Australia’s only island state, Tasmania is located southeast of the mainland, separated by the Bass Strait and surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This island is a major tourist destination due to its diverse and spectacular scenery, unspoiled wilderness, unique wildlife, and temperate climate. Tasmanians take great pride in their island’s natural beauty. Nearly 37 percent of the state is protected in nature reserves, national parks, and World Heritage sites. Another attraction for visitors is the island’s colorful and tragic history.

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The vineyards of southern Provence sweep along the southeastern coastline of France from Cassis in the west, towards Toulon to the east. Near Cassis, the vines clamber up steep hillsides that rise sharply from the water. In the morning they are often bathed in ocean mists that burn off as the heat of the Mediterranean sun builds during the day. To the east, the steep hills give way to gently rolling slopes, punctuated with picturesque hilltop villages surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. The vineyards of the Bandol region spread out from the seaside village, surrounding it on three sides with a gently undulating bowl dotted with small villages.

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Provence! The word conjures up images of rolling, sun-baked countryside carpeted with lavender, silvery stands of olive trees, neat rows of grape vines, golden-hued houses, and sleepy, picturesque villages. The region begins on the Mediterranean coast stretching west from the Italian border to the mouth of the Rhône, and in the north from the Italian Alps in the northeast to the northwest past Avignon.

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Ask most people what comes to mind when they think of Sicily, and they’ll probably mention scenes from The Godfather, a landscape of searing beauty and a smolderingly intense history and culture. But Sicily goes far beyond this limited image. It is a land of diverse scenery, with sun washed seacoast villages, hilltop hamlets, and bustling cities. Its five million people are warm and welcoming, energetic and animated. Its long history intertwines with that of Greece and Rome, as reflected in its architecture and culture.

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With its dazzling sunshine, blue skies and mild temperatures, Hawke’s Bay is a leading vacation destination for New Zealanders as well as out of country tourists. Named after Sir Edward Hawke, First Lord of the Admiralty (1766), this eastern region of New Zealand boasts almost 3,000 hours of sunshine every year, making it an ideal location for virtually every type of leisure time activity. Beautiful beaches and dramatic natural beauty scenery abound here.

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Wairarapa/Martinborough sprawls along the southeast coast. It was one of the first sheep grazing regions in the country and is now a premium wine area especially loved by the locals for its rolling vineyards, quaint towns and untamed coastline. The area is named after Lake Wairarapa which means “glistening waters,– in Maori. The land was once densely forested, requiring early settlers to struggle in creating farms by clearing bush and bringing in sheep from Australia, establishing sheep stations and dairy farms.

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Switzerland is a landlocked Western European gem bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. It is physically divided into the Alps, the Central Plateau, and the Jura. The Swiss Confederation, known for its history of neutrality, consists of 26 cantons with Bern as the governing city, and the cities of Zurich and Geneva as the country’s economic centers. Switzerland is made up of three cultural regions: German, French, and Italian, and the Romansch speaking valleys, each maintaining its own language.

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The Central Coast of California runs along the Pacific Ocean from just south of San Francisco to Santa Barbara, just north of Los Angeles. It includes a diverse range of regions, including the Livermore Valley, the Santa Cruz Mountains, magical Monterey and Carmel, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. This region is one of the most popular in California, both for natives and out-of-state tourists.

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Mendocino County lies to the north of its two better known neighbors, Napa and Sonoma. While it is still best known for its natural beauty which ranges from spectacular coastlines towering redwood forests, the region is rapidly taking its place in the California wine Pantheon with a growing reputation for producing outstanding wines. The wineries in this region tend to be smaller and with less grandiose facilities and tasting rooms than elsewhere in California, but the products they are putting out, both red and white, are both distinctive and of high quality.

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Napa County is without doubt the best-known, most visited wine region in California, if not the United States. From rural beginnings, it has developed into a wine-lover’s idyll, a delightful, visitor-friendly place, combining charming towns and villages, vineyard covered plains and hillsides, and enticing places to stay and eat.

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Running roughly north and south just “over the hill” from Napa Valley to the east, Sonoma County has long been in the shadow of its better known more bustling neighbor. It doesn’t boast as many wineries, multi-million dollar visitor centers, or fine dining establishments as Napa, but rewards visitors with a more relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to see what California wine country was like before rampant commercialism turned it into a tourist attraction.

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