Azores specialist reports rise in wine and gin aficionados seeking new experiences

An independent travel specialist, which creates bespoke holidays to the Portuguese speaking islands of the Atlantic (Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde and Sao Tome) says that a surge in awareness of the region’s wines and gins is attracting a new crowd of food and drink tourists.

The team at Archipelago Choice, which has been creating personal holidays based on 24 years of travelling and exploring these unique island archipelagos (23 in total) typically cater for “active” walking, hiking, snorkelling and whale watching travellers, keen to soak up some winter sun and get off the beaten track.

However, as co-founder Ian Coates explains, there is a tasty new attraction that is starting to make waves out in the middle of Atlantic Ocean;

‘We’ve noticed two major things so far this year, a boost to family bookings and “experiential” travel in small groups of friends but then something a little out of left-field for the Azores…more and more enquiries about wine tours and gin tasting breaks.

‘There has been high praise of late for The Azores Wine Company on the rocky and rugged volcanic island of Pico and then there is a lot of interest around what the folks at Solar Branco Eco Estate are up to over on Sao Miguel.

‘They’re big on sustainability which is an increasingly critical factor for our guests but just just a big on gin, with what I believe is Europe’s largest private gin collection.’

‘Traditionally, our holidays are pretty active, (hence the popularity of places like Cape Verde over winter) and they’ve tended to attract people with a sense of adventure. Well, there’s something to be said about trying new wines and gins so we’ll drink to that – just be careful mixing grape and grain and do your walking and whale watching first!

For more information, visit https://archipelagochoice.com