Being in the right place at the right time made for an unforgettable day of wine tasting in Montalcino

One of the more interesting parts of traveling and exploring a new area is getting lost. And that’s a pretty easy for me, especially in Italy. But while this little tale starts off with dead ends at every where, turning right lead us to the most perfect day of wine tasting in Montalcino… On our [...]

Guest Post: Paso Robles, What’s All the Hype About?

As I started my research for an upcoming wine tasting trip to Paso Robles I discovered Matthew Liberty and his Paso Robles wine and food blog, HootnAnnieBlog. The site is filled with great insider tips for people who travel to Paso Robles. All of which I tried to absorb before heading that way last week. And [...]

Guest Post: A Week in Salt Lake City

At February 21, 2013
By Shell R.
In Guest Blogger, travel tips, Utah, wine
1

Guest Post by travel addict and regular contributor, Shell R. Interested in guest blogging? Let us know. Salt Lake City for a week? Oh, the options are endless, really. Here are a few the things to do in Salt Lake City, at least for those who need a drink. Myth Busted You can drink in [...]

Piemonte Travel Video: Champagne Sabering (with a wine glass!)

At November 15, 2012
By Valerie Quintanilla
In italy, Italy 2012, Travel Videos, wine
1

adventures-in-piemonte-saberage-champagne

On my Piemonte travel my tour guides with Travel Langhe took us to lunch in the Barolo town of Serralunga d’Alba. We were greeted at Centro Storico by the restaurant’s lively proprietor, Alessio. Armed with nothing more than a bottle of champagne and a handful of wine glasses he set to work demonstrating to us the art of champagne sabering. That’s [...]

Italian Wine Merchants Redux

Our frequent readers (thank you!) may recall a post I did last year about a trip to New York City that included a stop at Italian Wine Merchants (IWM). I was on a hunt for a New York City wine tasting and much to my disappointment, I didn’t quite get it. Well, my snarky and punchy [...]

Hiking to the Barolo Village of La Morra

At September 25, 2012
By Valerie Quintanilla
In Hotel Recommendations, italy, Italy 2012, wine
0

By Valerie Quintanilla I wanted to hike in Lake Como, but Mother Nature had other plans. Luckily I had a day of hiking and wine tasting in Barolo planned with Kerrie from Australia. We started the near the bottom of La Morra at a small, colorful chapel. The day’s itinerary included a trip up to [...]

Harvest Lunch in Barbaresco

At September 13, 2012
By Valerie Quintanilla
In culinary travel, italy, Italy 2012, travel tips, wine
0

By Valerie Quintanilla Tuesday morning started low key. I had no tours planned so I thought I’d just hike it out a bit, write, read, and have a leisurely day in Neive. Returning from my morning walk I found Leslie getting ready to head to Ornella’s vineyard, Pasquale Pelissero, to help her prepare lunch for [...]

In the Vineyards of Barolo

At September 12, 2012
By Valerie Quintanilla
In culinary travel, italy, Italy 2012, wine
0

By Valerie Quintanilla Saturday morning started bright and early with a quick breakfast at my B&B (they just kept bringing food – such is the theme here!) Then, I was off with Robert for a wine tour in Barolo at Giovanni Rosso. We picked up Drew and Jamie from DC, then headed for the hills [...]

Italian Wine Travels: Ah, Piemonte….

By Valerie Quintanilla If there is a heaven and we each get our own version, mine would mirror Piemonte. Calgone, take me away. In 2009 I had a business meeting with an Italian colleague visiting Denver for a project. I told her of a pending trip to Italy and how excited I was to explore [...]

A Rainy Stay in Italy’s Lake District

By Valerie Quintanilla I made it to Varenna in just over an hour from Milano by train. The sun was shining when I arrived – I’d soon learn that wasn’t to last long. But, thank goodness for the dry weather as I am sure my luggage and I would have slid into Lake Como coming [...]

Three Lesser Known Wine Making Countries Who Produce Great Wine

By Leo Parker, guest blogger We all know that some countries have a great reputation for producing high quality wines – we’re looking at you France, Italy and Spain – but it’s fair to say that for every country that has a great reputation for wine production, there is another which doesn’t get the credit [...]

A Cooking Class in Puglia, Italy

At April 02, 2012
By Guest
In culinary travel, Featured, italy, wine
0

By Ylenia Sambati, Salento native and owner of YLE Tours Spring and summer are wonderful times in the south of Italy where colors and nature look perfect for a tour, a ride, a walk by the ocean and of course a cooking class at the farm. Why not take a a cooking class in Puglia, [...]

Find Home in Paradise: Beautiful Salento in Puglia

At February 23, 2012
By Valerie Quintanilla
In culinary travel, Guest Blogger, italy, wine
22

In September 2011 I found my way to the heel of the boot, beautiful Lecce, Italy. The region remains a lesser known Italian tourist destination. Don’t misunderstand, the lesser known part only means a more authentic experience, incredible wines, food, and arguably the country’s best olive oil. My travel companion, Cooking Lisa, spent an amazing [...]

New York City: A Trip to Italian Wine Merchants

Next stop on the Playing Italy Train: NYC for wine tasting at Italian Wine Merchants. I read Sergio Esposito’s Passion on the Vine over the New Year’s holiday in 2010/11, finishing the book in two days. I was enamored with the lifestyle, the food and of course the wine. With every page, I could almost [...]

Gifts for the Traveler

Confession: I haven’t done a lick of Christmas shopping yet (yes, I know it’s t-minus 14 days til jolly Ole’ Saint Nick arrives). As I continue to procrastinate my gift giving duties I created a list of ideal gifts for the traveler. For the Frequent Flyers: Ticket and Receipt Holder: I mentioned to a biz [...]

Napa Valley: Charles Krug Winery – 150 years in the making

The last of my Mondavi visits this trip to the Napa Valley was to Charles Krug Wineryin St. Helena. There are still more Mondavi family wineries to visit next time though…I had not realized how excited I was to visit Charles Krug Winery until we were driving down the long, olive tree lined driveway to [...]

Napa Valley: Newton Winery

Our second day in the Napa Valley began with a tour at Newton Winery. I had not realized just how far up Spring Mountain Newton was when I booked the 11am Newton Winery tour, thus we were late. However, of the six couples who were also in the group, we were the second to arrive, [...]

Regusci Winery in Napa Valley

On our first day in Napa we spent a few hours relaxing poolside at Hotel Yountville. We met another couple in for the weekend that suggested we checkout the Regusci Winery in Napa Valley. The following day when we asked our driver for recommendations on where to grab a good bottle and picnic for lunch [...]

Napa Valley: Robert Mondavi Winery

To feed my obsession with the Mondavi family, we headed across the street (from Opus One) to the Robert Mondavi Winery. I promised the group it was the last Mondavi stop for the day, although I quietly informed The Husband it wasn’t “our” last stop during the trip to the Napa Valley. There is still [...]

Napa Valley: Opus One

I’m mildly obsessed with Robert Mondavi and his family’s story in the Napa Valley. The Mondavi family really helped shape what the Napa Valley wine industry is today by introducing higher quality wine making equipment and techniques to the area. They also put the Napa Valley on the wine map for the rest of the [...]