Site seeing: Virtual vineyards

By MONIKA FRY

There are an increasing number of tours and holidays for foodies advertised in the press. However, there appear to be fewer journeys for wine-tasting buffs.

Thankfully an increasing number of wineries are going online to sell their wines. The sites often provide tasting notes, opening hours and enough information on the local area to plan a trip.

Outside New Zealand, the closest major wine-producing area must be the Hunter Valley, a two-hour drive north-west of Sydney. The Hunter Valley Wine Country site lists accommodation, a wide range of events and location maps of all the local wineries.

Still in the new world, California's Napa Valley Vintners Association details Napa Valley wineries, from small, family-owned enterprises to large, publicly held companies that produce a million cases. This site also hosts details of local events, tasting notes and a useful map linking winery websites.

Rough Guides gives an overview of French viticulture including details on Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux. The Italian Internet Winery Travel Guide takes you through the regions of Italy and their wines.

The Republic of Georgia is barely mentioned as a wine region, but it has a history of winemaking dating back to 5000 BC, and is particularly known for semi-sweet and late-harvest wines.

Hunter Valley Wine Country

Napa Valley Vintners Association

Rough Guides

Italian Internet Winery Travel Guide

Georgian wine