6 of the Best Seaside (& Wine) Destinations

There’s something wonderful about how azure, crimson and gold all compliment each other so well. Sea and wine is one hell of a combination, and whenever you’re looking for somewhere to enjoy a glass, the coast always seems strangely irresistible. These villages, towns and cities in Europe all sit perched on their respective coastlines, and as such are not only great places to go for wine, but also for everything else the presence of the ocean brings – glorious weather, an electric atmosphere, great food and unmatchable views.

Cannes

Blackpool this ain’t. Cannes is the playground of the rich and famous; the home of glamour and the extravagant heart of the French Riviera. Nowhere else in Europe, and arguably the world, will you find such opulence – there’s a reason it’s twinned with Kensington & Chelsea and Beverly Hills. Looking out onto the Mediterranean, and enjoying the sort of climate that comes with such a location, Cannes is perhaps the ultimate incarnation of the classic seaside town. Thalassophiles (look it up) in particular might enjoy selling their house, car and kidneys and visiting Cannes via yacht (or super-yacht, if you have particularly lucrative kidneys) – or just taking a boat out to the Île Sainte-Marguerite, home of the man in the iron mask, or the Île Saint-Honorat, home of the Cistercian monks who still today produce particularly fine red and white wines.

Elsewhere in Cannes, expect to be inundated with the Provençal rosé wines which made the region famous. Throw in a nice beach hotel, some Mediterranean seafood and a bit of sun and you’re sorted.

Amalfi

Once the holiday destination of choice for the British aristocracy, Amalfi (and the coastal region of the same name) is a place famous for its winding roads, its ubiquitous lemons and its wines. Ferries run between many of the towns around the Amalfi Coast, and boat excursions are available around the region’s most striking sights – such as the Emerald Grotto and the wine-producing towns of Furore, Ravello and Tramonti. The walking trails between each town and village along the coast, too, provide pretty stunning views across the sea. Gastronomy-wise, look out for clams and shellfish (especially with pasta) and the beloved limoncello liqueur.

Cinque Terre 

Another Italian entry, here, with perhaps the country’s most famous coastal region. The rugged coastline and glowing, vibrant villages which are dotted along it are utterly iconic, and the endless wine terraces that wind across the nearby hills mean that you’re never far away from the reason you came there in the first place. The outdoors is king here – you’ll never find a better place in the world for hiking, sailing, swimming or climbing. And then, at the end of it all, you can kick back in one of the region’s five villages (the clue is in the name) with a glass of the sort of crisp, dry white wines that Cinque Terre is famous for.

Porto

A little more bustling than Amalfi, Cinque Terre or even Cannes, Portugal’s second-largest city is situated on the mouth of the River Douro – the same river which stretches up into the Douro Valley, home to some of the world’s finest red wines, as well as Porto’s eponymous fortified wine. Since it’s a city, there’s a whole load of stuff to do in Porto, but the cruises upriver into the Douro Valley and the Matosinhos restaurants near the beach (many of which rank amongst the best in the city) will particularly satisfy anyone looking to blend a bit of gastronomy into their time by the sea.

Barcelona

Like Porto, Barcelona’s status as a global city means that you’re never going to get bored when it comes to art and culture and all that jazz. Sometimes, however, you just want to bask by a beach, and, luckily, Barcelona’s pretty good for that too. Enjoy some classically powerful Catalan red wine, try the famous ‘sea and mountain’ dish or hire a luxury yacht and sail up the Barcelona coastline. The city’s ideal Mediterranean location and bustling port also means you could always hop on a boat and head anywhere else in the region – to Sardinia, Algiers, Tangier or basically any other coastal region in Southern Europe.

Santorini

Perhaps Greece’s most instantly recognisable destination, the island of Santorini and the villages which populate it are famed around the world for their views – sunsets over the caldera are amongst the very best on the planet – and there’s nowhere you can be on Santorini that isn’t stunningly beautiful. Excursions out to the springs of Palia Kameni or the volcanic island of Nea Kameni are available, there are beaches everywhere and even the iconic white houses in each village and town come conveniently built with balconies and terraces which overlook the island’s spectacular oceanic views. White wine is the thing to go for here, as well as the famous sweet wine Vinsanto.

Call us on +44 (0)20 8877 4940 or e-mail one of our team at sales@smoothred.co.uk, and you could be beside the seaside in a matter of days. 

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