You do not need to be a wine expert to enjoy a wine-tasting holiday. There are now vineyard tours and wine tastings in some of the best wine growing regions of the world that now cater to all levels of interest. There is nothing better than staying in a holiday villa or cottage and enjoying the beautiful local scenery while sampling the local fine cuisine and wine.

Many holiday makers take their vacation in the wine growing region of France. It is a truly beautiful country full of vineyards which are helped by excellent growing conditions. Wine lovers consider France to produce some of the finest wines in the world. Many British holiday makers are attracted by the cheap flights or the short hop across on the ferry. When they get there they rent a gite or holiday cottage to truly sample the local culture and cuisine.

The Champagne region is one of the most popular wine growing regions in France and by staying in a holiday gite, it makes it an affordable option. The Champagne region is easy to get to and has lots of smaller several vineyards. This makes it ideal to visit many vineyards in the same day enabling you to try many different types of champagne.

It is possible to spend a long weekend break in a holiday cottage of gite in the Loire region of France. It is home to some excellent French wines, such as citrus-scented Sancerre, or the lightly fruited Vouvray. Many holiday makers try to stay in a holiday cottage next to its beautiful chateaux. It is possible to tour three vineyards in a day here and take some wine back to your holiday gite to drink over dinner.

Spain is an up and coming wine producer and many holiday makers are now combing a holiday getting a sun tan with visiting Spanish vineyards. There are some fabulous holiday villas and farmhouses available for rent and these wine tasting trips are becoming very popular.

A lot of the new generation of Spanish wines are excellent, fruit-driven wines. There are many wine-producing regions in Spain but perhaps one of the easiest and most enjoyable to visit is La Rioja, home to what is arguably Spain's finest wine. Here it is easy to hire a small cottage in the heart of the vineyard area and truly sample the local way of life

Lovers of Italian food and wine are totally spoilt for choice. Almost every region of Italy grows its own wine and each region claims to produce the best wine and food. As a result many tourists work their way around Italy staying in holiday homes and sampling the produce from each region at their leisure.

For wine lovers who want to travel further there are some great vineyards in South Africa. Many combine wine tasting with a family holiday. There's a good variety of wines available, with Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and the native Pinotage all growing well in this region. A popular holiday in South Africa is to rent a holiday home and then go on Safari.

The list of countries to visit on a wine tasting holiday is endless but the one thing that they all have in common is that it is a great way to sample the local way of life. There is nothing better than staying in a holiday villa and sampling the local wine and food. It is no wonder that wine tasting holidays are becoming so popular around the world.