Newsletter - February 2025

Greetings from Robbi and Jim

A warm welcome to all of the members of our Aroma Tours Newsletter in over 30 countries around the world.

Robbi and I have continued to enjoy spending time with dear friends and family and are now busily completing the preparations for our upcoming Aroma Tours.

We feel truly blessed to be continuing to share our passion for the fabulous places and experiences that we love with delightful people from around the world.

This is always our busiest time of year and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you to one of our wonderful small group Aroma Tours.

We are thrilled to see that demand for both of our 2025 and 2026 seasons is the strongest we have ever seen!

• For more details, prices and itineraries we invite you to visit our tour information page and if your would like to reserve your place this can be done via our make a reservation page.

Memorable Photos from Aroma Tours 2024

One of the best ways to enjoy the spirit of our Aroma Tours is by taking a peek at some of the photos we have taken during our adventures in Spain, France and Italy.

Memorable Photos 2024-1

Memorable Photos 2024-2

Memorable Photos 2024-3

Memorable Photos 2024-4

We also invite you visit our other Photo Galleries Pages to enjoy more of the 1000's of other lovely photos of our Aroma Tours adventures.

Our Current Booking Status

The enthusiasm for our Aroma Tours in 2025 has been outstanding with this year's tours now down to the last few vacancies.

Already our 2026 tour season has received a flurry of bookings from our past Aroma Travellers and others wishing to make their plans early to be sure of securing their places.

• For detailed information about any of our tours please visit our tour information page and if you would like to join us please visit our make a reservation page.
• It is our pleasure to assist you with any questions you may have and we invite you to get in touch with us at jim@aroma-tours.com

Please note

• Our up-to-the-minute booking status is available via our calendar page

True Balsamic Vinegar

The tradition of making balsamic vinegar began almost 900 years ago in the winemaking regions around the town of Modena in northern Italy.

Unlike normal vinegar which is made from fermented grapes, balsamic vinegar is produced by boiling down the juice of freshly pressed white Trebbiano grapes to form a dark syrup. The heating process also kills any yeast present which would tend to produce alcohol rather than vinegar.

The concentrated syrup is then inoculated with a "mother" culture of acid forming bacteria which are responsible for  the transformation of the sweet grape syrup into vinegar.

Next comes the very lengthy and carefully controlled process of aging, which involves placing the inoculated syrup into a series of smaller and smaller oak barrels [chestnut, cherry, ash, mulberry, and juniper woods may also be used], that are left open to the air.

The barrels are traditionally kept in the warm attics of barns which facilitate evaporation of moisture and concentration of flavour.

As the aging process continues, the wood of the barrels gradually adds character and complexity to the vinegar which also becomes thicker as it slowly evaporates.

After aging in this way for 12 years, the vinegar acquires a compelling depth of flavour, subtle acidity and loads of character and is allowed to be placed in the distinctive globe shaped bottle of the Modena Balsamico Consorzio and sold as as Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale.

The next quality of balsamic vinegar is achieved after 25 years and yields the astonishingly textured and deeply flavourful, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Extravecchio.

This balsamico is so fine that it can be sipped just like a digestive and has a sweet, velvety richness that fills your mouth with delight. We were also lucky enough to taste 50 year old balsamic vinegar - ambrosia!

During our Flavours of Italy Tour each year we visit a small, magnificent acetia on the outskirts of Modena to meet the man behind the this amazing vinegar and most importantly to experience the true tradition of balsamic vinegar making and of course taste the difference!

There are many products calling themselves balsamic vinegar in our stores that are little more than cheap industrial vinegar to which has been added colouring and caramel flavour and put into an interesting looking bottle.

If you would like to try genuine balsamic vinegar ( aceto balsamico tradizionale ) made in Modena using this traditional method, remember to look for the globe shaped bottle with the designated "DOP" label ( denominazione di origine controllata ).

Photos of our Aroma Tours Adventures

Photos are a great way to enjoy and be inspired by the lovely places and experiences that we share with our guests.

We invite you to join us to explore some of these wonderful places, people and experiences with us and take your own "selfie" memories.

• For more details please visit our tour information page and if you would like to share a wonderful adventure with us in beautiful Italy, you can reserve your place via our make a reservation page

Flavours of France

Our delightful and delicious Flavours of France Tour has now become our most popular offering - and for good reason!

Experience the fascinating heart of Lyon, the gourmet capital of France and enjoy journeying through the beautiful vine clad countryside of Burgundy and Alsace with their gorgious hilltop villages, medieval towns, lush vineyards, spectacular chateau and gardens.

Elegant 5 star small luxury hotels and spectacular gourmet cuisine and wines are a feature of this tour.

Your taste buds will be tantalized in some of France's finest restaurants, from hidden gastronomic treasures, to spectacular 3 Michelin star fine dining; with a total of 6 Michelin stars during our week together.

This year's tour is now wait-listed but happily there are still 3 vacancies available for 2026 and we would love to share this spectacular and luxurious French gourmet adventure with you next year, but you will need to "Sieze the Day" to secure your place(s).

For more lovely photos of our experiences during this delightfully delicious tour please visit our Flavours of France Photo Page

• For more details please visit our tour information page and to reserve your place for this delightful gourmet experience , please visit our make a reservation page

Photos of our Aroma Tours Adventures in Italy

We enjoyed another fabulous journey in Tuscany and northern Italy last year during our Aromas of Tuscany and Flavours of Italy tours.

Being in Italy always makes you smile, with names like Ferrari, Amaroni, Balsamico, Parmigiano, Chianti, Saint Francis, Giotto, Enoteca, Sangiovese, Etruscans, Cinque Terre, Puccini, Como... evoking curiousity, reflection, passion, joyfulness, playfulness and deliciousness.

For more details please visit our information request page and if you would like to reserve one of the remaining places please visit our booking request page

Travelling Solo in a Group

As well as couples and friends travelling together, we are regularly joined by solo travellers - mostly women, who appreciate being able to journey with liked minded people from around the world, without the need to do all the planning and take on the daunting task of touring by themselves.

Joining one of our small group tours is easy and we have already made all of the arrangements on your behalf to ensure that you have a delightful, stress-free holiday with the focus on having fun.

Having a ready-made group of friends to travel with, and us to take wonderful care of you is the way to go!

• There is no extra charge for solo travellers who are willing to share a room with another same gender guest from our group.

We have carefully crafted off-the-beaten-path itineraries that are the perfect balance of structure, experiences, details and free time to enjoy in your own way.

Our Invitation

Robbi and I look forward to welcoming you to one of our delightful Aroma Tours in 2023 or 2024.

• For detailed information about any of our tours please visit our tour information page and if you would like to join us please visit our make a reservation page.
• As always if you have any questions or if you would like us to assist you personally with advice about your travel arrangements or with any other details please contact us at info@aroma-tours.com

Warmest regards,

Jim and Robbi