Grape Escapes
with Lys Hall

Lys Hall

Each tour is accompanied by Lys Hall, an established lecturer on the wines of Europe and an expert on those of Italy, Spain and the Pyrenean area in particular. She also has a degree in Art History and a passion for Mediterranean history, as well as having a good all-round knowledge and love of the countries themselves. She has been organising and accompanying wine groups for over a decade.

Welcome to our programme for 2009. This year we are offering a selection of scheduled holidays, as detailed below, and also a list of wine destinations for which we will tailor-make a tour on request (subject to sufficient numbers).

The scheduled programme starts with Sicily in the late spring, a chance to visit the island at its freshest and brightest, closely followed at the end of May by a return to the stunning vineyards and equally stunning historic monuments of Campania and Puglia in the south of mainland Italy. In the middle of June we will take the road through all the high quality wine regions of northern Spain, from Bilbao to Barcelona, and after a summer break, resume with harvest time and the Asti Food Festival in Piedmont. We are delighted to finish the year with another Cape Escape for wines, whales and birds.

The approach of our Wine Tours is to examine and enjoy the fine-wine-producing regions of Europe in a way that allows the wines themselves to be viewed in context – so the local gastronomy and history are also given a significant part of the itinerary. Each of the winery visits is structured for a group and is by previously arranged appointment. The sightseeing is mainly unstructured so as to allow individuals to arrange the time to maximum advantage. We use scheduled flights only, by whichever carrier offers the most civilised timings available, so as to maximise the time away. Local transport is by coach.

We are always happy to tailor-make itineraries, so if the proposed dates are not convenient to you please do contact to discuss your particular requirements so that we can organise a wine holiday for you. Based on our previous visits throughout Europe we would happily offer tours to South-west France, Provence, Alsace, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Veneto and North-east Italy, Franconia and Baden in Germany, Jerez and the sherry region, and Ribera del Duero in Central Spain, but are always open to new suggestions.

Programme for 2009

To join one of the tours or request more information, contact Lys Hall by e-mail on:

wineinfo (@) grape-escapes . co . uk (removing spaces and brackets)

or write/phone to:

Grape Escapes, The Anchorage, The Chalks, Chew Magna, Bristol BS40 8SN
Tel: 01275 332980 (UK) / 0044 1275 332980 (Int)

To comply with travel legislation, Grape Escapes Holidays is legally operated and bonded by Wildwings, CAA ATOL licence 5429. Your booking form and deposit cheque (made payable to Wildwings) should be sent to Grape Escapes who will forward it on. You will then receive your deposit receipt, balance invoice, flight confirmation and insurance policy directly from Wildwings. Your balance payment, when due, should be sent directly to Wildwings.

All other holiday information and your travel documents will be sent from Grape Escapes. All queries relating to your holiday should be directed to Grape Escapes.