10 of the greatest holidays on Earth for food and wine

Our pick of the best gourmet holidays, from street food to fine dining.

1. Food and wine in Georgia

Georgia’s distinct culinary tradition is born of a fusion of eastern European and western Asian influences. Wild Frontiers offers a tour accompanied by food and wine writer Carla Capalbo to explore the country’s tasty stews, dumplings, cheese bread and walnut-based dishes, travelling from Tbilisi to the winemaking area of Kakheti and Bodbiskhevi market.

Tastes of Georgia from £2,995 for eight nights including transfers and all meals. Flights excluded. Departs Sept 4 2019 and June 5 2020. Wild Frontiers (wildfrontierstravel.com).

2. Gastronomy in Japan

Far East specialist Inside Japan has put together a self-guided culinary itinerary travelling mainly by train from Tokyo to Osaka. Highlights include sushi-making in Kyoto, a street food tour of Osaka, Buddhist shojin ryori food at Mount Koya and a ryokan dinner in Takayama. 

Gastronomic Adventure from £2,690 B&B for 13 nights including transfers and some meals. Excludes flights. Departs year-round. Inside Japan Tours (insidejapantours.com).

3. Street food in Malaysia

It can be hard to unravel the secrets of local cuisine without a guide on hand to answer questions. Rickshaw Travel offers short, food-focused breaks in a variety of Far Eastern destinations that can be built into longer itineraries. Among the most spicy is a two-night stay in the Georgetown district of Penang with its outdoor food courts and traditional Nyonya restaurants. This includes a guided bike tour around the street market and the option of a cooking class to discover more about local flavours. 

Bites and Bikes of Penang from £218 for two nights’ B&B including half-day bike tour with food. Excludes flights and transfers. Departs year-round. Rickshaw Travel (rickshawtravel.co.uk).

4. Spices of southern India

Kerala’s cuisine draws on the rich variety of pungent spices grown in the region including vanilla, nutmeg, pepper, turmeric, cloves and cardamom. A visit to the spice plantations of Periyar is included on a circular itinerary offered by long-haul specialist TransIndus, which takes in the fishing villages near Cochin and the tea estates of Munnar. Cooking demonstrations and a cruise through the waterways to Kumarakom with lunch also feature on the tour. 

Culinary Tour of Kerala from £2,995 for 11 nights including flights, transfers and some meals. Departs year-round. TransIndus (transindus.co.uk). 

5. Curries and kebabs in India

New for 2019, over-50s specialist Saga Holidays has unveiled a tour of northern India that takes in the classic sights while also focusing on the local food scene. Travelling by air, train and road to Delhi, Agra and Khajuraho, the itinerary includes a visit to the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Along the way the included dinners range from typical Varanasi cuisine of choorma (made with wheat, ghee and sugar) to traditional Bhopal curry and kebab specialities accompanied by a local host to explain the techniques involved. 

Mystical India from £2,599 for 15 nights including flights, transfers and half-board. Departs Jan 15, Feb 5, Oct 7 and Nov 18 2020. Saga Holidays (travel.saga.co.uk).

6. Food markets of Vietnam

Capital city Hanoi has long been a bucket-list city for gourmet travellers and is the starting point for Original Travel’s culinary tour. After sampling the street food and joining a cooking class to explore Vietnamese techniques, the itinerary includes an overnight cruise in Halong Bay and a tour of Hue. Take a Vespa tour of Hoi An’s cafés and restaurants for barbecued specialities, banh flan (a version of creme caramel) and banh can (egg and rice cake). 

Vietnam in Style from £4,905 for 15 nights including transfers and some meals. Excludes flights. Departs year-round. Original Travel (originaltravel.co.uk). 

7. Delicacies of China

Top-notch gastronomy and five-star accommodation are two features of an exclusive two-week itinerary offered by escorted tour specialist Wendy Wu. Taking in China’s top sights in Beijing, Xian and Chengdu, there’s also a Yangtze river cruise and a chance to sample Peking duck and fiery Sichuanese hotpot, based on pepper and chilli ingredients. The tour ends in Shanghai with a special Shanghainese dinner and farewell cocktail overlooking the Huangpu river.

Exquisite China tour from £4,990 for 14 nights including flights, transfers and most meals. Departs May, September and October. Wendy Wu Tours (wendywutours.co.uk).

8. Gourmet Mexico

This gastronomic tour offered by long-haul specialist Abercrombie and Kent includes overnight stays in Mexico City, the Unesco world heritage site of San Miguel de Allende and the Pacific coast beach resort of Punta Mita. And gourmet experiences include a chef-led food market tour, a hands-on salsa and tortilla-making lesson and a private wine-tasting session with a sommelier. A distillery tour in Tequila follows a Jalisco-style lunch.

Food, Wine, Tequila with Punta Mita from £7,220 for 11 nights’ B&B including flights and transfers. Departs year-round. Abercrombie and Kent (abercrombiekent.co.uk).

9. Culinary trail in Thailand

Without language skills, it’s hard to find the best local restaurants unaided. So escorted tour specialist Cleveland Collection takes groups off the beaten track in the company of a knowledgeable local guide to sample little-known gems in Bangkok, Ayutthaya and the National Park of Khao Yai, where dinner is served a relaxed vineyard. An Issan-style cookery class explores north-eastern techniques, and the die-hards can try insect delicacies at a local market in Phitsanulok. More palatable options include kanom kook (coconut rice pudding) and sweet mango.

Food Trails of Thailand from £2,699 for 10 nights including flights, transfers and most meals. Departs year-round. Cleveland Collection (clevelandcollection.co.uk).

10. Cuisine of South Korea 

When it comes to Asian food, Korea’s cuisine is often overshadowed by neighbouring China and Japan, but this small peninsula punches above its weight, gastronomically speaking. From spicy breakfast soups and fermented bean soups to tasty bibimbap and the ubiquitous kimchi, there’s plenty to tantalise the taste buds. Small group tour operator Intrepid Travel offers a circular itinerary from the capital Seoul, taking in the foodie cities of Jeonju, Busan and Gyeongju in the company of a culinary expert. 

South Korea Real Food Adventure from £1,620 for seven nights including some meals. Excludes flights and transfers. Departs March to June and September to November. Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com).