Do you love wine but are tired of traditional wine tastings?
Bored of dry crackers, stiff stools at wine bars, and snobbish sommeliers?
Spice up the way you experience wine with the world’s top unusual wine experiences centered around fermented grapes.
Choose from unique pairing classes, fun-filled festivals, active sport-themed wine adventures, and hands-on opportunities to be a winemaker for a day—including harvesting and blending your own wines.
After these adventurous, offbeat, and interactive experiences, you’ll never see wine the same way again.
Domestic Wine Experiences
1) Get Squirted With Wine (St. Augustine, Florida)
Celebrate the annual St. Augustine Spanish Wine Festival in one of the nation’s oldest cities on Florida’s Historic Coast.
From September 10–13, attend lavish wine-pairing dinners and tastings featuring 120 wines to choose from.
You can also learn Spanish winemaking and cooking techniques through classes led by Spanish chefs and winemakers.
The festival ends with the outrageous Batalla de Vinos, where 2,000 participants wear white and squirt each other with red wine.
2) Drink Wine at an Ice Bar in the Frozen Tundra of the Midwest (Kewaunee, Wisconsin)
If you prefer wine festivals at sub-zero temperatures, visit the snow-covered Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery.
The vineyard shares the same latitude as Bordeaux and Tuscany, but its vines must withstand extreme cold.
The husband-and-wife team has mastered growing hardy grapes, and you can taste their award-winning wines year-round.
For a unique twist, attend their annual winter wine fest to drink wine at an ice bar, listen to live music, and enjoy gourmet foods in a heated tent.
3) Take a Self-Guided Tour of the World’s Wines With Wine on Tap (Boise, Idaho)
Bodovino in downtown Boise boasts the United States’ largest selection of wine on tap, with more than 144 wines.
Visitors can sample 1 oz, 3 oz, or 5 oz pours and take home their favorites.
The shop uses special dispensers that keep wine fresh and at the perfect temperature.
It’s an ideal place to gather friends and create your own tasting.
4) Wine and Chile Tasting (Las Cruces, New Mexico)
Spice things up with a wine-and-chile tasting in New Mexico’s Mesilla Valley, the heart of Hatch chile country.
Join local cookbook author Kelley Coffeen for a pairing class featuring three red and three white wines.
They’re matched with six chile flavors—red, green, chipotle, habanero, crushed red pepper, and jalapeño—served as sauces and salsas on baguette slices.
Classes are often hosted at the historic La Posta restaurant, though private tastings are also available.
Las Cruces is home to the Chile Pepper Institute, the world’s only international organization dedicated to chile research.
Arrive during Labor Day weekend for the Hatch Chile Festival, just 40 minutes away.
5) Grape Stomping or Candy-Wine Pairing (Roselle, Illinois)
When most people think of Oktoberfest, beer comes to mind; however, Lynfred Winery aims to change that.
This celebration just outside Chicago began more than two decades ago and remains unforgettable.
The Annual Oktoberfest & Pig Roast takes place October 27, 2025.
Enjoy German sing-alongs and compete in grape-spitting, grape-stomping, and cork-tossing contests.
Feast on roasted pig, warm German potato salad, bratwurst, chili, and roasted sweet corn.
Desserts include taffy apples, apple strudel, and German chocolate cake, all paired with Lynfred wines.
If you’re in town earlier in September, don’t miss the vineyard’s candy pairing class.
Taste Snickers with Vin de City Red, Twix with Syrah, Candy Corn with Ice Wine, and Nerds with Framboise Port.
6) Wine Tasting in a Submarine (San Francisco, California)
Have you ever sipped wine in a submarine?
Visit San Francisco’s Treasure Island—an old World War II naval base—for an unforgettable tasting at Sottomarino Winery.
Parts of the former “Damage Control Wet Trainer” vessel remain intact, creating an authentic atmosphere.
The winery specializes in Italian varietals, which you can enjoy at the downstairs bar or on the deck overlooking the Bay.
International Wine Experiences
7) Wine and Chocolate Pairing (Adelaide Hills, Australia)
Head to the oldest surviving German settlement in Australia for a decadent tasting experience that pairs wine and chocolate.
Hahndorf Hill Winery’s ChocoVino experience has been featured in CNN’s “Top 10 Global Adventures for Chocoholics.”
It also ranks among the top food and wine experiences in South Australia.
You’ll learn how to taste and pair boutique wines with internationally acclaimed chocolates.
8) Bike Through Vineyards and Refresh Yourself With a Wine Bath (Umbria, Italy)
Cycle through olive groves, medieval towns, and vineyards filled with Sagrantino grapes.
Stop to taste local wines like the spicy Rubesco Riserva, made from Sangiovese and Canaiolo, and Sagrantino di Montefalco, a DOCG wine made from 100% Sagrantino grapes.
Savor meals at local restaurants and stay at Le Tre Vaselle, a five-star hotel with a spa specializing in vinotherapy.
Treatments use grapes and grape leaves for antioxidant-rich baths, scrubs, massages, and more.
9) Make Your Own Blend (Adelaide, Australia)
The Barossa Valley is famous for its wine cellars and artisanal cheese, but Penfolds Winery stands out for inviting visitors into its Winemaker’s Laboratory.
Learn about the blending process and mix Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvèdre to create your own custom wine.
Take home your creation in a personalized bottle.
10) Run and Taste Your Way Through 26 Miles of Vineyards (Bordeaux, France)
Join Marathon Tours & Travel for a 26.2-mile run through 59 vineyards in the world-renowned Médoc region of Bordeaux, France.
The Marathon du Médoc takes runners through dozens of vineyards and châteaux, tasting wines along the way.
Each year features a different theme, and most participants dress up for the occasion.
