BOSTON (October 11, 2022) –EF Go Ahead Tours (GAT), a premier provider of culturally immersive experiences offering more than 175 guided trips to all seven continents, is expanding its partnership with America’s Test Kitchen (ATK), a go-to resource for at-home cooks. The two cultural powerhouses joined forces in 2019 to create a new one-of-a-kind, hands-on, culinary-led travel experience through Italy called A Food and Wine Adventure through Tuscany and Piedmont with America’s Test Kitchen. Today, the immersive food and wine education-based experience for travelers expands with new itineraries in both Spain and Portugal, with dates as early as fall 2023.
“Special access, expert insight, and immersive tours throughout the world’s top culinary destinations are the key ingredients of our brand-new tours in Portugal and Spain,” says Heidi Durflinger, President of EF Go Ahead Tours. “With a series of tours that take travelers inside the kitchens of Italy and now the Iberian Peninsula, we offer travelers some of the most celebrated food and wine traditions of Europe in partnership with America’s Test Kitchen.”
Portugal Food & Wine: Porto to Lisbon with America’s Test Kitchen
Portugal may be the tiny country on the Western edge of the Iberian Peninsula, hugging the cooler Atlantic waters, but it packs a powerful punch to the food and wine global scene! From the rolling vineyards of the Douro Valley and Porto, famous for its eponymous dessert wine to mind-blowing markets replete with fishmongers, olive growers and bountiful produce, travelers will traverse the country tastebud by tastebud. Four cooking classes, a cheesemaking class, four wine tastings and six food tastings are just the start to a truly immersive experience that combines rich culture with “how-to” prowess once back in the home kitchen.
Spain Food & Wine: Barcelona & Northern Spain with America’s Test Kitchen
In Spain “gastronomy” is taken very seriously and often used as a way to identify one’s home. Take a deep dive into Eastern and Northern Spain for a comparative analysis between Catalan and Basque cultures. Savor near perfect growing traditions for all forms of taste bud delight: even temperatures for raising cattle for both meat and cheese, moist rich soil for produce and grapes, and a mix of multiple distinct cultures together, unparalleled in all of Europe. In Barcelona, a walk down the famous La Rambla will lead to shopping and cooking classes amidst Gaudi’s world-famous architecture. In Bilbao and San Sebastian, a different ocean with its own variety of art and food awaits. There is a reason San Sebastian has the most Michelin-starred restaurants in one location among the entire world! Cooking classes, wine and cider tastings with the perfect mix of art and culture prepare both the home cook and entertainer once back stateside!
“We’ve built itineraries around truly unique experiences and traditions, like grape stomping at a Port wine vineyard in the Duoro Valley or cheesemaking on a local sheep farm in the Basque countryside,” continues Durflinger. “In collaboration with a partner who focuses on all things culinary, our travelers can learn about the history and traditions of local ingredients while exploring the world, returning home with tips to share with friends and family in their own kitchens.”
With a full offering of ATK and EF Go Ahead Tours exclusive trips to Italy, Spain and Portugal, travelers can access an abundance of the world’s finest food and wine travel, deeply rooted in both the history and culture of the country and the cuisine that defines the region.
“Our food lover’s trip to northern Italy has been a smashing success, with EF Go Ahead Tours introducing ATK fans to artisan food makers and highlighting the ingredients and traditions that make Italian food so incredible,” says Jack Bishop, Chief Creative Officer, America’s Test Kitchen. “I’m thrilled that we’re expanding this partnership to Spain and Portugal and I’m excited for travelers to learn more about olive oil, seafood, pastries, cheese, cider, and, of course, wine. Food is such a great way to experience another culture and the cuisines of Spain and Portugal offer travelers so many delicious opportunities.”
Book Today:
Portugal Food & Wine: Porto to Lisbon with America’s Test Kitchen
First departure: 9/14/2023 starting at $4,199
Food & Wine: Barcelona & Northern Spain with America’s Test Kitchen
First departure: 4/21/2023 starting at $4,229
Traveler Support Specialists are available to answer any and all questions!
