Perhaps the best, and certainly the most satisfying, way to learn about a culture is by tasting the local cuisine. With each nibble or sip, with each aroma, the traveller experiences a country’s gastronomic heritage. Here’s a taster of what European active holiday specialist UTracks has on offer for food and wine lovers…

Staying in charming guesthouses, hotels and magnificent castles or wine chateaux, this trip is full of postcard perfect landscapes, cultural heritage and many opportunities to sample world famous wines of the Bordeaux region. Hike among the surrounding coomb landscape a series of narrow, vine-covered valleys listed as a UNESCO World Heritage region. Wander through woods, vineyards and old world villages in the Entre-deux-Mers area between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers sample sweet white and red wines from local vineries.
Price: £890 per person
Departs: Daily departures until October 2011

NEW TRIP FOR 2011: Alsace Gourmet Walk 5 days
The Kayserberg Valley in central Alsace has a strong wine growing heritage and the wines are world-renowned particularly the Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and Pinot-Grays. The local cuisine, which has developed alongside the viticulture industry, includes such delicious specialties as tarte flambé, baeckeoffe, tarte alsacienne and numerous varieties of cheeses. With its pretty villages of half timbered houses, historical relics from Celtic and Roman times and abundance of cellar doors, the Kayserberg Valley has no shortage of places to visit.
Price: £530
Departs: Daily throughout the year

NEW TRIP FOR 2011: Cycle The Rioja 7 days
Bordered by mountains with the Ebro River running through the middle, the Rioja region in northern Spain has a microclimate perfect for viticulture. This exceptional journey by bike is ideally suited to lovers of wine and fine dining, with opportunities to sample regional produce at cellar doors. During the cycle day explore charming villages and small castles, view religious art in monasteries and churches and cycle the quiet country roads along the banks of the Ebro and on the Camino de Santiago (Compostela Trail or Way of St James).
Price: £890
Departs: Daily until 31 October 2011

Taste of Burgundy 8 days
Enjoy the charm of Burgundy’s rolling landscape cycling along quiet country roads and canalways, passing world famous vineyards and charming old towns where there is plenty of time set aside for discovering the cultural and consumable delights the region offers. By night retire to our private barge custom built for sailing on the French canals. Wine tasting, exploring the impressive towns of Dijon and Beaune and visiting castles, museums and abbeys are some further highlights of this insightful trip, which combined with the experience of cycling through the changing scenery, make this an ideal way to explore Burgundy.
Price: £790 per person
Departs: Weekly until 8 October 2011

To order UTracks’ new brochure for 2011 please call 0845 241 7599 or go to www.UTracks.com. Quoted prices are inclusive of accommodation, most meals, equipment rental, experienced guides, luggage transfers between hotels (where applicable) and clear maps with images. Flights from the UK are not included but can be booked on request.