Bike Tours in Wine Regions

FOR those who have already spun and sipped their way through Bordeaux, Alsace and Napa, there are a growing number of bike tours in other wine regions. Some touring companies offer fully guided and supported multiday excursions arranging everything from upscale hotels to luggage transport to private tastings at wineries and host hotels. You can also hire local cycling guides to provide intimate glimpses of their home turfs, or in most areas, follow winery maps for a straightforward do-it-yourself exploration.

Here are five less-pedaled wine regions to please the palates of cyclists and oenophiles of all levels. Prices are per person.

Oregon: Willamette Valley

Oregon pinot noir was put on the map at the 1979 "Wine Olympics" in Paris, when a 1975 Eyrie Vineyards Reserve pinot noir, from the Willamette Valley, took third place among the 600 entries, beating out pricier French Burgundies. The region has since taken off and also makes notable pinot gris, riesling and chardonnay.

Home to nearly two-thirds of Oregon's wineries, the V-shaped Willamette (pronounced will-AM-ett) Valley, sits between the Cascade Mountain foothills and the Coast Range, spanning south 110 miles from outside Portland to Eugene. Most wineries are on or near rural Highway 99W and are marked with blue vineyard signs posted roadside.

Scenic undulating roads zigzag past orchards, oak forests, fields abloom with wildflowers and through covered "kissing bridges." In the warm months, bustling farm stands sell locally grown gooseberries, loganberries, boysenberries and red currants.

In the North Valley, the biggest grape-growing area, the century-old town of Amity is a popular stop for sipping, snacking and antiquing. Just six miles north, historic downtown McMinnville is a popular lunch destination with a sprinkling of restaurants, rows of quaint shops and a dozen wineries, including Panther Creek Cellars, Walnut City Wineworks and the one that fanned the interest, Eyrie, making up Wine Alley.

In the South Valley, between Salem and Eugene, Airlie Winery, Croft Bailey Vineyards and Tyree Wine Cellars get nods for their pinot noirs with notes of ripe raspberry and black cherry. The relatively new East Valley area, on the other side of Interstate 5 from Oregon City to Stayton, has Champoeg (pronounced shampoo-EE) Wine Cellars, St. Josef's Winery and Paradis Vineyard.

Organized bike tours are scarce, so many cyclists follow maps that are provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation (503-986-3556; www.oregon.gov/odot). The Oregon Wine Center (503-228-8336; www.oregonwine.org), has free brochures with maps, and a trip planner on the Web site. Most wineries are open to the public and offer tastings free or for a nominal fee.

Every Sunday morning in August, a large group of cyclists gathers at Eola Hills Wine Cellars in Rickreall for a 30- or 52-mile group ride. Tom Huggins, the winery's founder, and other guides, lead the rides along back roads with stops at three to seven vineyards, depending on the day's route. The ride costs , and includes a support vehicle, boxed lunch, hat or shirt and post-ride barbecue and a glass or two. Reservations: call 800-291-6730 or see www.eolahillswinery.com.

Italy: The Veneto

Nestled in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains, the Treviso area of the Veneto region north of Venice promises pedalers miles of canal-lined stradines (small roads) through ancient villages and along gentle rolling hillsides. Scattered with olive trees, cornfields and terraced vineyards, this is where most of the world's prosecco grapes grow to create Italy's beloved sparkling wine called prosecco. The bubbly was made famous by the Bellini cocktail (prosecco and fresh white peach juice), created in the 1930's at a Harry's Bar in Venice. Other Veneto favorites include Soave, Valpolicella, amarone and grappa.

The Veneto, Italy's third-largest wine producing region, reaches from the Austrian and Slovenia borders to Lake Garda, near Verona. Rustic, well-maintained roads link tiny, tidy villages with hilltop piazzas to fertile valley and flat, tranquil farmland. Popular with cyclists is the 28-mile Strada del Vino prosecco (the prosecco wine route), from the castle-top town of Conegliano to Valdobbiadene, along the Piave River.

The mostly paved two-lane road passes a 16th-century waterfall-powered mill in Refrontolo and the Vini Tonon winery in Vittorio Veneto. In Valdobbiadene, brut and pinot nero prosecco pour generously at the Bisol, Carpenè Malvolti, Mionetto Vineyards and Nino Franco wineries. There are plenty of bed-and-breakfasts along the way for overnight stays.

Treviso is also the region's largest sparkling wine producer, home to two top winemakers, Azienda Agricola Il Moletto and Azienda Agricola Liasora. It is a quaint town flowing with rippling canals, flower-lined palaces and charming cafes and bars serving late afternoon chilled, fizzy sparkling wine and locally made Morlacco, Casatella and caciotta cheese. At dinner, refuel with rich Venetian cuisine, like fragrant risotto, creamy polenta, homemade pastas and fresh shellfish.

Two former schoolteachers, Huibertha van Tuenenbroek and Mike Sorgi, owners of Van Gogh Tours (800-435-6192; www.vangoghtours.com) lead a fully supported seven-day trip in September that stops at some wineries. The price is ,995 a person, double occupancy, including breakfast and most dinners, but not air fare and alcohol. Bike rental is an additional 0. The trip is limited to 16 participants.

Correction: July 02, 2006, Sunday: A picture caption on June 11 with the Journeys column on bicycle tours through wine-producing areas misstated the area of New Zealand shown. It was the Marlborough region, not Central Otago.