Château Margaux

Moët & Chandon Champagne Caves

South Africa

CHATEAU DES FINES ROCHES

THE BODEGAS OF SPAIN

FLORENCE

Château Margaux

Château Margaux

Moët & Chandon Champagne Caves

Moët & Chandon Champagne Caves

SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA

CHATEAU DES FINES ROCHES

CHATEAU DES FINES ROCHES

THE BODEGAS OF SPAIN

THE BODEGAS OF SPAIN

FLORENCE

FLORENCE

WELCOME TO OUR WORLD OF

LUXURY WINE TOURS

Explore the world’s most renowned wine regions in the lap of the luxury.  Top rated, exclusive itineraries hosted by a Master of Wine.

OVERVIEW

Hosted by a Master of Wine, our luxury food and wine tours are a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Since 2010, we have provided small groups of 20 wine lovers with exclusive access to the great estates that few will ever experience.

On our tours you will meet the owners and winemakers, taste exceptional wines, enjoy spectacular meals, and stay in luxurious accommodations.

We also organize private tours for major corporations, designed to fit your schedule.

There is a non-refundable $100 USD administration booking fee per person at the time of registration. The remaining balance is due 120-days prior to the start of the tour.

I invite you to join us.

JAMES CLUER, MASTER OF WINE

OUR DESTINATIONS

&

Your bucket list

Click here to view our complete 2024 tour itineraries

Click here to learn about our registration, payment, and cancellation policies

ARGENTINA

AN ADRENALINE RUSH BEYOND COMPARE

EXPLORE

AUSTRALIA

AN EPIC ADVENTURE TO THE WINES OF OZ

EXPLORE

bordeaux

THE GRANDS CRUS CLASSES

 EXPLORE

CHAMPAGNE-BURGUNDY

LUXURY & SEDUCTION

EXPLORE

PIEDMONT, ITALY

EXPERIENCE BAROLO, BARBARESCO, AND MORE

EXPLORE

RHONE VALLEY

THE BENCHMARK

EXPLORE

SOUTH AFRICA

THE LAND OF PLENTY

EXPLORE

SPAIN

FAR FROM THE ORDINARY

EXPLORE

TUSCANY

A FOOD & WINE LOVERS DREAM

EXPLORE

A TASTE

of a Fine Vintage Luxury Wine Tour

CORPORATE TOURS

The ultimate experience: A private corporate tour designed to fit your schedule.
We organize these for major firms and private clubs worldwide.

LEARN MORE

YOUR HOSTS

All of our tours are guided by Masters of Wine.
Meet your hosts:

CHAMPAGNE & BURGUNDY

CHARLES CURTIS MW


Your host in Champagne & Burgundy

MEET CHARLES

CHARLES is an author, journalist, consultant, and former Head of Wine for Christie’s Auction House in both Asia and the Americas, with a wealth of experience in the wine and spirit trade. He joined Christie’s in 2008 from Moet Hennessy USA, where he was Director of Wine & Spirit Education.

In 2012 he set up his fine wine consultancy WineAlpha to provide advice on the buying, selling, storing, and shipping of fine wine, wine appraisals, and advice on varied topics of interest to wine collectors.

Curtis trained as a chef at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. He apprenticed at Michelin-starred restaurants, but moved to the wine trade in 1994, and passed the Master of Wine exam in 2004.

His first book, The Original Grand Crus of Burgundy, was released in 2014, and the second, Vintage Champagne 1899-2019 in 2020. He is a board member of the Institute of Masters of Wine, North America, and regular contributor to Decanter magazine and other publications.

Charles is unquestionably one of the most knowledgeable and accomplished wine experts in North America with a warm, friendly style and a love for sharing his passion for fine wine and great food.

BORDEAUX & SPAIN

MINI CONSTANT MW


Your host in Champagne & Burgundy

MEET MINI

MINI joined the wine tasting team at university, whilst studying Politics & Economics, and thereafter a hobby became a career. She started in London at the wine department of Harrods, followed by becoming a sommelière in a fashionable restaurant in the City of London. She continued her career with the Symington port family, who have been in Oporto for over 130 years and own the prestigious houses of Warre’s, Dow’s, and Graham’s amongst others.

In 1987 Mini moved to France with her husband and became an agent sourcing wines from South-West France for the UK trade. Since 2003 she has been running her own business, Tastevin du Monde, which has a number of different facets. It includes teaching WSET courses, mainly for young wine professionals, in France, in Bordeaux, and in China, in Shanghai.  Mini also blends wines for various vineyards in South-West France and when replanting helps them choose which grape varieties to use to increase complexity, to cope with climate change, and to lessen the use of chemicals in the vineyard. The final, very enjoyable facet is accompanying groups in France and Spain on luxurious, fun wine tours.

BORDEAUX & TUSCANY

PHILIP GOODBAND MW


Your host in Bordeaux & Tuscany

MEET PHILIP

PHILIP   is a true wine professional, Vintners Scholar and former Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine. His wine business interests covering four decades have taken him around the globe, resulting in a unique blend of knowledge and experience which he loves to share.

His tasting skills are put to good use as The Chair of Judges at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, and through his international consultancy work which has brought him many awards and personal honours. Philip served as wine adviser to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for over a decade.

He is a communicator with a truly approachable and engaging style, which has been much in evidence at the BBC Good Food Show, on TV and on a number of the top cruise lines.

He currently holds the position as a senior lecturer at the International Wine and Spirit School in London and for Fine Vintage in Calgary and Florence. www.philipgoodband.com

RHONE VALLEY

ROD SMITH MW


Your host in the Rhone Valley

MEET ROD

ROD, is currently Vice-Chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine (MW), and is one of only 416 people to hold the MW, the highest qualification in the field which he passed in 2006. He is a wine educator, marketer, and journalist, based in the South of France. With a client list that includes the world’s wealthiest, most discerning and demanding customers, Rod is the owner/director of the Riviera Wine Academy,

Prior to this, Rod worked for Vins Sans Frontières – the leading wine supplier to the superyacht industry in the South of France, and before that in the UK for a variety of fine wine importers and retailers, as well as being an established WSET educator. Rod has been extensively involved in judging wine competitions in London (Panel Chair, Decanter World Wine Awards, IWC), Shanghai (SIWC, Wine100), Guangzhou (Golden Bottle Awards), Dallas (TexSom), Sofia (Balkans International Wine Challenge), Moscow (Russian Wine Fair), and Sydney (Sydney Royal Wine Show).

Rod has travelled and presented about wine widely including many trips to China and the Far East.

Rod’s personal interests include cycling, running, travel, literature, card magic and film.

SOUTH AFRICA

CATHY VAN ZYL, MW


Your host in South Africa

MEET CATHY

CATHY started her wine journey on a bicycle: she asked her husband to ride SA’s famed Cape Town Cycle Tour with her; he accepted if she attended a wine course with him. She has since notched up more than 21 tours – and passed the prestigious Master of Wine examination in 2005.

Previously chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine’s education committee, she is now a member of its Council. Cathy judges locally and internationally.

She occasionally contributes to wine journals and websites around the world but spends most of her wine-time as associate editor of Platter’s South African Wine Guide.

In 2019, she was named as the Cape Wine Masters’ Personality of the Year for her passionate promotion of South African wine at every conceivable opportunity.

Geoffrey Moss with MW certificate

SPAIN

GEOFFREY MOSS, MW


Your host in Spain

MEET GEOFFREY

Geoffrey Moss earned his Master of Wine in Fall 2020, an achievement that tops his exploration of many facets of the wine industry. He was awarded the Villa Maria Award for his outstanding knowledge and understanding of viticulture and the Robert Mondavi Winery Award for the best performance across all the theory papers in the MW exam. His resumé includes working with Don Triggs and family at Culmina Family Estate Winery and then as part of the team at the ambitious Phantom Creek Estates project, seeing the brand and winery emerge from start to completion. Geoffrey founded Lithica Wine Marketing in 2019, a boutique agency that helps wineries develop effective, customer-centric business and marketing strategies. He runs the wine consulting business from Penticton in the heart of the Okanagan Valley. An avid writer, Geoffrey is also a wine reviewer/critic and contributor at Gismondi on Wine and has also been published on Jamie Goode’s Wine Anorak, Jancis Robinson’s Purple Pages, and Palate Press.

TESTIMONIALS

Bordeaux - First class all the way!

“A special thank you to the Fine Vintage team for putting together such an unforgettable experience in Bordeaux! To give this trip a 10/10 would be a massive understatement as every aspect of the tour far exceeded my expectations. I was especially impressed with our host James Lawther as he has a wealth of knowledge of the Bordeaux region, which made the tour both entertaining and educational. My bucket list includes visiting every premium wine region of the world and I intend to do it with the Fine Vintage team – first class all the way! ”


KIMBERLY JURGILAS, TORONTO, ON
Spain - Truly once in a lifetime experience!

“Visiting Spain impressed us on absolutely every level. It is a country that not only produces quality wine, it has the culinary merit to match alongside a stunning countryside making it a very desirable destination for wine, food, and art aficionados alike. Without question, Fine Vintage’s tour elevated our experience to a level we simply would not have been able to achieve on our own. Exclusive winery access, excellent food pairings, first-rate accommodation, and the incredible depth of knowledge of our guides resulted in a truly once in a lifetime experience. ”


ALLISON WALLACE, VANCOUVER, BC
Tuscany - The experience was all we could have asked for!

“My wife Karen and I were on the Tuscany tour in May. The experience was all we could have asked for. James and Filippo were excellent guides, combining very extensive knowledge of the region with plenty of humor and fun.  Several times they were able to add a personal touch to the tour, whether it was bringing us to Filippo’s village to enjoy food, music, and dance with his family and friends, or the visit from Sergio the world champion gelato maker. The tour had a good balance of scheduled events and free time. The accommodations were excellent, very comfortable and clean. The wineries we toured were top quality and it was a treat to visit some locations which we would not be able to see if we were on our own. Lastly, I must comment on the rest of the tour group. We were very pleased with the other members of the tour, who all seemed to enjoy each other’s company. It was certainly not a bus full of wine snobs. The group had lots of knowledge, but never let it get in the way of having a few laughs. We look forward to the next trip we can take with Fine Vintage!”


ROB LANGILLL
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