" It was taken in October 2009 on my third visit to Great Britain. I’ve been an English history fan since I was a little girl, and I figured that one way to celebrate one of those “milestone” ‘0’ birthdays was to go to a city I love…and that is London. So that is me, on the first full day, standing in front of the infamous Tower of London. And I was on top of the world!!"
"This is a picture of my husband and I at St Francis Winery in Sonoma Valley. The scenery is beautiful, the events are spectacular and the wines amazing. They also have some of the friendliest employees in the Valley!"
"Here is a picture from our August family vacation in wine country. Our daughter Rachel, 9, is apparently trying to convince the grapes to grow faster at Foppiano Vineyards."
"Once a year, I plan a trip to CA Wine Country for my husband and a few friends. Here are samples of our 'tasting and touring' in March 2011 in the Paso Robles area. We use your magazine as a resource for trip planning."
For dessert we fell hard for Crushcakes--lemon, vanilla, coconut, and chocolate...soo yum! The chocolate cupcake went especially well with the Riverbench Pinot Noir.
Again, Happy Birthday, Tama! We appreciate all the work you do for us :)
For so long
You and me been finding each other for so long
And the feeling that I feel for you is more than strong , girl
Take it from me
If you give a little more then you're asking for
Your love will turn the key Darling mine I would wait forever for those lips of wine
Build my world around you, darling
This love will shine girl
Watch it and see
If you give a little more then you're asking for
Your love will turn the key
I , I just want to be your ev'rything
Open up the heaven in your heart and let me be
The things you are to me and not some puppet on a string
Oh, if I stay here without you, darling, I will die
I want you lying in the love I have to bring
I'd do anything to be your ev'rything
Darling for so long
You and me been finding each other for so long
And the feeling that i feel for you is more then strong girl
Take it from me
If you give a little more then you're asking for
Your love will turn the key
I , I just want to be your ev'rything
Open up the heaven in your heart and let me be
The things you are to me and not some puppet on a string
Oh, if I stay here without you, darling, I will die
I want you laying in the love I have to bring
I'd do anything to be your everything
About a month ago our Production Manager Lisa Walker enjoyed a whirlwind tour of Carmel-By-The-Sea, Carmel Valley, and Monterey. She experienced some of the best the region has to offer in wine, food, and fun! Below is "Part 2" of her adventure:
On Sunday, after finishing up in Carmel Valley, I ventured into Monterey's Cannery Row. Warned that I would be overwhelmed with tourist traps I stepped a little off the main road and stumbled upon the Pierce Ranch Vineyards tasting room on Wave Road. Fashioned from an old house, the tasting room still features the original hard wood floor. I was greeted by vintage music from a vintage record player, and the cool, friendly tasting room host, Jesse. Not only did I feel at home with the quaint atmosphere, but I was pleased to find a refreshing change in the wines poured. Pierce specializes in Spanish and Portugal varietals, and I was thrilled to taste the 2008 Cosecheiro, a blend of Tempranillo, Touriga, Graciano, and Petite Sirah, and an unfamiliar white like the 2009 Albarino.
By far, Pierce was one of the best tasting experiences I've had in a very long time! And for those of you local to the area, or visiting soon, Pierce now hosts live music on Friday nights. A great accompaniment to the artistic wines and hip/vintage atmosphere at Pierce.
A fun thing I discovered in Monterey is the "Cannery Row Wine Walk". Baywood Cellars, featured above, along with Pierce, Scheid Vineyards, A Taste of Monterey, and Bargetto are all located within walking distance of each other on or near Cannery Row. Experience tasting at all five tasting rooms with a "passport" and get it stamped at each location. Turn in your completed "passport" at the final tasting room and be entered to win a case of wine! Visitors can also take advantage of 10% discounts on wine and gifts at each of the tasting rooms.
And when you are done tasting, head on over to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. This was my first visit, and I had high expectations as friends and colleagues had been hyping this marine marvel to me for years now. Let's just say the experience far exceeded my expectations...
Beautiful right?! Imagine it right in front of you! The Monterey Bay Aquarium also offers annual pass holders a private wine tasting and live music during summer evenings. I had my fair share of wine for the day, at this point I was ALL about the sea creatures :)
As if my day--and weekend--hadn't already been a great success, the tastiest portion was still ahead. I had heard such rave reviews of Christopher's Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, from both locals and visitors, that I stayed an extra night so I could head BACK to Carmel and try it for myself. I started with a salad of grilled asparagus on a bed of greens with roasted red peppers, olives, feta cheese, and a balsamic drizzle. That only paved the way for my entree--pan-seared breast of Muscovy duck with a berry-brandy sauce, side of green beans, and wild rice risotto. It is absolutely mouth-watering to be reliving the dining experience right now! Christopher's was superb and a definite MUST visit on any trip to Carmel! (I had some Petite Sirah from my visit to Pierce earlier. It was a perfect pair with dinner!)
Monterey County, you did me well! For anyone looking for a weekend getaway--or longer--I would definitely recommend this wine country experience! Until next time...
Cooper Vineyards in Louisa, Virginia celebrated the grand opening of a new solar power tasting room on March 11, 2011. The winery is on the "Heart of Virginia" wine trail.
Back in Barcelona, but unlike the mild weather we enjoyed two weeks ago, it is hot and humid. Walked for about five hours in the heat to see the Castell de Monjuic, Olympic Stadium and Placa Espanya. Exhausted and woozy from the exertion, we found a nondescript place for tapas which turned out to be excellent. I want to try and recreate these dishes when I'm home: fish (probably cod) fried lightly in spicy oil and potatoes in a very garlicky mayonaise-type dressing. Delicious with refreshing Sangria.
A few weekends ago, our Production Manager Lisa Walker, enjoyed a whirlwind tour of Carmel-By-The-Sea, Carmel Valley, and Monterey. She experienced some of the best the region has to offer in wine, food, and fun! Below she documents her favorite spots:
One of the highlights of my Carmel-By-The-Sea wine tasting experiences was at Caraccioli Cellars on Dolores between Ocean and 7th (for those of you who don't already know, Carmel doesn't have any numbered addresses!) Caraccioli is a new edition--like most of the tasting rooms--to downtown Carmel, and a welcome edition it is! I tasted a flight of6 of their wines, two sparklings, two Chardonnays, and two Pinot Noirs--and they were all delicious! Their wines are not, however, for the bargain wine buyer, falling in the $30-$60 range. But the tasting was very generous, and in a lively, modern-sheik ambiance.
Some of the other wineries I visited downtown were Winfield Gallery/Figge Cellars--I love the wine/art combo!; Cima Collina--extremely friendly tasting room host Allie; and Pepe's Vino Napoli.
One of my favorite tasting stops in Carmel-By-The-Sea, wasn't wine at all! The Cheese Shop in Carmel Plaza is filled with more cheese than you can possibly fathom, with free tastings of about 5-7 of them. Though I just tried the cheese here, they do also feature a wine bar at the rear of the shop. After all the two are inevitable partners!
On day two I ventured into the beautiful Carmel Valley. I had never been here before and was pleasantly surprised with the lush, country-esque feel of the valley. There is quite the wine tasting village in the small town of Carmel Valley. I was only able to stop at two, but loved the different styles of the tasting rooms at Joullian--more quaint and country, and Joyce--hip and warehouse-like. You'll definitely see which is which. Both, though are equally worth stopping through for a taste!
Stay tuned for part two of my wine/food/travel adventure. To come: Cannery Row Walk, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the restaurant I was dying to try so much so that I headed BACK to Carmel-By-The-Sea!
We enjoyed a fabulous wine pairing luncheon with Brys Estate and Rodney Strong single vineyard and Reserve wines on the Touring & Tasting Wine Cruise. Yesterday, Eileen and Walter Brys hosted a tasting of their Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Gewurztraminer--wonderful to hear how their delicious wine developed in the vineyard.
Today's luncheon was a tour de force, held in the ship's Tuscan Grille. The appetizer choice of Chilled Tian of Shrimp, Mango and Avocado with Passionfruit Vinaigrette was paired with the 2007 Brys Estate Bubbly--a Rose' sparkling wine. The Brie Fondue was paired with the 2009 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay.
The roasted fig and arugula salad garnished with goat cheese and toasted pine nuts was paired with the 2010 Brys Estate "Naked" Chardonnay and 2008 Rodney Strong Reserve Russian River Chardonnay.
A cherry and champagne sorbet cleansed our palate before the entree of either Sea Bass On A Potato and Truffle Puree paired with the 2008 Brys Estate Pinot Noir and the 2009 Rodney Strong Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir, or the Fillet Mignon with Foie Gras and Porcini Risotto paired with the 2007 Brys Estate Cabernet Franc or the 2008 Rodney Strong Single Vineyard "Alexander's Crown" Cabernet Sauvignon.
Dessert was either a Warm Chocolate Lava Cake With Frangelico Gelato paired with the 2007 Brys Estate Signature Red or the 2007 Rodney Strong Symmetry Meritage or the selection of bite-sized desserts paired with the 2007 Rodney Strong Reserve Port and the ethereal 2008 Brys Estate "Dry Ice" Ice Wine--golden nectar in a glass!
The five course wine dinner at the Wine Blogger's conference included 3 wine tastings with the first four courses and two wines with the dessert. That's 14 wines with dinner! Glasses were plentiful.
Jason Tesauro of TheModernGentleman.com was the emcee for the awards program, shown here with Stacey and Wendy from Visit Loudoun in Leesburg, Virginia.
Following the awards dinner, bloggers were invited by Spanish wine company, Vibrant Rioja to a five-stop wine crawl to continue tasting and visiting local shops and eateries in a short walking distance. Horton Vineyards Mike Heny enjoys the evening.
The ladies from Foggy Ridge Cider of Dubspur, Virginia used fans to keep
the hot air moving.
Winemaker Brad Hansen and wife Lydia from Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery in Leon, Virginia.
Dan Weldy: This was the wine tasting at the historic Monticello Estate in Charlottesville, Virginia where Thomas Jefferson called home. It would be unfair to show these pictures and not mention that it was 100 degrees with a 115 heat index during the day of this evening event.
Taste red wine. Write about it. Repeat. It was live wine blogging in the conference room of the Omni in Charlottesville.
Keynote speaker Jancis Robinson is a legendary wine writer for the Financial Times of London, shown here with Touring & Tasting National Brand Manager, Dan Weldy.
Annette Boyd and Mary Catherine Searson of the Virginia Wine Marketing Office
Tamra Talmadge-Anderson of Virginia Tourism
Touring & Tasting attended the 2011 Wine Blogger's Conference in VA! Dan Weldy: So what is a Wine Blogger's Conference anyway? I aimed to find out when I visited Charlottesville, Virginia July 22-24 where they rolled out the red carpet for 325 wine bloggers at the downtown Omni Hotel. Virginia has arrived as a wine region in America. The region "gets it" when it comes to touring and tasting. Virginia's convention planners were approached about hosting the 4th annual wine blogger's gathering about a year in advance. The first three were in California and Washington. They won the hosting rights over Paso Robles, California and Finger Lakes, New York. If you host a convention of let's say...plumbers in your city, the tradesmen travel in, stay at hotels, have a good or bad time, complain or rave about the weather, and go home and tell people in the office, their families and a few friends what it was like. NOT SO when you invite wine bloggers to come to town. First of all, none of them have to "earn" their way into the meetings in terms of credentials, certification, education or experience. You just have to own a laptop computer, set up a website where you can write, and consume wine. It's the Blogosphere we live in and it reaches far beyond the subject of wine. We live in a new media world with lots of laptops, lots of voices, and in this setting, lots of wine. It would not be a misstatement to point out that wine bloggers are hobbyists. It is not a career. They are supporting themselves in other occupations. The only media people earning full time paychecks writing about wine today still work in print (sorry bloggers). The bloggers are "wine communicators," as one speaker so designated. It's really a good thing. Blogging is an exercise in freedom of speech that would make Thomas Jefferson proud. If you search out blogs of attendees at the conference, you will read positive and not-so-positive reflections. The opinions expressed about the Wine Blogger's Conference are all over the place. You will discover some quite creative writing too. I met one blogger from Portland who writes all of her wine blogs from the perspective of her dogs. They have creative blog names like, RedWineDiva, GrapeOccassions, DallasWineChick, Vintwined, and Wineoscope, which focused on the science of the wine process. I did not meet anyone with a blog called WineHangover, but it could have been pretty popular after this weekend. I was impressed with the producers of the conference www.zephyrAdventures.com, the exhibitors and sponsors www.virginia.org and virginiawine.org for their all out effort, the staff at the Omni hotel who poured enough wine to fill Lake Anna, and the friendly wine bloggers I met along the way www.WineBloggersConference.org. Wine criticism is slightly out of my reach at this time. Wine communication regarding the experience of touring and tasting is within my grasp and I am happy to share what I observe when I'm on the quiet, dusty roads that lead to America's home grown wineries. In this posting, it starts with the Wine Blogger's Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia.
5/19/11 Sandra-- San Jose, CA. Her post 6/2/11 Guy--Las Flores, CA. His post 7/14/11 Teresa R Her post 7/21/11 AnnE Her post 8/1/11 Greg His post 9/1/11 Brent and Terrie Their post
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