The groom should think of interesting places to honeymoon, aside from the beach. GroomGroove.com suggests five great wine region honeymoon spots, with plenty of sun, wine and activities to keep the groom and bride enteratined. When else are you going to get to New Zealand?

1. San Francisco, and Napa and Sonoma: American culture at its finest

Close to San Francisco, the twin valleys of Napa and Sonoma offer the very best in American cuisine, scenery, culture and, of course, wine. French Laundry, in Yorkville, is a small, 62-person restaurant that is often rated as the best restaurant in the United States. Primed for tourism, Napa and Sonoma are American hospitality at its very best. It’s sunny, there are great places to stay, lots of wine to drink and its close enough to San Francisco to spend a week-long honeymoon in the area and not get bored.

2. Burgundy and Lyon: A visit to the very heart of French winemaking

Brides and grooms may never have thought of visiting any part of France other than Paris, but Lyon, as a hub for exploring Burgundy, makes for a great base. Lyon itself is widely considered the culinary capital of France (and the French, we note, are into cuisine). Burgundy is famous for its pinot noir grape (used for the red wine Pinot Noir as well as Champagne). The region boasts over 400 types of soil varieties and therefore the concept of terroir – or how the soil’s minerals translate into the grape and ultimately the wine itself, are fetishized in this region of France. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, whose wines are often considered the best red wine in the world, hails from here. It’s the ultimate wine snob honeymoon.

3. New Zealand: A Sauvignon Blanc Honeymoon, and bungee jumping if you're brave!

The Kiwis make the very best sauvignon blanc in the world. Period. Check out the Marlborough wine region And New Zealand offers much in the way of natural beauty, wild adventure (bungee jumping was invented here), weird fruits and amazing spas. The best time to go is between November and April. It’s a compact and not overwhelming place to honeymoon. New Zealand is just the place to go to explore fine wine and mix it with great adventure. A New Zealand honeymoon will be something off the beaten track, and you can bring some of the world’s best wine back with you as a souvenir.

4. Tuscany: Made for honeymooning

Sangiovese, the main grape in Chianti is grown in Tuscany, located in north-western Italy. Pair your wine and food and get a fix of culture in both Florence (home of Michaelangelo’s David), Venice (about three hours away) or in Vinci, home of the famous Leonardo da Vinci museum. Italian wines are some of the best in the world with a great variety of grapes and Italy is one of the most romantic countries in the world. If you’ve never been, a honeymoon is a great opportunity for a first visit.

5. Mendoza, Argentina: An off the beaten track honeymoon with plenty of great wine

Fly in to Buenos Aires (and spend some time there) but then jet over to Mendoza, el capital of Argentina’s wine region. Argentina produces fine cabernet sauvignon, but it’s claim to fame is the celebrated Malbec grape. Mendoza, at the base of the Andes mountains, offers stellar accommodations, fine cuisine and some of the best wine the world has to offer. And to boot, Argentina is a very affordable place to honeymoon. [Page 1 of 1]