Wine and Spirits Travel

At last year’s Food Network South Beach Food and Wine Festival, my favorite event was the Perrier Jouet BubbleQ and it again lived up to my expectations. My friend Lynn is with my this trip and I had been playing up BubbleQ so much that I think she thought I was exaggerating.  That all changed when we arrived.  We had VIP passes thanks to the sponsors, Pernod Ricard , so we were able to get in before the crowds. Our first greeting came with Perrier Jouet Champagne and Godiva Chocolate, so we were off to a great start! In addition to the champagne and chocolate – and there is plenty of that, including scrumptious offerings from Sweet Street Desserts – host Bobby Flay and more than two dozen other chefs had a chance to showcase a dish.  Though the theme was barbecue (hence “bubbles” for champagne, “q” for bbq), the selection was even wider than that. From weatherman/cook Al Rocker’s Barbecued Chicken to Michelle Bernstein’s Corn Masa Tortillas filled with Kobe Beef and Green Tomato

The 2010 South Beach Food and Wine Festival was one of the first events I covered when starting this blog.  Since that time, I have been writing about food, wine, spirits and locations around the corner and around the world, but it remains one of my favorite experiences. This year I am staying at the Riu South Beach on a beautiful stretch of the ocean with blue water and white sand.  I also arranged to arrive on Thursday evening so I wouldn’t miss any of the Food Network’s first event of the year.  My first stop was at the W Hotel for Original MOONSHINE® presents Shine & Swine hosted by Master BBQ Chef Adam Perry Lang.  I have to say that it was the only event this year and last that I was disappointed in – and I was far from alone.  The problem was lack of food.  There were only two choices – Cuban Sandwiches and an appetizer size Cochinillo Confitado -- and nothing else to eat. Fortunately, the drinks at Shine & Swine helped people forget about the lack of food.  They

My final night in Adelaide was spent with a fellow American, now a South Australia resident with a most delicious business.  Terena Blanton-Downs moved to Australia after she fell in love with a businessman visiting her native Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, home.  That was nearly a decade ago and she has used that time to build Cocolat , a chain of dessert cafes dedicated to chocolate.  In her three locations she sells delectable chocolate candies, cakes, cookies, crepes, drinks (from coffee to martinis) and more.  The Cocolat Rocher Gelati recently received the 2011 Champion Award at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards, recognizing it as the best ice cream in the country. While I sat with the delightful Terena, listening to the story of how – as a single mom – she brought her son halfway around the world to build this business, and how she wants to expand, but will not do so unless she can guarantee quality control over the fine chocolate ingredients, she persuaded me to sample

It was my final day in South Australia. After three weeks, I had thought I had seen every just about everything this area had to offer, but I was in for yet more (pleasant) surprises when Greg Linton of Wine Diva Tours picked me up. Greg was taking me off to the Fleurieu Peninsula , specifically in and around McLaren Vale. This area is only an hour from downtown Adelaide (45 minutes from the airport) and I was told it was another region filled with wineries and beautiful beaches.  I listened to him talk about his hometown of McLaren Vale with great pride and was anxious to see it. We only had the day, so we just touched the surface of this region, where you can find waterfalls, hiking, golf courses, whale watching, seals, penguins and even black dolphins. We made a quick stop at the Lintons home-base, where they not only run the Wine Divas Tours, but also rent out some adorable cottages (and reasonably priced) under the 3 Divas name. We were then off to meet Paul Petagna of Pe

Exceptional Kangaroo Island is not just the name of the tour company my guide Rob works for, it’s one of the words I’ve used to describe this place.  I fell in love with Kangaroo Island the moment I arrived and that didn’t change on day two. I spent the night at the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat .  I had to admit I was disappointed when I found out I wasn’t staying at the beach and concerned at the words “wilderness retreat,” but it turned out to be great.  It’s a fun place to be, with the animals wandering freely outside your door. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a gourmet eatery on site, The Nicolas Baudin Restaurant, where I warmed up with a spicy tomato soup, followed by the Pumpkin, Pine Nut and Ricotta Ravioli with Ginger and Coconut Chilli Cream Sauce.  It was delicious, as was the Raspberry and White Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding with Vanilla Bean Custard.  I relished the free internet in my room for awhile before all the fresh ocean air got to me and I

As excited as I was to go to the Australian Open and see Melbourne, after the turmoil that Oprah’s visit caused to my trip, the thing that kept me going (literally) was the week at the end in South Australia, especially my trip to Kangaroo Island .  Everyone I met who had ever been there couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful it was and every photo I had seen confirmed it.  Still, seeing is believing and I quickly became a believer. It was a quick 20 minute flight on Rex Regional Express from Adelaide to Kingscote.  Rob, my tour guide from Exceptional Kangaroo Island was waiting for me in the airport.  He had gotten the message that I was interested in going to some wineries and visiting the distillery, but since my tour was private ( the company will do anything from small groups to fully customized individual itineraries) he asked me what I really wanted to do.  It didn’t take me long to blurt out, “go to the beach!”   Rob responded that there were about 50 beaches to see on

My 24 hours started and ended in the same bustling place, on Rundle Street in downtown Adelaide , but it was filled to the brim in between. I met with Matt Guy, Marketing Executive NZ and The Americas at South Australian Tourism Commission for dinner at Sosta Argentinean Kitchen.  The specialty here is steak so I went for the filet, with a delicious mushroom and wine sauce.  Matt filled me in on all that was still to come on my South Australian trip, from the wine to the beaches to the variety of food, as we were experiencing right there on Rundle Street, one of the main thoroughfares of Adelaide.  Although the city is small enough that you can easily walk around, trams and buses run frequently throughout this area too, where the eateries are sprinkled with stores before you actually hit the “Rundle Mall,” an indoor and outdoor complex that houses anything you could possibly need within a few pedestrian blocks. In the morning I had breakfast at the Crowne Plaza and was ready to e

I had a great dinner at the Novotel with Jaci Thorne, Regional Tourism Manager Barossa Tourism.  She picked a bottle of Radford Dale Eden Valley Riesling since it was one of the places I wouldn’t get a chance to visit and it was a good choice, not to dry, with just enough citrus to keep its flavor.   I got some sleep and then it was off to another day of my Australian adventure around Barossa Valley , home to a lot more than just Jacob’s Creek . Chris of A Taste of South Australia picked me up at the hotel for my tour of the Barossa region.  He had a couple of plans in mind already and so did I.  As we made our way around Barossa, Chris pointed out some sites, starting with the memorial plaques on Commemorative Drive, the road my hotel was on.  It turns out the plaques were representative of the early settlers in South Australia .  We continued on our way with a quick stop at Grant Burge & Kroncort for some coffee, where we ran into the owners of Villa Tinto Winery, a small f

Greg Stirling, Head of Brand Sites &  Visitations for Orlando Wines , a division of Pernod Ricard, picked me up in Adelaide for the scenic drive up to the Barossa Valley in South Australia . It is one of the country’s top wine regions and home to his biggest brand – Jacob’s Creek. I had spent some time with Jacob’s Creek (the wine and the people who make it) during the Australian Open , but this was my first visit to the winery and grounds. It began with a bit of history on my way up about Johan Jacob, the pioneer that purchased this land over 200 years ago. Greg also explained to me about the area, Roland Flat, which is also the translation of Jacob’s son, Orlando. It would be “Orlando Wines” that Jacob’s Creek was launched under in 1976, before Pernod Ricard would buy the brand. The land was hilly with brown grass in between that showed signs of the dry summer, but it didn’t make the valley look any more beautiful.  It was an area where kangaroos and emus run free, as the s