Lugging carloads of cheap booze back from Sainsbury's at Calais is all very well, but visiting the vineyards they came from allows you to taste them first. Many of the chateaux and terroirs are worth a visit just for the scenery, too. Of course, some people will sneer, but they're probably real-ale fans.
1 Chateau Kefraya, Lebanon
The Lebanese drink very little wine, and relatively few people visit the wonderful Chateau Kefraya in the Bekaa valley. It is, however, the most welcoming and pleasurable vineyard I've ever come across, and produces arguably the best wine in the Middle East.
2 Hunter Valley Wine Country
Food and wine are given equal billing on this Australian site, and the wine board provides a constant stream of excuses to both eat and drink.
3 Chateau d'Yquem
You may not be able to afford the Sauternes on offer here, and an impromptu visit won't lead to a tasting. Nonetheless. the Chateau is a ravishingly beautiful place to visit, and it is possible to arrange a tour via e-mail.
4 Champagne
True champagne only comes from the Champagne region, much to the disgust of rival producers of sparkling wine. The official site offers a suggested tour of the region with appropriate pauses to admire Reims cathedral, sample particular varieties and develop your palate.
5 Bordeaux.com
Bordeaux wine, with its 57 appellations and declining reputation, can be complex - this site does a good job of simplifying it while guiding visitors through the region.
6 Tom Cannavan's Wine Pages
Unlike most big British wine sites, Tom Cannavan's is non-commercial and does not patronise its visitors. He recounts journeys to France and the US and recommends places to stay.
7 Wine regions of the world
The quickest way to find intelligent links to the region you want to visit.
8 Wines Northwest
Northwest, in this instance, means the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia. The site is particularly useful if you want to hire a driver or join a tour and thereby avoid any risk of driving over the alcohol limit.
VinoNet attempts to explain why you should visit German vineyards rather than snobbishly sticking to their French and Italian counterparts. Meanwhile, Tom the Cork-Dork answers any questions that you may have about German wine, and he appears particularly keen to promote the country's dry wines.
