Busch Gardens Williamsburg Wine Tasting Trio

One of my favorite parts of Busch Garden Williamsburg is visiting all of the European countries. It is home to six countries, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy spread out across 383 acres. Busch Gardens has been voted the world’s “Most Beautiful Park” for 20 consecutive years by the National Amusement Park Historical Association and it is no wonder, they have some absolutely breathtaking grounds.

While visiting the New France area (French Canada) I saw a sign that caught my eye for a Canadian Ice Wine Tasting. After purchasing the Ice Wine Tasting I decided to upgrade to the Wine Tasting Trio. By doing this, it provided an extra three tastings at any of the four locations through out the park for an upgraded price of $29.99 (this was in addition to the $19.99 I had originally paid for the Ice Wine Tasting). This price includes four tastings at each stop and a collectible Busch Gardens wine glass that you are able to bring back for discounts on future tastings! They gave me a wristband with three hang tags that were ripped off at each location. I started in New France with the Ice Wine tasting (which was my favorite of all of them) where I sampled a Reisling, and three Ice Wines. My favorite one being Heinz Eifel Eiswein from Germany which they explained was a slow harvest with cold nights in November, allowing the mature grapes on the vine to freeze overnight. The frozen grapes are then pressed before they thaw, yielding the sweetest juice from the fruit due to its low freezing point. I found it extremely interesting to listen to all the facts and learn about wine I had never heard of. This specific wine was so sweet and smooth it was almost like drinking juice. 

Our next stop was over in Germany where we had more amazing wine I had not tasted before. Along with more Riesling and some Pinot Noir (which is typically my wine of choice), I tried Gerstacker Nurnberger Gluhwein. This is a type of mulled wine that tastes of Christmas in a bottle. A delicious combination of red wine, sugar and selected spices, Gluhwein can be served over ice or heated with a cinnamon stick in the winter. I was told this will consume your home with delightful scents! I enjoyed mine room temperature. 

After two great experiences we headed over to Italy. Here we tasted more dessert type, light bodied sparkling wines a little lower in alcohol. My favorite from this specific tasting was the Annalisa Moscato from Piedmont, Italy. This was an easy drinking white wine with tastes of peaches, nectarines, and apples. I am usually a red wine enthusiast so this was a great day of learning about whites that I did enjoy. 

During the course of the day I made sure to drink a ton of water. Although the tastings are small, there were four samples at each destination, and we did visit four countries. During the summer in the heat, it is very easy to get dehydrated. 

Our last and final stop during our day at Busch Gardens was France. I was most excited about visiting here because I was positive it would be where I would taste my favorite wines of the day. I was completely blindsided when I found out it was my least favorite stop. Here we tried a french sparkling wine, Ros a Merlot and a sparkling white Vouvray. Although I usually love red wines, this specific Merlot was so heavy I could not take more than one sip. I was told there were many others who felt the same about this particular wine during the course of the day. I had never tried a Merlot I did not like, so this was a first.

The day was a success and I really enjoyed the wine tasting. I loved learning all about the wines, how they were made, where they came from and of course most of all tasting them! Each of the Busch Gardens cast members were very knowledgeable about the destination we were visiting and the wines they were representing. I would highly recommend it if you visit the area and enjoy wine. If wine is not your thing, you can head over to the Brauhaus Craft Bier Room for a flight of their craft beers. 

For more information on the tasting or to book your Busch Gardens Williamsburg vacation reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner today!

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