Sip on soju while enjoying the coastal charm of Jeju Island. — LOOIE KANG/Unsplash
One's motivation to travel comes in many forms. Hence, the existence of various types of tourism. Think adventure tourism for the adventurous souls, ecotourism for the environmentally conscious and gastronomic tourism for epicures.
Included in the latter is oenotourism (wine tourism), a sub-type of tourism that caters to those whose travel is motivated by, and revolves around, wine.
Typically, it involves trips to vineyards, where visitors get to expand their knowledge about wines. At the same time, they will also get to explore the region they’re in, learning about the local culture and experiencing the daily life of the local community.
However, wine isn’t the only alcoholic drink that promotes tourism. You must have also heard of terms like spirits tourism, craft beer tourism and the likes, which can be summed up as “alcohol tourism”.
If you’re curious where you can go to experience this type of tourism, here we present a few types of alcoholic beverages and where to learn more about them.
Monsoon Valley is one the tropical vineyards in Hua Hin. — ANNA SUSHOK/Unsplash
Bordeaux (France), Sardinia (Italy) or California’s Napa Valley (United States) might have been your immediate guesses for a wine tourism destination, but why not start somewhere closer to home?
Our northern neighbour Thailand has a thriving wine industry, which may not be as prominent as its more established European, American or Australian counterparts but it does stand out among South-East Asian countries – rivalled only by Myanmar (mostly in the Inle Lake region) and, surprisingly, Indonesia, where there are several wineries in Bali.
A visit to a winery would entail a vineyard tour and wine tasting sessions. In the Pak Chong district, you can visit its Khao Yai wine region to tour the larger PB Valley Khao Yai Winery and GranMonte Vineyard. Or, you can check out the smaller boutique winery, Alcidini.
Hua Hin Hills Vineyard and Monsoon Valley Vineyard are the two popular wineries in Hua Hin, while Pattaya has its Silverlake Vineyard.
Wherever you end up in Thailand, take time to explore any nearby wat or temple, the local markets (like Hua Hin’s Cicada Market) and nature (Khao Yai National Park or Pattaya Beach).
A popular holiday destination for Malaysians, Thailand is easily accessible by car, train or plane. There are direct flights available from Kuala Lumpur to Pattaya, while the rest can be accessed via car or bus from Bangkok.
Go on a champagne tasting tour in, well, Champagne. — JENNIFER YUNG/Unsplash
Champagne is also a wine, but of the sparkling variety. Don’t make the mistake of calling all sparkling wines “champagne”, however, as only the ones produced in France’s Champagne region can legally carry the name.
As such, Champagne is really the only place in the world you can go to for an authentic glass of ... champagne. This is due to the Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC), meaning “controlled designation of origin”.
The simplest way to explain this French certification is that it is only for particular agricultural products produced in a defined geographical area. Not only that, the products must have been made using approved and recognised methods.
Several sites in the region are collectively referred to as Champagne Hillsides, Houses And Cellars on the Unesco World Heritage Site list since 2015. One of them is Epernay’s Avenue De Champagne, a 1.5km-long street lined with renowned Champagne Houses that you can visit for tastings and cellar tours.
Another site is Hautvillers’ historic vineyards, which you can explore via guided tours. Hautvillers is also the resting place of Dom Perignon, the Benedictine monk who perfected the production of champagne (and often mistakenly credited as its inventor).
To reach Champagne, the most “direct” way is to fly in from KL to Paris, but you can also fly to other nearby European cities first, before entering France. From there, you can then take the Rail Europe train to Epernay or Reims.
Joining an organised day-trip from Paris is also a good option.
Other than cognac tasting, visit historical sites like the Porte Saint-Jacques overlooking River Charente. — FLOREY D. MIKIL/The Star
Here’s another part of France with a drink exclusive to it; the brandy produced in Cognac is the only type in the world that can be legally called “cognac”.
When in Cognac, visiting the various cognac houses for cellar tours and tastings is of course a must-do. Vineyard tours will teach you about the many crus that form Cognac and how each one affects the taste of, well, its cognac.
If you have time for just one visit, go to Chateau de Cognac (Royal Castle Of Cognac). The historical building, which started as a 10th-century fortress, will enlighten you on both French history and cognac.
After all the tastings, take time to stroll along River Charente or the winding roads of the quaint town, enjoying its old buildings’ architecture and maybe a croissant or two from the bakeries that line the streets (do use a translator app if you can’t speak French as English isn’t widely spoken in these parts).
If you’re feeling fancy, you can even dine at the Michelin-starred restaurants in Cognac and nearby Bourg-Charente, Jarnac and Saintes.
Cognac can be reached via an hour-long flight from Paris, or by train, though the latter will take two to three hours.
Boat tours from Luang Prabang to Pak Ou Caves typically stops at Ban Xang Hai. — HAKAN NURAL/Unsplash
Moving on from alcoholic drinks made from grapes, let’s take a look at ones made from grains, particularly rice. Being an Asian staple, rice is used in many countries in the world’s largest continent to make “adults-only drinks”. One of these countries is Laos.
Laotian whiskey may not be the standard fare you’ll find in the Western world, but the novelty of it will make for an interesting drinks-based trip.
Ban Xang Hai or Whiskey Village in Luang Prabang is the specific destination here. Called Lao Lao, you can learn the process of making it at this village and, of course, taste and buy it too.
The “medicinal” version is definitely an acquired taste, however, as it has a not-so-typical aftertaste thanks to the snake or scorpion soaking in each bottle. While not exclusive to this South-East Asian country (Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have it too, as well as China), it still makes for a unique souvenir – for the shock value, if not the taste.
The village is also a great place to get handmade textile products, such as silk and cotton scarves, and you can even watch the women skilfully weave the fabric.
Getting to this village requires a boat ride. You can join a trip to Pak Ou Caves, which departs from the Luang Prabang pier and stops midway at the village. This way, you’ll get to see more of Luang Prabang as well.
Currently, there are only connecting flights from KL to Luang Prabang, and the whole journey may take, on average, between four and six hours. There are direct flights from KL to the Laos capital Vientiane, though, from which you can then take a two-hour train ride to Luang Prabang.
Let’s end the list with another rice-distilled drink, one you’d often see in K-dramas. Touted as South Korea’s “national drink”, soju found global popularity through the Hallyu wave. It helps that the drink is highly palatable thanks to its fruit-based variation.
Its characteristic green bottles – this standardised bottling is due to a recycling pact made among soju makers – are easily recognisable and often bear illustrations of the fruity flavour, such as peach, plum and strawberry.
Of course, for the purists, this “watered down” version will not do. To savour the stronger, original taste of soju, head to the local distilleries.
You can even learn how to craft your own soju, which can be done with the guidance of the distillery master at Manho Gotaek in Yangdong Folk Village, Gyeongju.
Meanwhile, the Andong Soju Museum in the eponymous capital of North Gyeongsang Province is a wonderful place to learn about soju.
The scenic island of Jeju is home to Hallasan Soju Factory. Here you can see how the soju is made with the island’s alkaline water that’s filtered through volcanic rock layers (and then packaged in clear bottles, not green ones).
Other than being a spirited drinker, you can also be an invested traveller by exploring nearby attractions no matter which distillery you end up at. These include visiting the Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, strolling through the Sinsedong Mural Village in Andong and scaling the mountain that the Hallasan Soju is named after.
There are direct flights from KL to Jeju and Seoul; from the latter you can take the train or bus to Gyeongju and Andong.
