Wine tourism is bourgeoning in the US and Canada as serious to casual wine enthusiasts continue to expand visitation to wine regions across North America. In some respects it might present the most viable opportunity to experience the incredible depth of wine produced on this continent. Why? Because the majority of small wine production never reaches distribution and cannot be found at the local shop, restaurant or grocery store in your home town.

To explore the realm of US wine sometimes you just have to go there; to the region, or the wine trail, or just the winery in the next county over to experience a different take on your favorite varietal. This exploration can be highly enjoyable for wine consumers to get out into the landscape, take in the sights, people and certainly wines of a new region. We would define it as experiencing regional diversity in wine first hand. Any varietal simply does not just taste the same everywhere. We would also suggest there are exceptional experiences along the way, experiences that cannot be found in simply enjoying a new bottle of wine at home.

In an industry that continues to explode in the number of new wineries across the US, well beyond the known enclaves in California, the opportunity to engage in wine tourism can be as simple as a day trip with friends or sophisticated as a destination trip to the wine region of ones dreams.

For the first time there is now a national day of exploration that has been established and appropriately named Wine Tourism Day. The first-ever Wine Tourism Day in North America will take place Saturday, May 11th, 2013. Wineries and wine-related businesses throughout North America will host events to celebrate the importance of wine tourism to regional and local economies.

With over 7500 wineries in 205 American Viticultural Areas along with state and county appellations, 38 appellations in Canada, and another 40 appellations in Mexico the opportunities are endless. Each regional wine area has its own unique character and profile of wines. Wine Tourism Day encourages consumers not only to visit their local wine region but to use the opportunity to travel to a new wine region they do not yet know.

This first time effort hopes to install Wine Tourism Day ultimately as a universal day of wine visitation across the US, Canada and Mexico. Only time will tell how it evolves but enthusiasm and events are mounting for this inaugural effort.

Appellation America significantly supports wine tourism. Consumers and wine professionals traveling to visit a different region than their own, tasting wines of many a varietal yet hopefully different in character, exploring new foods and places along the way.

May is a beautiful time of year for most wine regions with winter weather departed and the joys of late spring and summer focusing the senses. Keep abreast of regional events developing under Wine Tourism Day through the web site winetourismday.org . The events will be promoted to the public starting March 15th. If you have a favorite wine region you love to visit inquire what events that might be in the offing at participating wineries, restaurants and hotels.