New Year's wine resolutions for travelers

A delicious bottle of wine may last an evening, but a hands-on wine experience will leave you with memories to savor for a lifetime. Whether attending a wine “camp” geared towards grown ups, investing in your own wine barrel or participating in a wine country harvest, oenophiles in America can get more involved in the world of wine than ever before.

“Through tastings and special events, like the intensive wine dinners we host regularly at our eatery, American wine consumers are becoming very well educated on their favorite subject, wine,” says Arnaud Tronche, beverage director and owner of Racines NY, a Manhattan restaurant renowned for its mostly biodynamic, 1,700 selection-strong wine list. “And many wine lovers plan to take their interest in wine even further in 2017, not just by visiting vineyards, but by taking a ‘vacation’ to work the harvest, and learning how their wine is made.”

The trend toward wine-focused recreation has yielded a wide variety of activities for lovers of the grape to enjoy this year — and thankfully, not all break the bank. For just $150, visitors can get their fill of samples from some 20 wineries on California's Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail. For those willing to splurge, Rhode Island’s luxurious Ocean House resort hosts wine and food seminars and an intensive wine-centric weekend where attendees see the grape growing process firsthand and then custom blend their own creations. Ready to vacation in the vineyards? Thanks to DuVine Cycling & Adventure Co., wine fans gain a deeper understanding of their favorite California winemaking regions by seeing the varied landscapes up close and personal via two-wheeled treks.

Will new wine experiences make your travel agenda for 2017? Grab a glass of your favorite vino and sip your way through our slideshow. It pours out plenty of ways you can enhance your passion for wine this year.