wine tourism (67)

Joie de Vivre in Burgundy

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            Medieval towns and vineyards surround burgundy
 

It doesn’t get much better for wine lovers than a visit the Burgundy region of France. The self proclaimed “land of fine art and living” is much more than a wine region in central France. In the minds of many wine aficionados, Burgundy produces the world’s most drinkable wines in the world.

A trip to Burgundy is a step back in time. The Romans and the Celtics lay claim to have sculpted the towns and villages of Burgundy. With a  concentra

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It was a warm, balmy early summer evening as I was sitting outside among the flowers and palms near the pool. What could be better? Toss in some Wine Council friends, some very special wines served with delectable food pairings along with a couple of creamy cheeses, and you have the recipe for a magical evening.

 

The first wine our group sampled was a dry white from Spain called Cal y Canto Dry White 2012 ($18). This wine is a great summertime wine that engaged us with its crispness along with g

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 Signagi is one of the picturesque town in Georgia, overlooking Alazani Valley


I grew up in a family which was fond of traveling. My parents traveled much before getting married, visiting many countries in Europe and South America, visited Africa, too. But Asia was their real passion. They talked a lot about the Asian countries. My father was delighted with the landscapes he had seen in Asia, mother was a real fan of Asian culture.

Their passion for traveling was so great that they were not afr

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  • 9008880658?profile=originalCrozes-Hermitage vineyards of Domaine Michelas Saint Jemms


    We headed north on the A7 Autoroute, leaving the ‘galet' filled vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape behind us.  Ahead lay the towns of Orange and Montêlimar.  The expansive vineyards of the south gave way to orchards and countryside.  As we approached the village of Valence the terrain changed.  The steep, terraced hillside vineyards told us we had reached our destination -  and the holy grail of Syrah - the Northern Rhone.

    Our destinatio
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Fine Wines from Moravia, Czech Republic

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You could:

  • bike the wine trails from town to town, among 400 villages, In the Moravian foothills of the White Carpathians, stopping along the way to chat with individual winemakers who might offer you a taste of their wine. 
  • Visit the Wine Salon in Valtice for tastes of over 100 award-winning wines.   
  • Go to one of the wine festivals around the harvest, usually around September. 
  • (And if you are lucky enough to taste Czech wine in situ, you won’t want to miss the Kroměříž Gardens.  Visit this UNESC
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The title says it all – "Bordeaux World Heritage & Its Wines."

The 324-page guide by Laurent Moujon, Bordeaux resident for 20 years, focuses on the city of Bordeaux in France, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its world-famous wine regions.

Intended for English-speaking individuals, the guide provides excellent content on everything there is to know about the world's major wine industry capital. It covers everything from the history and heritage to the city’s exciting festivals. 120 pages are dedi
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Tasting Missouri Wines

Well…I am impressed.  America’s first wine country not only boasts some solid wines, but also has its very own state grape glass – the Riedal Crystal Norton Wine Glass. Hardly anyone gets that, let alone a small wine district in the9008620087?profile=original middle of the country.   I had a chance to taste some great wines in that glass and spend a few days in Lake of the Ozarks and Columbia, Missouri, hanging out at some great wineries, tasting and talking with owners, winemakers, and chefs. If you’re headed to the Midw

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The Wines of California's Santa Rita Hills

9008600293?profile=originalOoh, ooh, ooh -- how I love discovering underappreciated wine regions.  The next best one just might be (it certainly gets my vote)Santa Barbara County’s Santa Rita Hills. Located about 30 minutes from Santa Barbara, think Highway 246 off the 101 Freeway and the cities of Buellton, Lompoc and Los Olivos.  Total acreage is 30,720 acres.  About 2,500 acres are planted in wine grapes. The appellation is spelled Sta. Rita Hills on the  wine labels so as not to step on the toes of the Santa Rita wine

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9008601089?profile=originalRivers of wine streamed down craggy roads lined with grape vines and surrounded by mountains. At Casa Lapostolle, 350,000 bottles shattered as scores of oak barrels rolled off their rackings. It was February 27, 2010, in the Colchagua Valley (right) Chile’s main wine region. An 8.8 magnitude earthquake had just rippled in from the coast where a tsunami had caused considerable havoc. With tremors lasting 90 seconds, the earthquake turned out to be among the country’s most destructive—third only t

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Explore Roussillon Wines

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To fully appreciate a wine is to be intimately familiar with its geographical origins and vinicultural heritage. Wines from France's Roussillon region certainly exemplify this truism. Vineyards are surrounded by 3 mountain ranges yielding wide topographical variety and soils with the Corbières to the North, the Pyrenees with Mont Canigou to the West, and the Albères to the South while to the east ocean and mountains meet below on the Pyrénées-Orientales…widely referred to as an amphitheater to t

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Wine Tour in California

Sweet wine, traditional wine, the best contribution wine magazine, some wine promoter and even wine software, where else would you imagine you can find the whole thing about wine, none other than in Wine Country Tour, California. This Northern California region is considered as world-renowned wine-growing region in the United States. The Golden State has been producing wine nearly more than 200 years, since the days of the early Spanish missionaries. From Mendocino to Santa Barbara, California b

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Napa Revival Well Underway

Downtown Napa used to be a sleepy place, with working-class roots that set it apart (some might say pleasantly so) from its increasingly chic and expensive "up valley" neighbors: Yountville and St. Helena. But these days Napa is turning into every bit the wine country destination. With about $700 million in public and private investment flowing into downtown, Napa is abuzz with more than a dozen new restaurants, several luxury hotels, wine tasting rooms, a refurbished theater and opera house, a
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You really can't get more family-run than Conway Family Wines...Chris and Ann Conway along with their 5 children Gareth (President), John, Sally, Tom (VP Business Development), Gillian (VP Communications) all share ownership in the winery producing a tasty trio of Deep Sea varietals. Being small scale and tight knit allows them to use sustainable agricultural and vineyard practices not only to produce great tasting grapes but to effectively preserve their historic Rancho Arroyo Grande property.

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Fonseca Unfiltered Port

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I have tasted Fonseca ports before but was intrigued when I recently experienced an unfiltered variety coming from Portugal’s most widely respected port house. Upon tasting Fonseca Unfiltered Port, you get nothing less than rich black fruit that’s pleasantly flavorful with hints of spice and sweet plum along with just enough tannins to keep it from entirely entering dessert wine territory.

It takes decades of perfecting Portugal’s national treasure to achieve this tasty balance. How does this unf

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The Unexpected Wines of Majorca, Spain


As the Spanish wine industry has grown and deepened in complexity in the past couple of decades well beyond Andalusia’s traditional sherries, oenophiles the world over have become increasingly familiar with names like Rioja, Penedés, and Rias Baixas. But to many, Majorca's Plà i Llevant and Binissalem-Mallorca might still require a wee bit of explaining.

Winemaking an Ancient Local Tradition

Actually, winemaking in the Balearic Islands goes back to Roman Hispania, a century before Christ (th

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Barrister Winery of Spokane, Washington

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Exploring a dynamic portfolio of wine is always rewarding, but when you add in unsurpassed hospitality offered by the winery owners, assistant winemaker and informed staff, you know you’ve arrived at Barrister Winery.  This charming winery, tasting room and entertainment center is located in an old warehouse within the historic Davenport art district of Spokane. In fact, this winery is perfectly situated in a hundred year old brick and massive wooden beam structure, once a car dealership storage

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Wineries in Spokane, Washington

Provided by WineFoodGuide.com       
Barili Cellars of Washington State


Sometimes “smaller is better” when it comes to crafting limited amounts of premium wine. Serious wine lovers and connoisseurs are focusing their palates towards small producers who craft superior wines in small lots, using old world techniques, with limited non-commercial technology. Barili Cellars in downtown Spokane, Washington is one of those artisan venues who create “rare treasures of bottled delights.” A visit to their u

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In Portugal, Port Wine is King

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From NMT Images

If Vasco do Gama, Magellan and Henry the Navigator fortified themselves with Port, Portugal’s most famous product, it might have made their journeys less horrific.

But Port wasn’t created until the 17th century, and today it’s undergoing a renaissance.

This easy-going, southern European country produced navigational giants that dominated the sea routes of the world, and controlled colonies as diverse as Brazil and Angola.


But what it controls today is perhaps more precious. Accordi
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Gay Vendimia Wine Festival in Mendoza, Argentina

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2012 Gay Vendimia

 

 

By Roy Heale

Mendoza is the fourth largest city in Argentina with a population of approximately one million people. It is the acclaimed capital of Agentina's wine industry and famous for the Malbec vintage. Mendoza is nestled in the foothills of the Andes, about 1000 meters above sea level and is also a center for skiing in the nearby mountain peaks during July, August, and September. Attractive streetscapes, the beautiful parks and lakes, and pulsing nightlife are establishing

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How hard can it be when just the two of you want to get away? No kids to pack for or consider…just stuff your essentials into a duffel bag and you’re off to reliving the passion of your first dates or honeymoon…right? Well maybe at first flush it seems that easy until you check into your hotel room and ultimately get down to deciding what to do. I’m assuming you were spontaneous enough not to bother with pre-trip research or formulating an itinerary. After all, it’s only the two of you with the

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