All this week Eric Rosen will be giving us ideas for some different day trips that you can take from Frankfurt. Any questions or suggestions? Let us know!

Judging from the mini-skyscrapers and hordes of bankers crowding its streets, you might not realize that Frankfurt is located right at the edge of one of Germany’s most famous wine regions, the Rheingau. At the heart of this little region crowded on the banks of the mighty Rhine, lies the tiny hamlet of Rüdesheim, which is just a quick trip from Frankfurt by car or on the train.

To get there, simply hop on one of the commuter trains that depart every half-hour or so from Frankfurt’s main train station, though be sure to check the schedule beforehand because some trains take an hour, and some trains take over two hours! Another option is to rent a car and drive the 45 minutes or so from the city. It makes for a picturesque journey and might be the better way to go if you want to get out into the countryside a little bit, or venture farther afield along the so-called “Romantic Road” of castles and vineyards along the Rhine.]]> EricRosen 2009-10-29T18:00:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/3/11131/17389

In continuing our European Vacation series, (we've already gone to Rome, France, Berlin and Turkey), our newest correspondent, Kate Winick, is fresh off a trip to Geneva where she spent some time lakeside. Here's her guide to Lake Geneva.

Thirty kilometers of UNESCO World Heritage site stretch along the northern shore of Lake Geneva, from Montreux to Lausanne, and from the lake to the lower slopes of the mountains, comprised of snaking miles of stone walls, tightly nestled villages, and most importantly—vineyards. Called The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, the neat rows of vines upon vines have been growing from grapes into wine here since the 11th century.]]> kate winick 2009-06-03T16:53:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/19/142138/929

Whether you’re a wine buff or an amateur, chances are you’ve been hearing a new wine term being thrown around lately: biodynamics. Some claim it’s viticultural voodoo, while others swear by it. Here’s exactly what it means.

Biodynamics is a rigorous form of organic agriculture that envisions a vineyard as a single organism—soil, plants, livestock, insects, everything combines to produce a healthy, self-sustaining environment without the use of artificial chemicals.

So the next time you head out to Napa Valley for some wine-tasting fun, here's what you should know about biodynamic wines. That is, if you actually care about wine-tasting rather than getting wasted while a hired limo takes you from winery to winery. ]]> EricRosen 2009-02-04T14:41:00-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/23/63451/7351

Monica Guy is joining us again this week to tell us what more there is to do in South Africa. Enjoy.

Yesterday we told you about the South African Brandy tastings that you must experience when you make the trip to South Africa. But we can't forget about wine tours, can we? At the top of our list of Things To Do Around Cape Town still remains a tour of the wine farms in Stellenbosch and Constantia.

Did we say wine farms? We meant tourist farms. The two dozen or so farms who are fully kitted out for international visitors with industrial tasting rooms, restaurants that could feed the whole of Africa, international shipping options and marked up wine prices.

Okay, we take it back. Some of these places are pretty gorgeous – colonial-style white houses overflowing with summer roses and surrounded by fields of vines. Here's a few that you should stop by and see. ]]> femmefatale 2009-02-03T14:13:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/23/63843/3861

Monica Guy is joining us again this week to tell us what more there is to do in South Africa. Enjoy.

Another way to get off the beaten track on the Cape Town wine routes, is to skip the wine farms altogether.

One of the biggest-selling, most award-winning alcoholic drinks you’ve never heard of is South African Brandy. Forty-five million litres of it are sold each year, mostly to South Africans but increasingly to an overseas market.

The French and Spanish producers of brandies like Cognac, Armagnac and Soleras are fuming after South African brandies have been scooping up golds and silvers at competitions including the International Wine & Spirit Competition and the International Spirits Challenge. Sales of the traditional European brandies are dropping, we hear, as hotels, cruise ships and restaurants order in the South African stuff instead – half the price without the pretensions. ]]> femmefatale 2009-02-02T14:10:59-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/