It has been known since olden times that wine-making process is a true art that is within the power only of the ones sincerely in love with their trade. Let alone beauty of masterpieces created by skillful hands – grape gardens, scattered in various nooks of the world, that impress with grandeur and adorn this planet, ornamenting it with bright juicy colors.
Most fruitful and famous vineyards of the world dwell in Europe, mainly in Mediterranean countries where there is every condition for growing the fastidious plant. However true virtuosos of their trade venture create vine masterpieces even in completely unsuitable and extreme conditions – in the middle of an ocean, high up in the mountains or in a crater of a volcano…
Atacama, Chile
Laws of common sense and logic suggest that it is impossible to grow anything in lifeless desert of Atacama – let alone fastidious vineyards. It is this place that is considered the planet’s aridest – certain areas of the desert haven’t seen rain for over 300 years. But here is a paradox – for over than 50 years they have grown best table grapes in Chile there. Wine-growers, upon battling harsh lifelessness of Atacama won to take over 12000 hectares of land. But how is it even possible to grow grapes in such conditions? The secret is simple: water is poured on each vine drop by drop from rubber hoses. Each shoot receives 4 liters of water with fertilizers per hour. Grapes cultivated in Atacama are supplied to four continents.Photo hcvwines.com
Rangiroa, Tahiti
At the first sigh coral island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is clearly not the best spot to grow grapes. But not when it is French Tahiti… Because once a Frenchman appears anywhere – things are sure to get to winemaking or at least just wine there. Just as all the best things in this world, vineyards on Ringaroa appeared thank to a venturer – businessman Dominique Auroy. He used to live there, far away from civilization… It was during this voluntary solitude when an idea came to his mind to create on wine-making establishment amidst ocean. There were fears that to locate a vineyard on coral soil wasn’t that good an idea – but dream demanded to come true. And things turned out in the best possible way. Soil proved to be suitable: remains of a coral reef and fertilizers in the shape of algae served as natural feeding for young grapes. And there happened to be fresh water in underground springs, necessary for irrigation. Vegetation of the atoll joined in common business – palm and papaya trees protect grapes from sea splash.Photo tahitiislandstravel.com
The world’s most northern vineyard is located in Finland. A reasonable question arises: how do Finns manage to grow grapes in such a cold climate? The answer is simple: thank to inventiveness and readiness for experiments. They were reflecting on that puzzle – and decided to plant grapes… in one of blocks of Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant. Just as any operating NPP, Olkiluoto emits huge amounts of heat that the Finns decided to use to their advantage. Upon allocating 0.1 ha of land and planting Zilga grapes, they began to patiently wait how it was all going to work out. And the result turned out to be pretty good – annually the Finns collect 850 kg of harvest at Olkiluoto.Photo news.capricorn.ru
Lanzarote, Spain
18th century was a difficult one for Lanzarote Island – volcanoes were erupting there all the time to pour fertile lands, villages and pasture grounds with lava flows. Entire locality was powdered with lapilli (volcanic outburst) and pieces of lava to create a completely surreal landscape. But lapilli has suddenly proved to be a godsend for winemakers. On top of containing a lot of useful elements, it also possesses a valuable ability – to absorb night dew. With such a wonder-gift from nature vine can do without any irrigation – you just have to strew it with volcanic sand. Locals took this ingenious method home promptly and improved it to create perfect constructions for grapes cultivation. They are called “gerias” and their operational mode is pretty simple: stone semi-circle protects a vine, planted in a funnel, from wind while volcanic sand ensures necessary moisture level. And the outcome warrants all the efforts: one vine from La Geria vineyards produces about 20 kg of grapes per year. Over 10 thousand unusual constructions make for an incredible landscape that constitutes one of distinctive features of Lanzarote winemaking region. There is another feature – taste of wine. A bottle of wine with volcanic aroma is a value for true connoisseurs of the divine drink.Photo prestigeholidays.co.uk
The vast of a vineyard with a proud title of the world’s highest spreads in Salta of Argentina at the altitude of 3 thousand meters above sea level. Local winemakers cannot have enough of bragging about location of their gardens. And there, sure enough, is a reason for pride because even highest vineyards of Europe are located at the altitude slightly exceeding one thousand meters. Vineyards of Nepal are the only ones that can provide competition to Argentine miracle. The fact that over there, in such proximity to equator, it is possible to grow such a fastidious plant as grapes, is surprising. But in Salta it is possible due to cold mountainous air.Photoyoushouldgohere.com
Kyrgyzstan is called Middle Asian Switzerland. Mountains, rivers, waterfalls, caves, cols and green meadows aren’t a speck inferior in terms of aesthetics to European ones yet travelers haven't duly appreciated this country so far. Across-the-board exploration of the land by the state’s guests has only just begun. And alongside hotels that are being swiftly erected, ordinary yurts are still offered for residence to feel local natural.
To build a settlement on flatland - is this such a hard trick to pull off? A completely different story is when land is self-willed and rock-ribbed both directly and metaphorically speaking. People have been trying to master land and have own say in in-rock urban development for centuries. But only those who succeded in finding common ground with Earth managed to create true novels in stone.
When I, as a little girl, for the first time passed my hand over trimmed bush, my palm got scratched with sharp edges of twigs and lasting arborvitae fragrance hit my nose. Mesmerized, I was not able to take my eyes away from the cones, balls and squares that surrounded me in the park of a small resort town. I felt like being inside a fairy tale, where behind the leaves I could notice a smile of the Cheshire Cat.
The Times newspaper edition recognized Ålesund as the most beautiful town in Norway. It is not without reason: wayward sea, mesmerizing northern nature, famous fjords, fabulous multi-coloured houses in the Art Nouveau style and the legendary Trolls' Path, beckon those wishing to see the stunning wild landscapes.
There’s hardly anything that compares to bright-starred sky and silence. It is the stars that OUTLOOK want to tell you about or more precisely about the places with the best view on them. In Europe it is recommended to go stargazing not to some place but to… Slovenia. Point is, this small country is one of the cleanest in the world and consequently isn’t that polluted with smog.
We are proceeding with articles telling "history of one street" and today we will tell you about one of the most beautiful and cheerful streets of Buenos Aires, which is called Caminito. It is located in the famous area of La Boca founded in the 19th century by Italian immigrants.
Lighthouse - this word evokes beautiful associations: sea adventures, storms, huge ships. And we do not want to dispel these thoughts, but rather to add fuel to the fire. There is a great amount of them in the world, they are striking by their beauty and inimitable. Today we are sharing with you the quintet of amazing lighthouses!
Each of us wants to escape rush of a city from time to time and lie low somewhere far from everything and anything. And it better be a place where one can listen to whisper of waves, feel light breeze and forever make friends with inimitably loud silence that muffles every disturbing thought…
As a child I could spend hours gazing at the sky and spying majestic flocks of birds winging their way south. For a kid this movement was a real magic. Today my bookshelf hosts almost no books about magic, though I am still excited about feathered tribes travelling in hope to land on their winter grounds.
Ice and snow has long been used by artists to create different figures and objects, and only 1960, this age-old skill became a new trend of a land art! The largest number of winter artworks is created during special festivals about which we will tell our readers.
A little son came to his father and suggested to run away from mom and granny to the North Pole? Now, do not indulge into tragic speeches of severe frosts, pitch darkness of the polar night and hungry polar bears! Give a conspiracy wink to a little brave one, and give him a real man's job for his school winter holidays that is to learn how to build an igloo, night shelter in ever-frost lands.
The cold season brings not only such important things as wrapping into a reindeer sweater, drinking hot chocolate and once again reviewing Christmas comedies. Thus, sport has not been canceled yet, so OUTLLOK compiled top five ski resort bucket list for you to cheer up and get out of your winter sleep.
The closer winter holidays are, the louder all-nation weeping for the lost charms of New Year night is. Rains, fogs, and ordinary tiredness obstructed the way of joy into city, and fairy-tale stands back at the North, in far Lapland. The shivering glow of the polar lights fleshes out the ancient tales and blows off the golden dust from the holiday cards...
We are continuing our narration about the most breath-taking national reservations in Africa! There are five more primordial world areas where time hardly slowed down its running being afraid of worrying the natural harmony…
Icy island of Greenland was first discovered by the Norwegian Vikings. This fact is surprising since this nomadic tribe had enough courage to penetrate into the harsh Arctic climate. We will not delve into searching for reasons which led warlike people to edge of the earth, but supply the modern traveller with the list of core Arctic attractions with a unique Greenlandic touch.
Insanely beautiful, raw and refined Africa is exactly the place where one should plunge into a whirlpool of wild nature, taking over an unusual role of a guest in the abode of animals, not vice versa... Here you can free your mind from all artificial and imaginary stuff, feeling like a tiny speck in the vast and exciting world...
Today OUTLOOK travels along the cities and countries that are considered as the most interesting from the point of view of geography and administrative management. Moreover, they are enclaves as they are located within the territories of other states.
Nature and heritage are above and beyond temporary drawbacks in infrastructure and services of Kyrgyzstan, which in terms of tourism is approaching to Georgia and Armenia. Let's consider this through the example of the cosy city of Karakol.
A thing that for tourists is a reason to click photo cameras in amazement, for local citizens is a source for constant concern and even grave danger. A chain of fire-breathing volcanoes, banded with salt lakes and thermal geysers, is believed to be one of the most astonishing spots on the planet. But one thing is to have a look and leave and completely another – to constantly ‘sit on a powderkeg’.
When, if not now to conquer summits, overcome seas and climb on the rocks? People often make great efforts to enjoy the comfort through the whole lifetime. But sometimes our soul needs some romance, so OUTLOOK presents seven unique canyons.
Photo hcvwines.com
Photo tahitiislandstravel.com
Photo news.capricorn.ru
Photo prestigeholidays.co.uk
Photo youshouldgohere.com
