People often ask me what makes our journeys different.

The truth is, I never set out to create a travel company. I set out to recreate the feeling of the best journeys of my life.

For more than two decades, I have been fortunate to travel the world—not simply as a tourist, but as a chef, wine educator, journalist, and ambassador. Many of those experiences were organized by governments, wine regions, and culinary institutions that opened doors most travelers never get to walk through. They introduced me to families, artisans, winemakers, chefs, historians, and places that completely changed the way I see food, wine, and culture.

Those experiences became my inspiration.

Every Vitis House journey is built around one simple question:

What would I want my closest friends to experience if I could personally introduce them to this destination?

The answer is never “more free time.”

Our trips are not designed to check boxes, they are designed to create memories that stay with you for years.

Some days begin early. Some days are long. We may walk more than expected, laugh more than expected, and certainly eat more than expected (and you can ask previous travelers on this).

But every single day has a purpose.

You’ll learn something new. You’ll meet extraordinary people. You’ll share unforgettable meals around tables where stories matter as much as the wine in your glass. You’ll discover places that rarely appear in guidebooks and moments that simply cannot be scheduled online.

Because that’s where the magic lives.

One thing you’ll quickly notice is that we don’t choose hotels the easy way. Many travel companies book the most convenient option—the large hotels that appear first on every booking website because thousands of tourists stay there every year.

That’s not our philosophy.  Every hotel we select has a story.

Some are family-owned estates. Some are historic properties protected by UNESCO. Some are celebrated for their architecture or design. Others are home to Michelin-starred restaurants or sit among vineyards that have shaped a region for generations.

Luxury, for us, isn’t measured by four pools and gold-plated faucets.  Luxury is waking up somewhere that makes you smile before you’ve even had your first cup of coffee.  Luxury is feeling connected to the destination instead of simply sleeping there.

Sometimes that means a beautiful suite overlooking vineyards. Sometimes it’s a 4-5 stars boutique hotel where the owners greet us by name. Sometimes it’s the freshness of the breakfast that is so memorable that it becomes part of the trip itself.

Every choice is intentional. The same philosophy guides our food and wine experiences.

I often see itineraries where breakfast isn’t included, lunch is optional, dinner is on your own, and guests spend half the trip wondering where to eat next, to hear that they ended in a tourist trap.

That’s not how I like to travel. Once we arrive, I want you to stop thinking about logistics.  I want you to focus on tasting, learning, laughing, exploring, and being fully present.

When we leave free time in the itinerary, it’s because you’ve probably just enjoyed an extraordinary late lunch, a generous tasting, or an experience that deserves a quiet afternoon to absorb it all—not because we ran out of ideas.

One of my favorite parts of designing these journeys is creating surprises. There are experiences I intentionally don’t share before departure.

Not because they’re secrets—but because some moments are more meaningful when you discover them naturally.

A hidden vineyard. A private tasting. A breathtaking view. An unexpected meal. A conversation you’ll remember long after you’ve returned home.

Those are the moments that make people fall in love with a place.

And they’re often the moments our travelers tell me they never saw coming. Usually at this point, someone gets emotional and starts crying and I have to join.

Could someone recreate one of our itineraries on their own? Not sure…

But the relationships we have took years building. Not the families who welcome us into their wineries. Not the chefs who prepare meals just for our group. Not the private doors that open because of friendships built over decades.

Those experiences cannot be downloaded from an itinerary or booked with a click.

They’ve been earned, one relationship at a time.

Our mission has never been to offer the cheapest trip, but neither the most expensive ones where you only visit two wineries, have a lunch with 15 others and then go back to the hotel.

Our mission is to create extraordinary intimate journeys that deliver exceptional value—experiences that leave you wondering how so much was possible in just a few days.