About Cuvée

Cuvée Wine Travel was founded with a singular purpose: to connect wine lovers to the people, places and cultures behind the wine label.

At the intersection of wine education and wine tourism, Cuvée creates experiences that go beyond simply visiting a destination or tasting a bottle. Through thoughtfully curated travel, tastings and educational programs, we help wine lovers better understand not only what is in the glass, but the place, history, cuisine and people that shape it.

For us, wine is not simply the destination. It is the lens through which culture, cuisine, history and place are experienced.

Meet Carol

Cuvée Wine Travel was founded by Carol Wolniakowski, a wine educator and travel specialist whose work centers on connecting people more deeply with the world’s great wine regions.

Carol combines formal wine study with extensive first-hand travel and relationships throughout the wine and hospitality industries. Her work regularly takes her into wine regions to meet with producers, regional wine organizations, tourism boards, hotels and other local partners. She brings those experiences and insights back to travelers and wine lovers through educational tastings, private programs and immersive wine journeys.

Before founding Cuvée, Carol practiced corporate law. Her lifelong interest in travel and wine eventually led her to pursue formal wine education and to build a business combining the two. Today, her focus is on helping people understand wine through place - exploring how geography, history, culture, food and the people behind the bottle influence what ultimately ends up in the glass.

Carol develops and presents wine education for private groups, clubs, corporate events and travel programs, with an emphasis on making wine engaging and approachable while providing the context that makes each region distinctive.

Her wine credentials include WSET Advanced with Distinction, Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators, and wine studies through the International Sommelier Guild. She is also a member of the Wine Scholar Guild and La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.

Whether she is leading a tasting at home or traveling through the vineyards of Bourgogne, Piemonte, or Rioja, Carol’s goal is the same: to make wine more meaningful by connecting what is in the glass to the people and places behind it.

Wine Travel & Education

Cuvée offers privately curated wine journeys, small-group experiences, educational tastings and wine-focused programs designed for people who want to experience wine with greater depth and context.

Our approach combines exceptional travel with thoughtful wine education, creating experiences that are sophisticated but never intimidating.

Explore wine travel and education with Cuvée.

Terms and Conditions:

Your use of this website and/or acceptance of any itinerary or invoice, will signify your agreement with the following terms and conditions:

           Cuvee Wine Travel, Inc. (“Cuvee”) offers retail travel services to customers, which are provided by separate and independent vendors of travel services such as airlines, hotels, car-rental companies, tour operators, cruise lines, transportation companies or other service providers (“Suppliers”).  Cuvee does not operate, control, or otherwise provide the services of the Suppliers. Cuvee is not responsible for acts or omissions of the Suppliers or their failure to provide services or adhere to their own schedules. Cuvee assumes no responsibility for and shall not be liable for any refund, personal injury, property damage, or other loss, accident, delay, inconvenience, or irregularity which may be caused by: (1) any defaults, wrongful or negligent acts, or omissions of the Suppliers including failure to provide services; (2) any defect in or failure of any vehicle, craft, equipment, or instrumentality owned, operated, or otherwise used or provided by the Suppliers; (3) any wrongful or negligent acts or omissions on the part of any other party not under Cuvee’s control; and (4) any Supplier price drop after your travel arrangements have been confirmed, paid in full, or ticketed. You hereby release Cuvee from all claims arising out of any problem covered in this paragraph.

Cuvee assumes no responsibility for and will not be held liable for injury, damage or loss resulting from any conditions, actions or omissions beyond Cuvee’s reasonable control. You agree that you are responsible for reviewing all travel documents to ensure accuracy.

Travel arrangements involving airline and cruise components are subject to supplemental price increases that may be imposed by the supplier and/or government after you have completed your purchase. You hereby consent to any such price increases and authorize your credit or debit card to be used for them. Suppliers have their own contracts covering cancellation penalties and other terms and conditions, and you may be bound by those contracts regardless of whether you receive notice of their terms. By accepting your itinerary or invoice, you hereby consent to those terms and conditions.

           Cuvee has no special knowledge regarding the financial condition of the Suppliers, unsafe conditions, health hazards, weather hazards, or climate extremes at locations to which you may travel. For a warning about terrorism in Europe, go to: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/europe-travel-alert.html. For a worldwide terrorism alert, go to:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/worldwide-caution.html.    For other information concerning possible dangers at destinations, Cuvee recommends contacting the Travel Warnings Section of the U.S. State Department at (202) 647-5225 or www.travel.state.gov.  For medical information, Cuvee recommends contacting the Centers for Disease Control at (877) FYI-TRIP or www.cdc.gov/travel. You assume full and complete responsibility for checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, vaccination, or other entry requirements of your destination(s), and all conditions regarding health, safety, security, political stability, and labor or civil unrest at such destination(s).  You hereby release Cuvee from all claims arising out of any problem covered in this paragraph. You agree that the courts in DuPage County, Illinois will be the exclusive jurisdiction for all claims brought by you or Cuvee, and you hereby submit to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

            For your protection, we strongly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation and travel accident insurance. However, no representation or description of the insurance made by our staff constitutes a binding assurance or promise about the insurance. We also strongly recommend that you use a credit card for your purchase, so that you can exercise your rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act if you do not receive the services you purchased.

Cuvee is committed to the responsible consumption of alcohol - please drink responsibly. You must be 21 years of age to drink alcoholic beverages. Do not drink and drive; always use a designated driver or car service. Do not drink to excess and conduct yourself responsibly while consuming alcohol.

Government Warning Concerning Health Consequences of Consuming Alcohol: By accessing this Site, you acknowledge that there is a government warning concerning the health effects of consuming alcoholic beverages. Government warning: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems. Drink responsibly.

  Liability Waiver: You hereby release, waive, discharge and covenant not to sue Cuvee, its subsidiaries, DBAs, affiliates, successors, contractors, agents, representatives and/or employees from any and all liability, claims, demands, actions and causes of action whatsoever arising out of or relating to any financial loss, damage to your property or loss, damage or injury that you personally sustain, including death, whether caused by the negligence of Cuvee or its representatives or not, while using this site, traveling, attending Cuvee events, or otherwise of or pertaining to travel services. You hereby assume all risks to your property and your person and in no way will Cuvee be liable to you for damages or injuries you sustain.