Greetings!

I am Shannon Essa, founder and owner of GrapeHops Tours. Thank you for visiting the GrapeHops website!

I have been organizing wine and food tours to various regions in Europe for over ten years.  I love Europe and spend as much time as possible there. I love that there are so many different grapes, so many different styles of wine, and so many beautiful wine regions. My goal: to seek out special experiences – and people – for any tour I organize, as well as throw in some important cultural sights and activities. Though I just started organizing and operating tours in 2011, I already have quite a few returning customers. The problem – or maybe it is not a problem! – is that I need to keep developing new tours for them to come on!

It is very important to me to offer people a wonderful vacation, with lots of experiences not only in food and wine but in getting to know the locals and off the beaten track places. Along with my on-the-ground network of guides – and other friends and associates in accommodations, restaurants and wineries – the #1 goal is to make sure you are enjoying yourself.

You can find information about GrapeHops Tours in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Bulgaria and Slovenia on this website. In 2025 there will be a new tour in Northern Spain – the Rioja and Navarra. I will be adding a combined tour of Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northeast Italy in the future. Please reach out if you are interested in any of my tours.

I hope you will join me someday on one of these adventures. Do get in touch with any questions.

Cheers,

Shannon Essa