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Every day on DuVine’s 6-day biking trip into the heart of Portugal’s Alentejo region this past September was a daily dose of much-needed serenity. Biking with our good friends, Debbie and Michael, we zipped up and down the rolling hills past olives groves, vineyards, cattle, sheep, and forests of thick, gnarly looking cork trees. The days would become a blessed blur as we slowed down on the cobblestones to shout “Bon Dia” to the many women sweeping their front terraces and the men sipping espressos at the cafes. We would stop to let a shepherd and his flock stroll by, peer at the large slabs of marble being excavated in the small mines, watch a large wood stork fly from his oversized nest, and visit a cork factory to view the layers of bark being harvested. All the while, we’d be smelling the sweet eucalyptus, sour fermentation of grapes, and the pungent smell of manure.
Led by our wonderful leader, Joao, who had the good fortune to grow up and still live in Alentejo, and his sidekick, the gregarious Brazilian, Michele, we were treated to local treats like fresh figs straight from the tree or a creamy sublime local cheese that you needed a spoon to scoop out. Washed down, of course, with award-winning wines that never find their way to America due to their small number of bottles produced. After biking some 30 to 40 miles a day on the undulating roads, sometimes into a strong headwind, we were rewarded with gluttonous meals.
People ask how DuVine differs from other biking outfitters, and I usually note the smaller group size. Yet, where they really shine is at private meals of locals that I won’t soon forget. My favorite day on the trip ended with dinner at Dona Maria Vineyards, where we first stomped on grapes during the height of the harvest and then had a fantastic dinner in a home built in the mid-18th century by the King of Portugal for his mistress at the time, the namesake Dona Maria. We dined with the current owner, Isabel, and her two Jack Russell Terriers, Bowie and Ziggy, and drank copious amounts of her exceptional Grand Reserve. It was like walking into Cinderella’s ballroom before the clocks strikes twelve.
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There’s no better way to jumpstart the post-pandemic body than to entice the senses with a tantalizing venue of local food and drink. Many tour operators are upping the ante this autumn by not only bringing you to scenic locales like the Dolomites and the Douro River, but adding to the excitement by adding hosts like a Michelin-starred chef or wine expert.
The first trip that has us salivating is the Dolomites and Lake Garda Chef on Wheels Bike Tour with DuVine. Andy Levine’s love of topnotch restaurants, the finest wine, and memorable bike routes spurred him on to create DuVine Cycling decades ago. After all, his motto is “Bike, Eat, Drink, Sleep.” This is certainly true of this September 6-day jaunt in northern Italy with Michelin-starred chef Stefano Righetti. Raised in the mountains above Lake Garda, Righetti rose to prominence at Lake Garda’s acclaimed Vecchia Malcesine. Bike on a traffic-free network of local bike paths, crossing three regions from the Italian Alps to Lake Garda, and stop at Righetti’s favorite local wineries, farms, and food suppliers along the way. Actually, you’ll go one step further by foraging for wild ingredients and then preparing a sunset dinner in an alpine chalet with Righetti. If you want to start traveling again with gusto, this is certainly worthy of a bucket list trip! Please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll check availability.
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Our third episode of The World is Your Oyster brings us closer to home as we speak with Andy Levine and Tom Coppock of DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co. about their new trips in Hudson Valley, Shenandoah Valley, and New Mexico.
Andy Levine started his company decades ago creating bike trips in and around the vineyards of France. Since then, DuVine has offered small group trips (only up to 14 people per trip) with fantastic guides, farm-to-table experiences and carefully curated scenic rides designed to see the world slowly and intimately. Their motto is “Bike Eat Drink Sleep” and on their trips, you’ll do each of these in style!
We were lucky enough to pin Andy down long enough to find out what’s new this year. Tom Coppock, trip designer extraordinaire, joined us as well and tells us how he planned tours in the US with the same attention to detail as their trips in Tuscany and France. He discovered that you don’t need to look beyond our borders to find the distinct character, culture, and history of different regions of the US, not to mention, exquisite culinary experiences and magnificent scenery.
Thank you so much Andy and Tom for participating in this episode of The World is Your Oyster and for sharing your passion for what you do with our valued members. If anyone is interested in DuVine’s summer or fall trips, please let ActiveTravels know and we’ll check availability.
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DuVine, the Massachusetts-based biking tour operator who brought Lisa and I on a fantastic trip to Puglia, Italy, introduced shorter 4-day trips around America last year, including itineraries to Santa Barbara and Tucson. But it’s hard to top their newly revealed trip to Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, where you can bike to your heart’s content on the rolling backcountry roads and then dine and lodge each night at one of the most decorated restaurants in the country, the Relais & Chateaux property, Blackberry Farm. You’ll squeeze in 4 day of riding, averaging 25 to 30 miles per day, before rewarding yourself with a feast of southern specialties like barbecued ribs and catfish, washed down with local microbrews and Tennessee whiskey. First trip out is May 24-27, 2021. Please let ActiveTravels know which itinerary looks the best and we’ll check availability. Also be on the lookout for the next The World Is Your Oyster segment, where we interview DuVine founder, Andy Levine, and discuss his new partnership with Lindblad.
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First-time visitors to ActiveTravels often ask us what’s our expertise? That’s not an easy question to answer, because we delight in sending you to the most remote corners of the globe, whether it’s the chance to see the orangutans of Sumatra or hiking the W Trek in Chilean Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. Yes, we know New England like the back of our hand. But we also know Europe exceptionally well and wow, do we love our local suppliers, especially TFL in Italy, Madrid and Beyond in Spain, Celebrated in Scotland, Ireland, and the UK, and Original Senses in Greece. It’s easy for us to design itineraries in major cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Rome. Yet, if you want to get a real taste of Europe away from the masses, please give us the chance to show you Puglia, Provence, and Paros, where the Europeans go on vacation. Whether you want to bike to Monet’s house in Giverny, go out on a tasty tapas tour in Madrid, hike the Dolomites, or sail to Greek’s undiscovered islands, we’ll create those lasting memories! Also consider slowing down on two wheels with Backroads, DuVine, VBT and Ciclismo Classico, biking and hiking outfitters, who know how to get you off-the-beaten-track to more isolated and scenic locales.
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Thankfully, coronavirus cases and deaths have plateaued and are hopefully now on the downslope in Massachusetts. Obviously, our health and safety are still the No. 1 priority, but slowly, we’re starting to see an interest in possible travels this summer and fall. Lisa and I, and are our son, Jake, have been holed up in our house like the rest of you for a good two months now. So we understand your need to dream about a new locale that’s anywhere but the backyard. But having gotten a number of you home safely from abroad in late February in early March, we want to be damn sure that the places we send you in 2020 have a good degree of social distancing, are regional, and, if not regional, can be found after one relatively quick flight. This is not a good time to be connecting in an airport. We also have to be concerned with individual state regulations. For example, Maine wants to quarantine all out-of-state visitors for 14 days upon arrival. This is currently on the books through August, which would restrict all hotel stays.
This week, we decided to reach out to some of our favorite outfitters and see what’s happening this summer and fall. First up, DuVine Cycling. If you had the chance to join Andy Levine, owner of the Cambridge-based DuVine Cycling, on the ride he created for ActiveTravels members in the fall of 2017 from Wellesley to Concord, you know they’re a top-notch biking outfitter. Lisa and I had the good fortune to bike with DuVine in Puglia the fall of 2019 on one of our most memorable trips. There’s been a demand this summer for private regional bike trips this summer and fall. Here’s what they’ve created. Pricing is based on a minimum of 6 guests, so 3 couples, or 1-2 families.
Hudson Valley Highlights:
• Enjoy all three nights at Troutbeck, a stylish and historic country retreat in the heart of farm country on the New York-Connecticut border
• Bike over covered bridges, through sleepy towns, and into fertile farmland in a pastoral paradise that’s surprisingly close to New York City
• At private visits and meals, sample farm-fresh produce with local producers and meet the chefs spearheading the region’s farm-to-table renaissance
• Taste artisanal whiskey and bourbon made from grains grown on the grounds of a boutique distillery
• Ride to lunch at Connecticut’s award-winning Arethusa al Tavolo restaurant
Vermont Bike Tour, 6 Days, Highlights:
• Cross the Green Mountain State on Vermont’s extensive network of unpaved roads, a traffic-free paradise of packed-dirt gravel
• Spend a day cycling to local farms in the Mad River Valley, culminating in a totally locally sourced picnic in a mountain pasture
• Enjoy insider access to local chefs and innovative farmers during private meals and visits
• Cool off after a challenging day of cycling with a dip in the local lake or swimming hole
• Stay at three of Vermont’s most luxurious and historic hotel properties
Vermont Bike Tour, 4 Days Highlights:
• Cycle beside the Ottauquechee River and past historic Taftsville Covered Bridge to a cheese tasting at Thistle Hill Farm
• Visit Vermont’s most well-known microbrewery, Long Trail, for a tour and tasting
• Go leaf-peeping from the seat of a bicycle, feeling the warmth of the fall sun
• Watch a glassblowing demonstration and dine at the riverfront flagship location of glassmaker Simon Pearce
ActiveTravels is here to help you get away during these difficult times. If you’re itching to leave the house, please let us know and we’ll toss around some travel ideas.
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