, look out for the gallo nero (black rooster) logo of the Chianti Classico consortium, whose members include many of the best Chianti wineries. The consortium also produces a good touring map showing you where to find the major vineyards and wineries.

Sitting on a mountaintop under a diaphanous Tuscan sky, the town of Montalcino has long produced wines prized for their elegance and nuance. It has fewer vineyards than Chianti to the north, and its wines have always been made solely from Sangiovese grapes. The most renowned among them is Brunello di Montalcino—made to last and priced accordingly.

A simpler local wine, also made from 100 percent Sangiovese grapes and giving some idea of what can be done with them, is Rosso di Montalcino. Aged for just a year, rather than a minimum of four, a Rosso will cost you about a third of what you have to pay for a Brunello.

ITALY

ENOTECAS IN PARMA

Wine and good cheer-drinkers toast one another in an enoteca in the northeastern city of Trieste.

In the north Italian city of Parma, the casual atmosphere of an enoteca is the ideal way to enjoy regional wine and food.

Whether rustic country affairs or modern metropolitan bars, enotecas hold to one unwritten rule: As well as wine, they feature local food—usually listed on a chalkboard on a wall behind the bar. In Parma, Via Farini is a constant parade of the city’s incredibly well-dressed inhabitants, alongside the few tourists wise enough to visit. It is also home to two very different enotecas: Enoteca Fontana and Il Tabarro. The former is an old-style establishment, where at lunchtime students and local workers share long wooden tables as they tuck into the daily special. Fontana features plenty of local wines and even a few from other parts of Italy. Prosecco is always flowing, as is Lambrusco in its true form, sparkling but not sickeningly sweet. Try the excellent pink Pinot Grigio, which is how the smaller local producers make their Grigio. At night, customers sip wines that complement inexpensive antipasti of prosciutto and local cheeses. Farther along Via Farini, near Piazza Garibaldi, Il Tabarro attracts a younger, hipper crowd. The wines—many available by the bottle to take away—change often and are listed on a chalkboard over a case of cured meats and regional cheeses. Along with your wine, browse selected foods from local producers—perfect for learning the fine points of Parmese gastronomy, such as the difference between a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese aged for only 12 months and one aged for 36 months.

Wine Repositories

Enotecas were originally a way for local wine-producers to get their wares before the public, relieving small wineries of the burden of setting up tasting rooms on site. The word literally means “repository of wines”—a combination of the Greek oinos (“wine”) and theke (“repository”)—and in most cases the definition still holds true.

Usually located in historic town centers, enotecas attract more visitors than small-production, artisanal wine-makers could on their own properties, bringing the wines greater exposure. As tourism has evolved and the wine world has become globalized, there is now more diversity in the larger enotecas, including even an occasional French wine.

BELGIUM

BEER IN BRUGES

The canals that encircle the center of Bruges have won the city the epithet “Venice of the North.”

In medieval Bruges, take your pick from more than 300 Belgian beers in one of the city’s atmospheric beerhouses.

Shoppers and tourists throng the cobbled streets of Bruges (Brugge in Flemish) in western Belgium, admiring the church spires, the sleepy canals, and the carillon bells that sing out the hours from the city’s medieval bell tower. But step into the quiet alleyway of Kemelstraat, near the cathedral, and duck in under the sign of ’t Brugs Beertje. Here, you enter a different world, where drinkers sit around wooden tables, holding up their frothing chalices appreciatively to the light. From behind the bar, the staff help diagnose your thirst if you cannot quite identify the cure. The answer might be a Brugge Tripel, a delicately balanced blond beer, or a Steen Brugge, bearing a picture of St. Arnold. This 11th-century patron of brewers founded the Abbey of Oudenburg, west of Bruges, and championed beer as a remedy against plague and other diseases—it worked to some extent because water needs to be boiled to make beer, killing harmful bacteria. For a truly local beer, go for Brugse Zot (Bruges Fool), a top-fermented ale, produced by De Halve Maan (The Half Moon), the only surviving brewery in central Bruges. Aficionados can visit the brewery, founded in 1856. And real devotees should eat at Den Dyver, an elegant restaurant that specializes in beer haute cuisine. Every dish is matched by carefully selected beers, demonstrating the remarkable range of flavors of Belgium’s most celebrated drink.

Strong and Varied

Belgian beers are generally strong, between 5 and 12 percent alcohol by volume. Styles include brown ales, blond (honey-colored) ales, and “white” beers (made with wheat). All these are top-fermented—during the brewing process, the yeast is allowed to form a crust, which holds in the flavor. There are also lighter lager or pilsner-style beers, which are bottom-fermented. Flavoring usually comes from hops, but for Steen Brugge a medieval mix of herbs and spices, called gruut, is used.

Brand names often have monastic origins, “abbey beer” usually signifying high quality. Some abbeys license their name to commercial breweries. Trappist beers, including Chimay and Orval, are produced by the abbeys themselves.

THE NETHERLANDS

JENEVER IN SCHIEDAM

A worker In a jenever distillery shovels coal Into the furnace used to heat the stills.

Forget the “export gin” used to make a gin and tonic—jenever is the real Dutch gin, and a very different experience.

Five of the world’s tallest traditional windmills stand beside a waterway in the city of Schiedam in the southern Netherlands. Their sails turning against the skyline, high above pretty clusters of old buildings, the windmills share their history with Schiedam’s most famous product—gin, or rather the original form of gin, jenever. This straw-colored drink, with an attractive scent of malted grain, is named after juniper (jenever in Dutch), and a doctor is said to have invented it around 1650 by adding juniper berries to distilled spirit. By the 19th century, a variety of styles had evolved, quaffed for pleasure rather than medicinal purposes. By then, Schiedam was the world capital of gin, with 20 windmills grinding the barley, rye, and corn used to make the spirit and 400 distilleries shipping to destinations around the globe. Want to know more? Head for the city’s Jenever Museum, housed in a former distillery, which explains the drink’s history and has its own proeflokaal (“tasting bar”), where you can sample the different styles. Here, you will learn about the traditional ways of making jenever, the flavorings used, and how the drink is bottled in ceramic containers. In the old days, there was a proeflokaal attached to most distilleries, so customers could sample the wares before buying. There are plenty of such establishments left in Schiedam and elsewhere in the Netherlands. If the museum’s proeflokaal has whetted your appetite, try Schiedam’s Café-Jeneverie ’t Spul, which stocks more than 400 kinds of jenever. Proost! (Cheers!)

Pure and Flavored

There are two types of jenever: oude (old) and jonge (young). This is not a description of aging, but of the method of distillation. The jonge styles, introduced around 1900, have a lighter, less malty finish.

A huge range of flavored jenevers exists, including orange, lemon, apple, chocolate, hazelnut, and vanilla versions.

Jenever is considered a quality spirit, far too good to be spoiled with mixers. It is served in tiny glasses and drunk as an aperitif before a meal, a digestif after a meal, or a “chaser”—known colloquially as a kopstoot (head butt)—to accompany pilsner-style beers.

Vines cover the hillside above Cuis.

FRANCE

SMALL CHAMPAGNE HOUSES

One of the region’s labyrinthine cellars

There is more to champagne than the wines of the most famous houses. Sample the delights offered by smaller producers.

Amosaic of bucolic villages spreads out across the Marne River Valley in northern France. Vineyards dominate slopes and plateaus, where patches of chalk thrust through the soil. Here and only here is where champagne, the nectar of monarchs, is produced. Called “the Pearl of Champagne,” the old-world village of Hautvillers is home to Champagne G. Tribaut, a family-owned cellar whose Premier Cru vines, grown on 30 acres (12 hectares) of sunny slopes and chalky terrain, morph into three champagne varieties. The Tribaut wine-maker holds a bottle of their silver-label Grand Cuvée Spéciale. He slices the foil to undo the wire cage (or muselet), then adroitly grasps the cork in one hand, and turns the bottle with the other. The Cuvée Spéciale’s soul bursts forth as a mature, complex wine with hints of rare spices. A few miles to the south, Pierre Gimonnet et Fils champions Chardonnay-based champagne in the hamlet of Cuis in the Côte des Blancs. A slender flute of Gimonnet Gastronome Blanc de Blancs reveals a soft hue and wonderful depth. Roll the wine around your mouth, noting aromas of honey, toffee, and minerals, a fresh-baked character, and a crisp, nutty finish. In Merfy, north of Reims, the small cellar of Chartogne Taillet belongs to a family that has been making wine since the 16th century. Old vines help intensify blends, particularly the Cuvée Sainte-Anne Brut, an aromatic champagne with delicate bubbles. Apples, pears, and almonds with a nuance of warm caramel encircle the pale straw effervescence, finishing with a touch of mineral.

Regional Cheeses

The Champagne region produces several cheeses, including Chaource and Langres, that complement the sparkling wines, either as an appetizer or during dinner.

■ Chaource has been made since the early 14th century. Similar to camembert, yet creamier in texture, the unpasteurized cow’s-milk cheese exudes a rich fruity flavor with a whiff of mushrooms. As it ages, the cheese goes from smooth to creamy. By full maturity, Chaource tastes nutty and a tad salty.

■ Made on the high plains of the Champagne region, Langres traces its origins to the 18th century. The cheese is ripened for five weeks in a humid stone cellar, during which time it is regularly washed with an orange pigment. The end result is a dense, slightly crumbly cheese enveloped in a vivid orange rind and with a pungent smell. The depression on top, called a cuvette or fontaine, encourages partakers to fill it with some champagne.

In Puligny-Montrachet, a village in Burgundy famous for its Grand Cru white wines, workers stand at a conveyor belt sorting the grapes with total concentration.

FRANCE

SWEET WINES OF FRANCE

Vines spread out in front of the Château de Malle, one of Sauternes’s best-known estates.

An aura of magic surrounds the golden glow of a fine vin liquoreux (sweet wine) from southwest France. Be enchanted!

The alchemy begins in fall, when ground fog veils the slopes rising from the Ciron River in the hilly Sauternes region, south of Bordeaux. Here, Sémillon grapes are harvested in six successive stages, the ripest being individually handpicked in the final stage. This last crop will have been touched by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, the pourriture noble (noble rot), essential for a vin liquoreux’s distinctive sweetness. After the grapes have been crushed and mixed with the juices of Sauvignon and Muscadelle grapes, the wine begins a long rest of ten years or more, as time transforms it into a complex “nectar,” with dense aromas of candied fruit and a voluptuous texture. These Sauternes vintages are the most famous of the southwest’s sweet wines, prized at the tables of the rich since the mid-19th century. Having toured the vineyards of Sauternes and Barsac (producing a slightly racier sweet wine), further sweet delights await when you cross the Garonne River at Langon. In the ancient, walled village of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, taste the vins liquoreux of Loupiac and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, made on south-facing slopes overlooking Sauternes. Another destination draws you through the enchanting, wine-producing uplands of Entre-deux-Mers, then along the Dordogne River to Bergerac and Monbazillac. At sunset, survey the enchanting panorama of vineyards from the historic Château de Monbazillac, which offers a final taste of noble sweetness, traditionally enjoyed as an aperitif.

Open Doors to Sweet Delights

■ Enjoy the region’s velvety foie gras with a glass of Monbazillac as a first course. Or savor a flaky tourtière (layered pastry) with Sauternes at the end of the meal. Vins liquoreux are also well suited to blue cheeses, such as Roquefort or Bleu d’Auvergne, and freshly shelled walnuts and almonds.

■ The second weekend in November each year is a portes ouvertes (open doors) weekend in Sauternes, when wine-makers welcome visitors with open doors. Enjoy a 9-mile (14 km) hike through the vines and a sumptuous on-site lunch before touring the wineries.

■ At Monbazillac, don’t miss the displays of old wine-making tools in the château’s cellar. The ticket includes a guided wine-tasting in the visitor center.

SPAIN

SHERRY AND TAPAS IN SEVILLE

Seville’s Plaza de España, built in 1929 in the Moorish style, is an attractive place to stop for a rest or to eat a picnic lunch.

With sherry to quaff and tapas to snack on, Seville in southern Spain offers an outing of rare gastronomic delights.

Andalusia, the birthplace of Spain’s tapas tradition, is at its cosmopolitan best in Seville. And as favorite beverages to go with Seville’s tapas, two kinds of sherry share honors: Dry sherry, known as fino, and manzanilla, a sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. To cleanse the palate, cut the heat of summer, and prolong the pleasures of itinerant grazing, a clear, cold, dry fino is hard to beat, whether from Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria, or Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Manzanilla—so-named for its aromatic resemblance to chamomile tea (manzanilla in Spanish)—brings a different zest. Made at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in Sanlúcar, it has a slight salty tang of the sea. In Seville—or anywhere in Spain—a good tapeo, or tapas tour, is confined to a specific area, manageable on foot. In Seville there are four main zones. Centro and El Arenal constitute one of them, with Bar Casablanca and Enrique Becerra as top choices. Another is Barrio de Santa Cruz, where La Giralda is arguably the best tapas emporium in town. In the Barrio de la Macarena and San Lorenzo, Seville’s oldest bar, El Rinconcillo, is a classic. And across the Guadalquivir in the traditional sailor, bullfighter, and flamenco enclave of Triana, start at La Albariza, overlooking the river at the end of the Puente de Triana.

A Wealth of Ingredients

■ As a result of the cooler temperatures and higher humidity in the area where manzanilla is made, it develops a thicker layer of vitamin-B-rich flor (yeast) during fermentation. This gives the wine a fresher and more delicate flavor, as well as reputedly curative properties against hangovers.

■ Seafood from the Guadalquivir estuary, Ibérico hams from Huelva, wild mushrooms and cheeses from the Sierra Norte highlands, and fresh farm products from La Campiña all enrich local larders. As a result, breads, pastes, creams, sauces, and puddings are rarely present in Seville tapas. Instead, pure raw materials—fresh fish, ham, cheese, peppers, or vegetables—dominate the miniature cuisine on display in Seville’s bars.

■ If you want something a bit more substantial than tapas, cazuelitas (small earthenware casseroles) show off some of Seville’s best cooking. La Giralda’s cazuela Tío Pepe (shitake mushrooms, shrimp, ham, and dogfish), Bar Estrella’s fabas con pringá (stewed broad beans), and El Rinconcillo’s caldereta de venado (venison stew) are three of the best.

SPAIN

WINES OF LA RIOJA

In La Rioja, traditional summer festivities include a “wine battle” at Riscos de Bilibio near Haro on June 29 each year.

Enjoy the best of both tradition and innovation in Spain’s most prestigious wine-producing region.

La Rioja has a long history of producing Spain’s finest wines. Valdepeñas in central Spain has always made more table wine, but for quality, the oak-aged, vanilla-flavored giants of the province of La Rioja in the north have long been unassailable. A good traditional Rioja—and it is unquestionably one of the world’s great wines—comes in one of three categories: crianza (aged for at least two years at the winery, including at least a year in oak casks), reserva (aged for at least three years, including a year in oak), and gran reserva (aged for at least five years, including two years in oak). The resulting smoky counterpoints of oak and fruit are the wines’ hallmark flavors, beautifully complementing roast meats and dishes with rich sauces. In recent years, many smaller, local wineries have been bypassing the traditional three classifications. In their vintages, less oak results in wines that, at their best, release the rich fruitiness of the Tempranillo, Graciano, and other grapes used to make a red Rioja, along with a range of spicy undercurrents. The choice is yours. Visit the region and sample all the styles. And don’t forget that La Rioja celebrates the gamut of epicurean pleasures—including good food. Begin your tour at Haro, famous for its red wines and superb home-cooking at restaurants such as Terete and Cueva La Recala.

Logroño’s Tapas Trail

Few pub crawls rival Logroño’s sendero de los elefantes (elephants’ trail) along Calle and Travesía del Laurel—home to two dozen bars, each famed for one specialty or another. The nickname derives from the Spanish trompas (trunks), slang for a “snootful.” For champis (garlic-filled mushrooms topped with shrimp), head for Bar Soriano. Blanco y Negro specializes in sepia (cuttlefish), Casa Lucio in migas de pastor (breadcrumbs with garlic and chorizo sausage), and La Travesía in tortilla de patatas (potato omelet). Bar Alegría serves a famous cojonudo (a quail egg on a toothpick with a sliver of spicy chorizo and hot green pepper), while El Donosti makes embuchados (deep-fried lamb tripe). Ask for a crianza Rioja to go with your food, and out come the crystal glasses.

PORTUGAL

WINES OF MADEIRA

Jacques Faro da Silva, director of the Madeira Wine Company, which owns Blandy’s, samples an 1860 Sercial.

On the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira, savor wines that are steeped in history.

Entering the tasting room at Old Blandy’s Wine Lodge comes as a relief. Lodges are where some of Madeira’s finest wines are aged in wooden casks and vats, and after a couple of hours in the bright, buzzy streets of the island’s capital, Funchal, their cool, shadowy interiors are wonderfully refreshing. The atmosphere is informal, but there is a respectful hush that is no more than the wines deserve—after all, they are among the world’s finest and longest-lived. Like mainland port, Madeira’s wines are “fortified” by adding grape spirit (brandy) to stop fermentation and preserve the sweetness of the fruit. Unlike port, the wines are then heated to around 113°F (45°C)—the result of a happy discovery when European sailing ships crossed the equator carrying Madeira wine on their way to and from the East Indies. One effect of this process is that the wine does not deteriorate once a bottle is opened. So without any great risk of wastage, the various lodges—Pereira d’Oliveira and Artur de Barros e Sousa are also worth a visit—can offer some venerable vintages without charging too much. At Blandy’s, the youngest wine is a 1977 Verdelho at around $9 a glass. At more than $100 a glass, the lodge’s 1908 Bual is not cheap—but for a taste of a wine made in the year that Henry Ford sold his first Model T, who’s counting?

Food Matching

■ Malvasia is the sweetest of the four types of wine made in Madeira, all named after the grape varieties used to produce them. Malvasia is a natural partner for rich and creamy desserts. Try it instead of Sauternes with foie gras terrine.

■ Less sweet than Malvasia, Bual goes well with pastries and cakes, especially the local bolo de miel (honey cake), as well as with hard and blue cheeses.

■ Verdelho is a medium-dry wine, delicious as an aperitif with salted almonds or cashews, air-dried hams, and dried fruits.

■ The driest wine, Sercial makes a terrific partner for sushi and sashimi dishes, as well as smoked salmon, oysters, and other shellfish.

Traditional barcos rabelas are moored in the Douro.

PORTUGAL

PORT WINE IN PORTO

Casks for aging tawny port in a Vila Nova de Gaia lodge

Visit Portugal’s atmospheric second city in the north of the country and sample one of the nation’s finest exports.

Porto, where the River Douro meets the sea, lends its name to one of the world’s most famous after-dinner tipples. The story starts in 1689, when—by a happy accident that connoisseurs have been celebrating ever since—the fortified wine that became known as port was invented here. War with France had forced the British to find alternatives to French wines, so they came to Portugal, drawn by the terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley. Casks of wine were brought downriver in sailing boats, called barcos rabelas, and unloaded in Porto for export. Traders found that the wines traveled better and tasted better when fortified with brandy, and this chance discovery still defines the taste of the wine. After harvesting, the grapes—from more than 40 different varieties—are taken to quintas, or estates, where they are pressed and left to ferment. Adding grape brandy halfway through this stage arrests full fermentation and gives the wine its characteristic sweetness. It is finally matured, in casks for tawny ports and bottles for ruby and vintage ports. You can try this excellent wine in any of the bars in town, ideally accompanied by traditional fado music and dancing. But no visit to Porto is complete without a trip across the river to Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side, where the wines are brought to age in a number of port “lodges.” The British influence is still very evident here, as you will see from many of the names of the lodges, such as Sandeman’s and Taylor’s.

Pass the Port, Please

For a wine to be called port, it must come from one of three designated regions of the Douro Valley: The Baixo Corgo (“Lower Corgo,” after the Corgo, a tributary of the Douro); the Cima Corgo (“Upper Corgo”); or the Douro Superiore.

There are many kinds of port, but the main types are ruby (fruity rich red ports blended from the produce of different years), tawny (amber-colored ports, which are also blended, but less sweet in flavor), and the finest of all—vintage ports, produced from a single vintage of exceptional quality.

Serve ruby and tawny ports at room temperature or slightly below. Only vintage ports that have been aged for more than eight years in the bottle need to be decanted. Stand the bottle upright for 24 hours, remove the cork a few hours before serving, then pour into a decanter. Stop pouring if you see sediment appear in the neck of the bottle. To enjoy the aroma, drink port from a good-sized wine glass filled about halfway.

Although often served in France as an aperitif, in Britain port is generally drunk after dinner as a perfect accompaniment to cheese. It is traditionally served clockwise around the table, with guests helping themselves, then passing the port to the person on their left.

SCOTLAND

ISLAY WHISKEY DISTILLERIES

Copper pot stills (such as these at Bowmore) are used to heat the spirit, then evaporate it, to increase the alcohol content.

Follow the flight paths of wild geese and golden eagles to the legendary distilleries on the western Scottish island of Islay.

The “wine of the country” is the nickname bestowed by Scottish devotees on their homeland’s most celebrated export—its incomparable array of single malt whiskies. And, like the world’s finest wines, each of these possesses unique qualities that embody the essence of the place where it is made and the traditions that inspire its making. For whiskey connoisseurs, a visit to Islay is as enthralling a prospect as a wine-lover’s pilgrimage to Bordeaux. Each Islay malt has its own personality, although a degree of peatiness is a common denominator. Some, such as Laphroaig, are intensely flavored, smoky extroverts. Others, including Caol Ila or Bunnahabhain, tell subtler stories, with delicate notes of flowers and fruit. As you travel across the island, with its peat banks, its salt air, and the soft water running off its hills, you begin to understand why the whiskies are as they are. The distilleries, in dramatic coastal locations, complete the picture. Each one has its own particularities, including the shapes and sizes of its stills, its water sources, and the provenance of its malted barleys.

Websites www.islayinfo.com, www.calmac.co.uk

Eating and Drinking on Islay

■ Local folk wisdom says the outflow from the distilleries gives the island’s oysters their wonderful succulence and depth of flavor. They are often on the menu at the Port Charlotte Hotel, in the village of the same name, or at the Harbour Inn at Bowmore.

■ If you have a few days to spare, the Bruichladdich distillery has its own Whisky Academy, where lovers of single malt can enroll in a hands-on course in the distiller’s arts.

■ At Ardbeg, located above a small bay near Islay’s southern tip, stock up in its Old Kiln Shop and sample the excellent home-cooking at the Old Kiln Café.

■ A short ferry ride from Islay takes you to the wild and rugged Isle of Jura to the east. This has its own distillery, whose offerings include the evocatively titled (and award-winning) Superstition.

IRELAND

PUBS IN DINGLE TOWN

At Dan Foley’s, a popular pub at Annascaul, east of Dingle town, you can be sure to find local characters as colorful as its decor.

Rumor has it that the small seaside town of Dingle in western Ireland has a pub for every week of the year.

Unique and idiosyncratic, Dingle wins over nearly everyone who visits. The town’s pubs are part of the secret, full of quirks and prompting the question: How do they fit them all in? The answer is that pubs are pretty much everywhere. Is that a hardware store or a leather shop? It may also be a pub. One of the most alluring of these establishments is Dick Mack’s on Green Street. Nicknamed the “Last Pew,” because it stands across from the road from the local church, it is where some less devoted locals tend to go instead of church on a Sunday morning. Cozy and warm, Dick Mack’s was, indeed, a leather shop until quite recently, when reputedly an issue with health regulations obliged it to focus on the drinking side of its business. The shoes and leather are still there, as a testament to its former trade, while the names of celebrity fans are inscribed in Hollywood-style stars on the pavement outside—including those of Paul Simon and Robert Mitchum. Enjoy a pint of Guinness under a portrait of Charlie Haughey, Ireland’s notorious former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and a local hero. If you don’t fancy a Guinness, there is also a fine selection of Irish whiskeys. Sit in the “snug,” amid all the decorative paraphernalia, and relish the “craic”—the chat, back chat, and general good company—with the friendly owners and locals.

Irish Soda Bread

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Mix flour and baking soda in a large bowl, then rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips. Add buttermilk and mix to a soft dough. Knead gently for about 1 minute. Shape into a ball, and place on the baking sheet. Flatten the loaf slightly, then cut a cross, cutting almost right through the bread. Brush the top with milk and dust with a little extra flour. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and well risen. Turn out on a wire rack to cool.

Britain’s greatest naval hero would surely approve of the Southwold pub named after him-perfect for a pint after a bracing stroll along the North Sea shore.

GREENLAND

GREENLAND GLACIER BEER

Icefiord Bryghus beers include a brown ale brewed with local crowberries (left) and a pale ale brewed with angelica (right).

Using the world’s purest water, Greenland’s beer-makers produce world-beating brews.

The secret to Greenland’s fledgling beer industry is water. “Breweries around the world spend so much money on water treatment,” says beer-maker Salik Hard. “But we don’t have to do that here, because we already have the purest water in the world—our glaciers and ice cap.” Hard and other brewers hire fishermen to sail out into the fjords to harvest frozen fragments that have fallen off icebergs. Once the ice is melted, Hard blends the water with Bavarian malt and organic hops from Canada, Germany, or New Zealand to produce beers available in another of Greenland’s well-kept secrets—some excellent restaurants, such as Napparsivik, overlooking the old town square in Qaqortoq, near the island’s southern tip. Perhaps it is not so surprising, after all, that Hard and his fellows make such fine stout and ale. Greenland has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark—home to Carlsberg and Tuborg beers—for more than 200 years. Hard’s Greenland Brewhouse in Narsaq is one of several scattered along the west coast. In the capital, Nuuk, Godthaab Bryghus brews four types of beer. In Ilulissat, the Hotel Icefiord Bryghus makes flavored beers using local ingredients, such as the rhubarb-like angelica plant. On the hotel’s terrace, enjoy unobstructed views of icebergs in Disko Bay as you sip your beer, waiting for dishes of smoked halibut, marinated scallops, and musk-ox meatballs ordered from the adjacent restaurant.

Polar Cuisine

Greenland’s beer goes with the island’s culinary delights. Southern Greenland, with warmer temperatures and lush grasslands, is known for free-range sheep and some of the world’s best lamb. Meals in the north, with a much cooler climate and shorter summers, revolve around seal meat prepared in various ways, including a rich stew called suaasat. Game is popular, particularly reindeer and musk-ox steak.

Seafood favorites include smoked salmon and halibut, dried cod, fresh scallops, and herring-like ammassat. Greenland is awarded an annual whale-hunting quota by the International Whaling Commission, so whale meat appears on menus. Greenlanders consider mattak (minke whale blubber) a delicacy, but for outsiders its texture is very rubbery.

SOUTH AFRICA

FRANSCHHOEK VALLEY WINES

On the Cabrière Estate, sip your choice of wines and look out over rosebeds to the mountains rising beyond.

In South Africa’s Western Cape province, savor a heady blend of fine wines and dramatic scenery in the Franschhoek Valley.

A prison may seem an odd place to start a wine tour, but in this case it is appropriate. Set amid the vine-covered slopes of the Franschhoek Valley, Groot Drakenstein Prison was where Nelson Mandela was transferred in December 1988, 14 months before his final release. Here, he made his “short walk to freedom,” heralding the end of apartheid. For his country’s wine industry, the new era unleashed a revolution all its own—full access to global markets, an influx of foreign investment, and a spectacular upsurge of local wine-making innovation. Pay your respects to the bronze statue of Mandela outside the prison, then head down the valley to the picturesque village of Franschhoek, heart of one of South Africa’s premier wine “wards”—roughly equivalent to a French appellation. Around you, vineyards clothe the valley sides, with old, immaculately white Cape Dutch farmhouses dotted among them. Most of the wineries offer daily wine-tastings. At the Cabrière Estate, sample its flagship white Chardonnay—Pinot Noir blend, a rich red Pinot Noir, and a sparkling Brut Sauvage. High on the side of the Franschhoek Mountains, the smaller, newer Boekenhoutskloof winery makes The Chocolate Box, a fantastic blend of five grape varieties, including Syrah, Grenache Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Farther west lies one of the valley’s largest and most famous estates, Boschendal, founded in 1685, growing everything from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

French Legacy

■ Visit Franschhoek on the weekend closest to July 14, and you may think you have stumbled into France by mistake. Franschhoek means “French corner” in Afrikaans. The valley was settled by French Huguenots (Protestants) in the late 17th century, and proudly maintains its French links with a Bastille Festival each year, where you can sample local wine and food.

■ For festive fizz, try some of the Cap Classique sparklers, bottle-fermented as with French champagnes. They include the Graham Beck Brut NV, made partly with Franschhoek Valley grapes, which was served at President Barack Obama’s inauguration dinner in 2009. Franschhoek holds a Cap Classique and Champagne Festival on the first weekend in December each year.