Wine and Spirits Travel

It was a full day around Sonoma with Tracy from Wine Road Northern Sonoma , as I made first time visits to some of the area’s great finds. Our first stop was at Timber Crest Farms , which is now the home of a collection of tasting ro.  It’s a great idea, putting together a selection of wineries you can check out in one place (and they even have a food truck if you get hungry in the middle).   We started the tasting at Papapietro Perry , which has some of Tracy’s favorite Pinot Noirs that have also garnered critical acclaim. Though it’s not one of my top varieties, I was impressed with the 2008 Elsbree Vineyards Pinot Noir, a complex mixture of pepper and fruit. It's no wonder this winery, owned by two couples, has come so far. Originally started out of a garage, they now produce 8,000 cases a year from small lots of single vineyards.  They have made a name for themselves with their consistently acclaimed Pinots. Next we made a stop at Family Wineries of Dry Cree

Sonoma is one of those places I can visit every few months and it is guaranteed that I will find things to taste and places to visit that I haven’t seen before. The planning of this trip was no different and I was really excited about the itinerary Wine Road Northern Sonoma had helped me plan that included new discoveries and reacquainting with some old friends. I was excited to meet Sondra Bernstein, whose popular restaurants have made her well known even out of wine country. We were meeting at the girl & the fig and she was very gracious about the fact that I was running about an hour late. I enjoyed hearing all about Sondra’s trips through the South of France that led to her love of French food and wine, and a desire to bring it to California wine country. I listened to how Sondra has educated her restaurant patrons and the winery community in the Rhone varietals and food, and judging by the fact that many of these wines are now being made in Sonoma (and many peop

I had a great trip to Indianapolis in September and discovered some of the plans the city was making to get ready for the 2012 Super Bowl. I couldn’t wait to return to the city and I had my opportunity when I received an assignment from American Way Magazine . Once I was there I had a chance to explore some more things to see, do and eat. Evan of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association met me in the lobby of the brand new (and largest in the world) J.W. Marriott to take me for lunch. We were heading to Goose The Market , where the owner has a passion for charcuterie, combined with a taste for interesting wines and beers. Goose the Market is famous for their bacon, and even has a Bacon of the Month Club (Apple Cider and Brandy, anyone?). They offer a few different sandwiches each day and I settled on The Goose, made with Prosciutto di Parma, basil, fresh mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil. I only had a few bites of the delicious concoction when we were

I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled postings (couldn't resist saying that!) to bring you something very special. I have been working with  Tourism New Zealand  on planning a trip there this winter. SInce they are in the middle of some very unusual promotions, they asked me to pass them along to my readers. New Zealand is a place that I can't wait to get to and I'm more than happy to help some readers have the same opportunity. For the next 12 months, the tourism board in  New Zealand  is running a competition to give away trips. There's a catch, though. I go to places and write about them, but if you want this opportunity you need to do the writing first. It's called  Stories Beat Stuff  and the best stories win, but your stories need to be on a specific topic. They need to convince Tourism New Zealand that you really, really want this trip. How far are you willing to go for an all expensive paid trip to New Zealand? The good part is that you don'