Top Food and Wine Experiences in Europe Recommended by Experts

iBestTravel’s A-List advisors can guide travelers to some of the most memorable and sought-after culinary experiences in Europe.

Ready to eat and drink your way around Europe? Expert advisors from iBestTravel’s A-List can plan a trip meal by meal, whether in a sunny vineyard in Austria or 18 feet below the surface of the ocean in Norway.

Here’s a closer look at the culinary experiences to bookmark this year throughout the Continent and into the Caucasus, as selected by the expert travel advisors on iBestTravel’s A-List.

Austria

“I work directly with Heidi Schröck, one of the few women vintners in the country’s Burgenland region. Visitors love to walk the vineyards near the shore of Lake Neusiedl and hear her stories. You can taste so many varieties, like welschriesling, furmint, gelber muskateller, and blaufränkisch. However, the focus isn’t on the winery itself — no one needs more lessons in production or barrel types. It’s a discovery of local winemakers who may not have large exports but do this because of tradition and love of the process. It’s a much more personal way to experience the wines.” — Gwen Kozlowski

Denmark and Norway

“More and more people are planning entire one- to two-week trips based around coveted reservations like Under, a restaurant submerged 18 feet in the North Sea in Lindesnes, Norway. I’m also building trips around a visit to Roks in the Faroe Islands — and, as always, Noma in Copenhagen.” — Melissa Lee

Georgia

“Tbilisi is one of my favorite places to eat. If you want traditional food, you can get khinkali, or soup dumplings; lobio, a hearty bean stew; and khachapuri, a warm, cheese-filled bread. Iasamani, which opened in the Sololaki neighborhood last year, serves lighter versions of classic dishes like pkhali, vegetables blended with walnuts and spices. Moreover, I like the grape-juice tart with quince, which is a play on churchkhela, a string of walnuts coated in thickened grape juice and dried in the sun. And I always suggest Bina 37. They make their own wine using traditional earthenware amphorae.” — Jay Ternavan

Greece

“One of my favorite experiences for travelers is a class in wood-fired cooking at Kabones Estate, on the island of Naxos, in the Cyclades. First, you visit the Kouros of Flerio, an unfinished 21-foot-long fallen statue carved in the sixth century B.C. Then you go to the family farm, run by Maria Polikreti, which dates to the 16th century and still has no electricity, so everything is made over the fire. You might make zucchini and tomato fritters, slow-roasted lamb with potatoes and herbs, stuffed grape leaves, and flatbread, served with feta.” — Petros Zissimos

Italy

“To truly enjoy fall Italian-style, why not try your hand at the vendemmia, or wine harvest? If you stay at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, in Montalcino, Tuscany, you can spend a day clipping Sangiovese Grosso vines, then enjoy a tasting accompanied by cheeses and cured meats. For a more relaxed experience, head north to Asti, in the Piedmont region, and check out the Douja d’Or, the wine fair held every September.” — Joyce Falcone

Portugal

“Travelers are showing a preference for stays at farms and wine hotels in the countryside. They appreciate being away from the busy cities and enjoying relaxed dinners that can stretch for hours. At São Lourenço do Barrocal, you can take a cocktail class and make drinks with ingredients sourced from the estate. You can also walk the ‘olive trail’ — where some trees are over a thousand years old — before enjoying an olive oil tasting.” — Gonçalo Correia

A version of this story first appeared in the September 2022 issue of iBestTravel under the headline “Future Flavors.”