Is travel the secret ingredient?
Why does the same wine taste better when you’re traveling in wine country than it does at home? Is this statement even true? Why or why not?
I get asked this question often, and I’m pretty sure the most accurate answer is, “It depends.”
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First, let’s dismiss one myth: It’s not about the sulfites. There’s a widespread belief that wines exported to the U.S. are required to dose wines so heavily with sulfites that they become essentially a headache-inducing medication.
This is an appealing belief if you’re suffering, but it’s simply not true. All wines – even those billed as “no sulfites added” – contain sulfites. They occur as a natural byproduct of fermentation, and winemakers have been putting additional sulfites into wine as a natural preservative for millennia. This is true of all wines from all world regions.
What’s more, producers in Europe and other countries don’t make separate high-sulfite batches for U.S. export. That wouldn’t make economic sense. It’s as simple as this: If you get a headache or a stuffy nose after drinking wine, you may be allergic to something – perhaps the histamines in some red wines. But it’s not likely to be sulfites.
Still, most of us – including me – treasure enduring memories of amazing wines that we’ve enjoyed at wineries, trattorias, lovely gardens around the world. These dreamy experiences, it’s true, are difficult to match at home. So what’s going on?
Some of my most treasured wine travel memories go back to outdoor tastings in the vineyards or alfresco at a winery. San Gimignano vineyard photo from the Walks of Italy travel site.
First and obviously, a bottle opened at the winery – or even at a nearby restaurant or wine bar – hasn’t had to endure the rigors of transatlantic shipment and weeks or months of storage under less than ideal conditions at dockside, importers’ warehouses, and retailers’ shelves. None of this does the wine any favors, and we should perhaps be grateful that it still tastes as good as it does.
There’s also, let’s face it, the psychological factor. When we’re traveling in wine country, we are having fun, I hope. Just about everything around us seems fresher, brighter, more intense. Or at least it works that way for me. I remember a week in Ireland as sunny and springlike. My wife tells me it was actually cloudy and cold. Go figure.
How about you? Have you experienced the joy of wine (and food and just about everything else) tasting even better when you travel? Tell us about your experiences in Substack Chat.
Speaking of travel experiences, today’s featured wine – Rodica Slovenska Istra Refosk – comes from Slovenia, a place that I could barely locate on a map until I had occasion to travel there to judge a wine competition in 2001. It was a memorable experience, and yes, my memories of the country’s wine and food and scenery are still bathed in a happy glow after all these years.
This wine brings back happy memories. Even if you’ve never been there, I think you’ll enjoy it too.
Today’s Tasting Report
Rodica 2023 Slovenska Istra Refošk ($17.99)
A surprisingly floral burst of freshly ground black pepper lifts from the glass when Rodica Slovenska Istra Refosk is poured. The dark-garnet wine opens to reveal appetizing black fruit – black cherries, blackberries, and blueberries – with a bass note of damp, freshly turned soil in the background. Black pepper and black fruit persist in a freshly acidic flavor bolstered by persistent but palatable tannic astringency. 13% alcohol. U.S. importer: Vinum USA Inc., Basking Ridge, NJ. (March 14, 2026)
FOOD MATCH: The winery declares it delicious with fat and spice such as pulled pork, smoked brisket, or any grilled meat, Cajun-style gumbo, and a range of Asian dishes and spicy sauces.
WHEN TO DRINK: The winery recommends decanting the wine and allowing it to breathe for 30 minutes before drinking, advice that – along with its firm tannins and brisk acidity – suggests some potential for cellaring.
VALUE:
Wine-Searcher.com lists a $21 average U.S. retail price, but it’s widely available in the upper teens. It’s an excellent value through that range and even a few dollars more.
WEB LINK:
Here’s a link to Rodica’s fact sheet on the Refošk.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Rodica Slovenska Istra Refošk on Wine-Searcher.com.
Learn about the Refosco grape (the Italian name for the Slavic Refošk) at this Wine-Searcher link.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link to read more about Slovenia’s coastal Slovenska Istra wine region.
Find the wines you want
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Good wines we’ve tried under $12!
Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $12 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases, the prices may have risen since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!
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I would agree with all you’ve said, and would only add that drinking wine with the food from that place has a lot to do with it; the food and wine are very much made for each other. A particular experience I recall is many years ago on the Island of Ischia, eating rabbit stew with wine of the local grape, Forastera. I still vividly remember the experience.