This fun journey makes its way around Europe on a trip I know we’d all love to take. We’ll fly into Venice and head west to taste DOCG prosecco, the finest expression of the style. Further west still and we’ll be in Franciacorta, where the soils begged to be planted to Champagne varietals. Across the Mediterranean, Cava is produced from indigenous Spanish grapes and vinified in the traditional method. Even the bad ones aren’t bad—how many times have you reached for that $12 bottle of Cava? —and the one that we’ll taste is delightful.

Of course we have to end in France, but before we get to Champagne, we should stop in the Loire Valley to taste a Crémant de Vouvray, made from Chenin Blanc. And at last, to Champagne, where we’ll taste a wine from a Grand Cru vineyard that epitomizes the elegance of the style.

We’ll start about as far away from Chenin Blanc’s home as one can go—the South Island of New Zealand. There, from old vines at the base of Mt. Difficulty, Chenin becomes tropical punch, wildly different from what is produced in the Loire. We’ll also hit Stellenbosch in South Africa, trying this time a wine that’s reminiscent of peach and apple pie. Finally, to France where we’ll head down the Loire past Vouvray to the region of Anjou, where we’ll taste a wild fermented wine that showcases the depth of which the varietal is capable.

A quick train to Chablis and we’re presented with a wine with a spine of acidity like a lightning bolt. Only once we’ve acclimated does it even start to whisper that it’s Chardonnay. As it warms in our glasses, it shows more fruit and even some mushroom. Then it’s time for our last stop, Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, home of the world’s best Chardonnay. The synergy of flavors and structure is really something that has to be experienced.

We’ll taste through five unique expressions of Pinot Noir, starting and ending our journey in the beloved varietal’s homeland. First, rose of Pinot Noir from Provance in the south of France shows us delicate layers that sometimes get lost when vinifying red. Then a long haul to New Zealand’s Central Otago, where the sun-soaked high desert produces wines with brilliant color and concentration. For our next wines, we move across the Pacific to California’s Anderson Valley and the hills around Willamette Valley to the north. These wines present pure fruit and interesting woodsy elements. Finally, we return to France to taste a wine from a fine vintage in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits.

No varietal is more special to me than Syrah. It can express itself in so many unique ways, but there’s always this wild, masculine undercurrent. It can be brooding, gamey, sometimes downright bloody when it’s grown in steep, windy, rocky vineyards. The small vineyard I farmed in California was planted mostly to Syrah, and I’m grateful to have learned the trade working with such a remarkable varietal.

We will begin in France, in the Northern Rhone, with a wine from Crozes-Hermitage or Saint Joseph. We’ll head nearly due south and taste a Shiraz from South Africa’s Stellenbosch before heading over to Southeast Australia for their own unique take. Back across the Pacific, we’ll see a menacing example from the Washington-Oregon state line, before concluding with the wine I grew in Green Valley, the tiny sub-appalchian within Russian River Valley.

Sometime in 2012, I bought a bottle of 2009 Chateau Rochemorin and my love affair with Bordeaux began, spearheading every other path in my wine journey. I invite you to join me in a comprehensive tasting journey of the world’s most legendary winegrowing region. Here, we will taste and discuss wines from each of the seven main red wine producing appellations: Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Pessac-Léognan, Saint-Émilion, and Pomerol.

• Wine cost is highly customizable and can range from around $280 to upwards of $5,000 for tastings including Premiers Grands Cru Classés selections.

In this journey we explore the effects of time on some of the world’s most age-worthy wines, tasting a true vertical and three examples separated by decades. For example, we may zero in on Margaux and taste 1988, 1989, and 1990 Chateau Rauzan-Segla, then venture over to Chateau Rauzan-Gassies to taste their 2020, 2010, and 1979 efforts.

• Producers available and wine cost can vary widely. Contact to customize.