Top 5 winter breaks for wine lovers

Summer is here but it won't be long before the sun fades and you're craving a short break from the great British winter.

It’s never too early to start dreaming of your next getaway, so here are ourtop five wine destinations for this winter:

Austria by Sarah Jane Evans MW

Top choice for a winter break has to be Rust, the ideal antidote to city life, perched on the eastern edge of Lake Neusiedl.

Islay by Richard Woodard

Let’s get one thing straight from the outset: if you’re looking to top up your tan with a little winter sun, this probably isn’t the place for you.

Paris by Fiona Beckett

Everyone talks about Paris in the spring but the winter can be just as romantic. With a crisp nip in the air and the Champs Elysées lit up like the road to a fairytale castle it’s an enchanting place to be.

Riquewihr by Sue Style

Wander through Riquewihr’s thirteenth-century Dolder gateway on a summer’s weekend and you could be forgiven for thinking you’d strayed by mistake into some sort of medieval theme park.

South Africa by Fiona Sims

As wine country goes, it doesn’t get much more beautiful than this. Get past The Cape’s jagged, mauve, mountain-fringed coastline and you’ve got verdant valleys galore. Add to that, graceful Cape Dutch gables, some serious cooking and even classier wines, and you have the essential ingredients for the perfect winter sun wine holiday.

Let us know on our Facebook and Twitter feeds where you’ll be going this winter – and what you’ll be drinking.

Written by Matt Chappell