Wine and Spirits Travel

I had mentioned to the Webbers, owners of De Bortoli Wine , that I was interested in going to the Healesville Animal Sanctuary and the next thing I knew Leann was on the phone making arrangements for my visit!  I didn’t mind taking a little wine break to play with some of Australia’s native animals. The Steve and Leanne picked me up first thing in the morning from Chateau Yering .  I had enjoyed my stay there but was excited to see Australia's animals. Along the way they told me about the local produce market, led by apples and cherries, and pointed out some of the 70 local wineries in this area.  We also drove straight through the town of Healesville , full of cafes, small hotels, a brewery, stores and restaurants. At the Healesville Animal Sanctuary, my day was planned and guided by John and John, who are among the 65 staff and 260 volunteer guides at this massive zoo.  Between the two of them they knew everything there was to know about the sanctuary and the animals and bir

After a delicious breakfast of a tomato & cheese omelet, fruit, pan au chocolat and a latte, I took a walk down the driveway of Chateau Yering and turned into the lot for Yering Station Winery. Winemaker William (Willy) Lunn was my guide for the day.  He explained to me how Yering Station Winery planted its first vines in 1838 on the property of a cattle farm. The barn still stands and is used for functions like farmers markets, and the Yering Station store does sell local food items, but the main product here now is wine.   It wasn’t until the late 1980s that became the case as it had gone back to producing cattle during and after the depression before additional planting was done in the early to mid 1960s. Yering Station is the third largest in Yarra Valley, behind Domaine Chandon and De Bortoli.  They produce 12 different wines from the valley floor and also work with Devaux Champagne in France.  The processing of the grapes – which are both hand and machine picked – is d

The week before I left for Australia my trip was marred by changes and cancellations thanks to a certain TV host (whose name happens to begin with “O”).  It seems she swept through Australia, leaving a wake of hotels, restaurants and tourism boards tired and broke. Most of my plans had to be changed and I have been relying on the kindness of strangers a lot more than I ever had before.  Yarra Valley was one of the places that invited me with open arms at the last minute and they couldn’t have been more sincere. I’ve done a lot of trips that included the Moet-Hennessy group, including Cognac , Napa and Champagne , so they were the first I contacted when I made the decision to go the Yarra Wine Region.  Mat Janes arranged for me to be picked up in Melbourne and I arrived at Domaine Chandon early evening after an enjoyable ride through the Victoria countryside.  Even at a quick glance, the vineyards were beautiful, lined in yellow roses. The winery has only been here since the

My Australian adventure includes a lot of hotel hopping which I look at as the chance to discover some new places.  Unfortunately, that often also means leaving places before I can totally check them out, but I do like to pass along any gems I find along the way.  Within Melbourne , The Langham definitely fits in this category. One of my favorite aspects of The Langham was the hotel’s ability to combine the lap of luxury with down to earth friendliness.  It ranks among the most opulent hotels I’ve been at, with amenities such as doorbells on the room door, slippers and water bottles at your night table, breathtaking views from the windows (below) and a full wooden box of individually wrapped items of just about anything you could need in the bathroom, next to the large soaking tub. I didn’t have a chance to experience The Langham’s spa, High Tea, Chocolate Spread, Melba Restaurant or Spa, but I did head down to the Aria Lounge.  Petra was as welcoming as the rest of the staff and

It occurred to me when I was sitting at my computer in my suite at the Oaks at Market that I could be anywhere in the world at that moment and it wouldn’t have made a difference.  My first three days in Australia were spent taking a tram to watch tennis at Melbourne Park, coming back to my hotel and sitting in front of the computer until it was time to go to sleep.  It was definitely not the way an Australian adventure should be (though the tennis has certainly been good) and it was time for an immediate change. I shut off the computer and actually left it in the room so I could travel light (we don't part often, so it wasn't easy).  I walked right past the tram and kept walking down Flinders Street, the main thoroughfare in Melbourne .  I noticed for the first time that my hotel is just a block from the Museum of Immigration, and a few more away from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image – currently featuring a Disney exhibition – and the National Gallery of Victoria.

For as long as I could remember, visiting Australia was at the top of my bucket list.  As a tennis journalist, I longed to cover the Australian Open .  As a travel and wine writer, I couldn’t wait to see and taste what this country had to offer.  The one thing I wasn’t anxious for was the long trip required to get Down Under. I flew to Los Angeles a few days before my scheduled flight to Australia for practical reasons.  It is winter in the Midwest and the odds are good that it is going to snow at least once a week.  I didn’t want that snow day to prevent me from catching my flight to Melbourne and it was also a good excuse to spend a few days with my California cousins.  All went as predicted (including the storm that came after I took off, delaying flights).  I was safely on the West Coast, though, and made it to LAX in plenty of time for my 11:20 pm Qantas flight. I have to say I was very disappointed in the Bradley International Terminal at LAX.  Shopping, restaurants, even

A recent trip to New York City had me checking out a new hotel and eating at a place that brought back some old memories – with a little bit of sweating in between! I absolutely loved The James Hotel in Chicago and couldn’t wait to see the brand new James Hotel in New York. I was a bit shocked when I got there as I’ve never seen two hotels with the same name (and there are only two in the chain so far) that were so completely different. In fact, the only thing I found they had in common was the modern furnishings with wonderful displays of artwork throughout the hotel. The trip was a short (but definitely sweet) mother-daughter getaway so the hotel worked great for me. We also saw a lot of couples in the lobby who loved the view and the SoHo location. The ultra-modern design is a continued theme throughout the property, done by the Office for Design and Architecture in a collaboration with Perkins Eastman, and Amanda Sullivan from The James design team. Everything is open and i

I enjoyed some great California Pinots on my trip to Napa and Sonoma , but it was just a drop in the bucket (or, should I say barrel?) to Pinot Days , an event held in Chicago each year.  At just one location, you can taste some of California’s best, along with some wines from Oregon Some of the wines I had tasted before and enjoyed before, like C. Donatiello , Cuavaison  and Inman Family Wines .  Kathleen Inman of Inman not only remembered me from my visit, but gave me a sneak peak of their new 2009 Russian River Valley Chardonnay because she remembered how much I liked that type of wine.  It was one of the best Chardonnays I’ve ever had and for $30 a bottle, I suggest you grab it while it’s available. I sent my friend and colleague, Theresa Carter (a.k.a. The Local Tourist ) to check out more of what I already knew was good and I want on a mission to find some more.  It wasn’t hard at all.  Domaine Chandon’s Pinot Mineur Carneros was excellent, with hints of lavendar, and is u