Great Wine Trips: Europe
Catalonia
This stretch of Spanish coastline north of Barcelona is world-renowned as one of the best places to eat and drink wine—and play golf.
Where to Play: Best are the two eighteens at PGA Golf de Catalunya in Girona (pgacatalunya.com). Empordà Golf Club (empordagolf.com) is also worthy, as is Golf Serres de Pals (golfserresdepals.com), a links/parkland hybrid and a great walking course.
Where to Taste: Visit Clos Mogador (011-34/97783-9171) to see grapes being crushed with an olive press. Also charming is Clos de l’Obac (costersdelsiurana.com). El Bulli (011-34/97215-0457), booked far in advance, has more than once been proclaimed the world’s best restaurant.
Where to Stay: Fine choices abound, but we like Hotel Mas de Torrent (mastorrent.com), a converted country house, and Hostal de La Gavina (lagavina.com), overlooking the sea.
Wine Tour Operator: U.K. School of Golf (ukschoolofgolf.com)
Rhône Valley and Geneva
This land’s daunting slopes are ideal for cultivating the syrah grape and designing tough golf holes.
Where to Play: The Evian Masters Golf Club (011-33/45026-8500) is host of an annual LPGA event. Also play Geneva Golf Club (011-41/22735-7540) and Golf de Chamonix (011-33/45053-0628), a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design. Golf Club de Lyon (golfclubdelyon.com) offers two challenging courses.
Where to Taste: Visited celebrated, influential M. Chapoutier (chapoutier.com) in Tain l’Hermitage. Also try E.Guigal (guigal.com) in Ampuis for wines from Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie.
Where to Stay: The Evian Royal Ermitage (royalparcevian.com) offers views of Lake Geneva. On a hilltop are the cottages of Les Deux Abbesses (lesdeuxabbesses.com). In Lyon, Villa Florentine (villaflorentine.com) is a classic French villa.
Wine Tour Operator: French Wine Explorers (wine-tours-france.com)
—M.N.
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