January is a great time to plan a vacation or trip to a wine region. January seems to provide more time to relax and consider what your travel plans are for the coming year. There are many wine regions within the US to visit as well as around the world. Wine Trail Traveler has visited and written reviews about wineries in 19 states and several countries. You can read the reviews at Wine Trail Traveler
Winery Reviews.

In the United States, of course Napa Valley is the most recognized region. However there are numerous wine regions in California. Next door to Napa Valley is Sonoma Valley also very well known with many wineries. Consider visiting southern California where you will discover many wineries in the Temecula Valley/San Diego area. Other areas of California to visit include Lake County, Mendocino County and Suisun Valley.

Check out the many wine trails in Texas. Texas has many wine trails including Texas Hill Country Wine Trail, Way Out Wineries, Fredericksburg Wine Road 290 and the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail.

In Oregon discover wineries in the Columbia Gorge and Willamette Valley. While a visit to Woodinville in Washington State will provide you with many tasting rooms to visit, if you are looking for more of a winery/vineyard experience and tasting room then travel to Walla Walla, Washington.

On the East Coast consider visiting the Finger Lakes in New York. In Virginia there are many wineries in northern Virginia and in central Virginia near Charlottesville. Pennsylvania has wineries in the Philadelphia countryside, Lake Erie area, Lehigh Valley Berks County and the Susquehanna areas.

Other states across the country have wineries. Ohio has numerous wineries around the state. Consider visiting Colorado to visit wineries both in and around Denver and Palisade. If you decide to visit Palisade, CO consider staying at the Wine Country Inn, a delightful and easy to access lodging site.

If you are planning to travel outside of the US, look at Canada both British Columbia and Ontario. European countries to consider visiting include Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. New world wine regions include South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Chile and New Zealand.

While you are making your plans to travel to wineries,  you can use the trip itineraries available on the Wine Trail Traveler website to help you get started with your planning.

Part of the fun of traveling is the planning and reading about your destination site. What wine regions are you planning to visit during 2011?

Enjoy!

Cheers! Kathy