| Our trip could have consisted of visiting all the wineries on Earth if our project could have lasted a lifetime. Thus the itinerary and the agenda of wineworldtour 2005 deliberately pushed aside regions like Europe, Canada, parts of the United States, Brazil, Uruguay, the North of Africa, Israel, Japan, South Korea and a few other wine growing regions… |
| This study trip of the wine producing and wine drinking countries was the result of a compromise between the respect of our wish-list and the consideration of outside constraints. The constitution of our programme was de facto closely affected by the varied climates which we lived under for a whole year. To lighten our rucksacks, we analyzed the meteorology of both hemispheres and gave greater place to the summer season. Common sense also dictated that we should avoid the rigours of the oceanian winter, the infamous Indian monsoon as well as the periods of harvests unsuitable to welcoming visitors. |
| The chosen itinerary took account of the geographic location of the wine growing areas, the offers of airline companies, the state of local infrastructures, the cultural and touristic setup of the area, the political stability of the regions targeted as well as our own budget. However, our initial plans changed drastically when, further to the murder of Prime Minister Mr. Rafic Hariri, attacks burst in Beirut in February 2005. Benefiting from inside information from Lebanon, we preferred to cancel our stay in the country of the cedar and to replace it with a new destination: Bali. |
| Keeping the vineyard in the heart of our world tour, 5 months of researching and adjusting along the route was necessary to elaborate and finalize our programme: Chile (5 weeks) from January 13th to February 19th, Argentina (1 week) from February 20th to 26th, Bolivia (2 weeks and a half) from February 27th to March 15th, Peru (2 weeks) from March 16th to 29th, Ecuador (1 week and a half) from March 30th to April 10th, South Africa (5 weeks) from April 11th to May 18th. |
| Then, Thailand (4 weeks and a half) from May 19th to 26th, from June 25th to 30th and from July 31st to August 17th, Bali (2 weeks) from May 27th to June 9th, Cambodia (1 week) from June 10th to 17th, Laos (1 week) from June 17th to 24th, China (3 weeks) from July 1st to 24th, Vietnam (1 week) from July 25th to 30th, USA (4 weeks) from August 18th to September 13th, Mexico (2 weeks) from September 14th to 30th, New Zealand (3 weeks) from October 2nd to 23rd, Australia (2 weeks) from October 24th to November 7th and India (6 weeks) from November 8th to December 20th. |
| A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at… Oscar Wilde |
itinerary and agenda
Tekapo lake in Central Otago, New Zealand
trek at 13,000 feet above sea level on the Altiplano, Bolivia
across Titicaca lake in Copacabana, Bolivia
riding around San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
public transportation in Siam Reap, Cambodia