Suppose...

you were thinking of taking a wine trip sometime over the next 6 months or so and would be paying for it in US dollars, a currency in sad decline. Being a frugal sort, you would like to get the most bang for the buck. Where would you go?

From where you are? Lake Seneca.
If that's too close to home, the question sort of becomes how much travel vs how much wine you're interested in.
If a zillion hours on an airplane doesn't bother you, New Zealand is a wonderful place to visit. They also have wine.
Sonoma County or San Luis Obispo County in California have good bargains in wine, and the dollar spends just like a dollar.

John

Don't forget Argentina or Chile if you don't mind the billion hours on the plane.

Regards,

John

I would say Portugal because even though the Euro is strong, prices are lower than elsewhere in the Euro zone.

Consider Israel. Prices are affordable for the most part, there is plenty of history and sights to fill in the time between wine visits, and certainly enough high quality wineries to make it interesting. And plenty of forumites on Rogov's board that will be happy to help with planning and suggestions.

From everything I read, Argentina and Chile seem to offer the best value in terms of hotels/restaurants for people paying in USD, certainly in comparison to Europe. But then there is the question of ticket prices, how long you plan to go, when you plan to go, and what level of accomodation/dining/etc you expect. Value is a relative thing.

From everything I read, Argentina and Chile seem to offer the best value in terms of hotels/restaurants for people paying in USD, certainly in comparison to Europe. But then there is the question of ticket prices, how long you plan to go, when you plan to go, and what level of accomodation/dining/etc you expect. Value is a relative thing.

There is the additional question of what to drink.

There is the additional question of what to drink.

That too!

you were thinking of taking a wine trip sometime over the next 6 months or so and would be paying for it in US dollars, a currency in sad decline. Being a frugal sort, you would like to get the most bang for the buck. Where would you go?

Dan, you are so close to Niagara I'd suggest you head there since the US greenback is still stronger than the Canadian dollar! If a person is thinking overseas, northern Portugal is beautiful and still affordable.
I however, am cleverly heading to a conference in New Zealand in April so the wine trip from Christchurch to Marlborough is very affordable for us.

Dan,

Eastern Europe (Hungary, etc.) is comparatively reasonable. There is lots to see, and a great deal of good wine as well.

Dan,

Eastern Europe (Hungary, etc.) is comparatively reasonable. There is lots to see, and a great deal of good wine as well.

Good point. I don't know about Tokaji but we had good wine travels around Lake Balaton in summer 2008 and the prices were very very good. And by US standards nothing in the country is too far from Budapest.

I don't know about Tokaji but we had good wine travels around Lake Balaton...

Yes, that is a very nice area. We stayed for a weekend in Keszthely when I was visiting Szombathely on business. In 2009 we were able to stay at very decent hotels in the area for about 60 USD per night. We ate our dinners at the little farm inns (can't recall the term for them) and could feed a group of six for around 100 USD, with the very tasty house wines included. I didn't have lots of time in the area, but there were a number of wineries to visit.

I would recommend Seneca Lake (as well as Cayuga, Keuka and Canadaigua) to anyone who hasn’t been to the Finger Lakes region. In addition to the great wine, Americans needn't think twice about the currency! Niagara is a region we go to often and it is a good buy. The long, long flights to all the southern hemisphere wine countries are definitely a negative. We still remember being up more than 40 hours on the way home from New Zealand years ago. Portugal and Israel are possibilities we hadn’t considered and now will. Hungary is another interesting possibility. We went to neighboring Slovenia a few years ago when it was off season. Not many wineries were open. On the way there however, we drove through Austrian Styria where the wineries were open and the wines were a revelation. Hope to do nearly so well this time. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts.

Argentina continues to be a good value for traveling, although it is not what it once was. Plus there is much to offer as far as cuisine and wine. Some friends of ours just took their honeymoon down there. They skipped around and took it all in. They cant stop talking about it....

For economy, scenic beauty and wine variety, I'm voting for the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

Although Oswaldo's got a point about Portugal. I've always wanted to visit Porto and the Douro Valley. (I've heard it is not so bad for English-speakers, either, thanks to the long presence of the Port trade.)

[James Roscoe]

It looks like the Euro has been tanking lately. You could take a flier on southern Italy. Really, if you plan it yourself, any European vacation can be done economically. Have fun!

Although Oswaldo's got a point about Portugal. I've always wanted to visit Porto and the Douro Valley. (I've heard it is not so bad for English-speakers, either, thanks to the long presence of the Port trade.)

Dave,

With a bit of gesturing you should be able to get by just fine with english in Portugal. The only real stuggle I had was with finding "Bom Jesus". After lots of fits and starts I found that Jesus is pronounce sort of like "che-shush" in portugese.

For economy, scenic beauty and wine variety, I'm voting for the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

Although Oswaldo's got a point about Portugal. I've always wanted to visit Porto and the Douro Valley. (I've heard it is not so bad for English-speakers, either, thanks to the long presence of the Port trade.)

We found a little Portuguese went a long way, but be warned, we visited some tiny towns up the Douro where virtually no one spoke English at all. The places were magical and worth the hours I spent with a Berlitz CD.
There were plenty of people able to speak English in Porto, Lisbon and the south.

Ruth

AA flies directly from JFK to Buenos Aires... so its actually only a "red eye" from where the OP is located....