Wine and Spirits Travel

I want to personally welcome View from the Vines Travel , a new sponsor to Wine And Spirits Travel. I think they are a perfect fit for the site and I hope you will explore their site as their banner has a permanent home on the left side of this page for the next year. Owner/Operator Christopher Allison is a wine lover experienced in the wine regions of Western Europe and the Napa Valley. He personally creates each itinerary to best fit his guests. They include nearly everything -- from airfare to hotels and local excursions. Be sure to check out View from the Vines Travel . Also, while I have your attention, I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Thank you for visiting Wine And Spirits Travel in 2013. I had a few potholes in my travel road that should be smoothed out for more coverage in the coming year. Best, Marcia

I usually make a few trips a year to Northern California to visit family and wine country. This year has been more hectic than usual and I haven’t made it at all, so as soon as I had the chance, I was ready to visit some two of my favorite Marin eateries before heading off to Napa and Sonoma. The weekend actually started with a wine country preview, but not my usual kind. I had my first taste of kayaking on the Russian River in Healdsburg thanks to my friend Tracy. I had lots of fun and wish I could have stayed out there as long as my niece and nephew, both of whom are quite the adventurous athletes. I realized just how beautiful this area of Sonoma was and I had just driven by it all for years on my way to wineries. I vowed to do some more exploration in the future of more than just the grapes along the Russian River. While I did discover something new in Sonoma, I was perfectly happy returning to the old while spending the weekend in Marin. I first visited the

It always amazes me how much can be squeezed into a day and my Calistoga visit was no exception. After a good night sleep at Solage Resort , it was back on the trail for some more wining, dining and spaing. We met Eden Umble, Public Relations & Marketing Manager for the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce , downtown at Café Sarafornia .  It is known in the area as a great place for breakfast and I can’t disagree. The menu was filled with the usual and the unusual and I decided to go for the latter. The Cheese Blintz and Apple Crepe combo was just what I needed to ease my morning sweet tooth and keep me fueled for the day ahead. After we enjoyed some time learning more about the many varied accommodations, restaurants and wineries in Calistoga, we walked down the block to the tasting room for Kenefick Ranch .  Dr. Thomas Kenefick went from mastering Neurosurgery in San Francisco to operating on vines in Napa and he made the transition well.  His 2009 Pickett Road White (50% viognier,

I usually love my job, but sometimes I really love my job, like the last two days when I got to take off with my daughter Sam in Napa to check out a great hotel, two spas, four restaurants – and lots of wine. I was in Napa last summer , but it’s been a few years since I spent any time in Calistoga .  This quaint area is the perfect place to plan a girls' getaway as it appears to be the land of spas.  That’s exactly where we started, at Solage Resort & Spa , a luxury retreat in the center of Calistoga. Our cottage at Solage was just beautiful, complete with a cozy living room and a patio in the back that included a Jacuzzi.  We also had two bicycles on our front porch and though we didn’t have a chance to use them, they are a popular mode of transportation around Northern California, where gas is over $4 a gallon. The Spa at Solage has received many accolades (including a vote as the No. 1 Spa in the Americas in Conde Nast Traveller) and it was easy to see why. It’s a r