Tag: Wine Travel

View All Tags

/ / / / / / /

Inside Opus One, Napa Valley's Fanciest Schmanciest Winery

December 12, 2012 at 10:02 AM | by | Comments (0)

Napa Valley is a weird place. It's kind of demure, with rolling hills blanketed in low rows of lush vineyards, but also kind of action central, as the chances are high that the person cooking your food or pouring your wine is at the top of the industry. Recently we ventured into kitchens, cellars and wineries (all accessible to you, too) in search of the extraordinarly yummy, which really is the norm in Napa. Here, we share some of our winery picks.

A visit to: Opus One WInery in Oakville, California

Oh, Opus One. Where to start? As we've already mentioned, Robert Mondavi is the OG winemaker here in Napa Valley, but it wasn't until he partnered up with big-deal French winemaker Baron Philippe de Rothschild to form Opus One that Napa Valley wines started to gain traction on the international scene. The friendship began in 1970, but it wasn't until 1979 that Opus One produced a first vintage and still later yet, in 1991, that the winery got the iconic architecture it calls home.

The vision of both Mondavi and de Rothschild was "spare no expense," and be totally "dedicated to the art form of making wine" to produce a Bordeaux-style red from the famous Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, using centuries of French know-how (and the clout helped too).

more ›

/ / / / / / /

Sippin' and Chillin' at Robert Mondavi's Massive Vineyard

December 12, 2012 at 9:02 AM | by | Comments (0)

Napa Valley is a weird place. It's kind of demure, with rolling hills blanketed in low rows of lush vineyards, but also kind of action central, as the chances are high that the person cooking your food or pouring your wine is at the top of the industry. Recently we ventured into kitchens, cellars and wineries (all accessible to you, too) in search of the extraordinarly yummy, which really is the norm in Napa. Here, we share some of our winery picks.

A visit to: Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, California

Robert Mondavi. It's a name you likely associate with entire shelves in the wine section of your grocery store, but what is now an empire began with some grapes in 1966 (though the first Cabernet Sauvignon vintage wouldn't be released until 1968). Mondavi is the OG (original gangster, in slang) of Napa Valley, so duh, we had to stop in.

The winery itself is sprawling, not to even consider the vineyards yet (there's 550 acres to his To Kalon vineyard alone). Likewise there's too much to be said for Robert Mondavi himself, so we'll just stick to the property you can experience. There's two tasting rooms, a slew of event rooms, another tasting room just for members of their wine club, and then the production facility and barrel rooms. We skipped the tour because of a time crunch with reservations across the way at his Opus Wine operation, but we'll be back.

more ›

/ / / / / / / / /

Napa Valley Normal: Drinking with Dean & DeLuca's Wine Director

December 5, 2012 at 1:25 PM | by | Comments (0)

Napa Valley is a weird place. It's kind of demure, with rolling hills blanketed in low rows of lush vineyards, but also kind of action central, as the chances are high that the person cooking your food or pouring your wine is at the top of the industry. All this week and some of next, we'll be venturing into kitchens, cellars and wineries (all accessible to you, too) in search of the extraordinarly yummy, which really is the norm in Napa.

We're kind of shocked. It was just the other week we were in wine country for what would be crash courses on wine identification during the Flavor! Napa Valley Festival. This week, we've been casually blind tasting wines before our own restaurant dinners and nailing it half the time. The other half? We're at least acing our guesses on the varietal. That shiz is cray—our confidence is soaring and a sommelier's visit to our table is no longer met with anxiety. Yay, wine!

This is all thanks to the masters, who showed up to the Flavor! Festival to discuss and, yes, decant some prize wines for the curious public. One such instructor was Kerrin Laz, Director of Wine for Dean & DeLuca.

Kerrin's class, which focused on the Napa wines to know right now, concluded with the lesson to take a proper amount of time to think about what you're seeing, smelling and tasting with each glass. No sommelier should rush you to speak of any aromas or flavor notes; you're the one about to pay for and enjoy that bottle, after all.

more ›

/ / / / / / / / / /

Wish You Were Here: Flavor! Napa Valley Festival

November 16, 2012 at 3:53 PM | by | Comments (2)


Took this photo from out the window of our rental car, just driving along

Confession: I've never made gnocchi before. This likely doesn't shock you, dear reader, but for those who know I once called Rome home and extensively traveled, ate and drank my way around, it's a little "whoa." Dumping vacuum-packed bags of frozen store-bought gnocchi into a pot of boiling water is typically dinner, or was, as today I made gnocchi from scratch in the kitchen with chefs and co-owners Tyler Rodde & Curtis Di Fede of Downtown Napa restaurant Oenotri.

This is actually something Oenotri offers on the regular, hosting both gnocchi and pasta-making classes every other week for $75 per person. This week it's a little magical, however; November 14-18 is the Flavor! Napa Valley Festival, which bills itself as a "celebration of food, wine and fun." So, while Di Fede is telling a story about how they taught 'Iron Chef' Morimoto to make a proper Neapolitan pizza, Morimoto himself may be walking by outside, heading to personally shave truffles over the entrees at the Napa outpost of his eponymous restaurant empire.

more ›

/ / / / / / / / / /

Got $50,000? Then You've Got a Private Jet to Taste 70 Wines in Napa Valley

October 25, 2012 at 12:07 PM | by | Comments (0)


So, which one?

Quick question: do you like wine? How about private jets? Now, how do you feel about wine and a private jet? Exactly. They're awesome on their own, but put the two together and your salivary glands start working overtime.

If you think you can handle tasting 70+ wines in two days after stepping off a Magellan private jet, then listen up. Napa is about to celebrate their second annual wine festival, called Flavor! Napa Valley, and they're doing it in proper baller style by offering a package deal that bundles everything from airport transportation to the private flight to Napa, to a 5-star hotel and the aforementioned wine marathon.

more ›

/ / / / / / / / / /

Hell Yes, Helicopters! Three Extreme Excursions in Chile

Where: Chile
October 1, 2012 at 3:48 PM | by | Comments (0)

What countries do you think of when it comes to extreme sports? Costa Rica, sure. Switzerland, all right. Australia and New Zealand, definitely. But Chile? CHILE.

Though Chile may be known as the safest country in Latin America, it's not above gassing up a helicopter for some unique adrenaline-addled adventure. Here's the three that figure highest on our bucket list:

· Heli skiing & snowboarding at Valle Nevado
We'll start out easy as almost everyone's heard of heli-skiing, right? If you're experienced, taking a helicopter up to go off-piste means more than just bragging rights; it means stunning Andes views and natural snow conditions. Valle Nevado, being perched on a mountaintop as it is, offers heliski trips that lift off from less than five minutes' walk from the hotels, at a very low cost compared to what you'd pay in Aspen or the Alps.

more ›

/ / / / / / /

Wine Tasting Without Leaving the City, at Santiago's Viña Aquitania

Where: Avenida Consistorial 5090, Santiago, Chile
September 26, 2012 at 5:17 PM | by | Comments (0)

In honor of #winewednesday, and partly because we're really feelin' the Chile lately, today we visit a winery within Santiago's city limits (believe it or not).

Viña Aquitania sits in the Maipo Valley, but is still very much a part of the city even if the presence of the towering Andes in the background suggests you're way out in some nearly untouched swatch of nature. It's not a humongous winery, nor is it teensy-weensy. It's just right for an hour-long visit with a tour and tasting, and even accessible via public transportation (subway to a bus).

We headed out here with Santiago Adventures for a super-brief taste of what they typically offer in full-day form; that is, entire excursions to visit multiple wineries plus activities, for the wine-serious. It is spring in Chile just now, so the vines weren't anything near their greenest, but the tours continue.

more ›

/ / / / / / /

Pack Up and Drink Up: Alaska Airlines to Check Wine for Free

August 23, 2012 at 9:33 AM | by | Comments (0)

Vineyards and wineries just haven’t been the same ever since liquids at the airport became illegal contraband. Sure you could always check your souvenir bottles, but there’s always those pesky baggage fees—not to mention you need to pack it up all snug and tight. Alaska Airlines isn’t going to pack your bags for you, but if you’re flying out of certain cities they’ll be happy to check all your wine bottles and they’ll do it for free.

As part of a clever tourism campaign known as “Taste and Tote,” Alaska Airlines will be offering to check one case of wine at no charge to its passengers. Participating airports are in Washington State and include spots like Walla Walla, Yakima, and Pasco/Tri-Cities.

more ›

/ / / / /

At California’s Sanford Winery: A Pinot Noir Pioneer

Where: 5010 Santa Rosa Rd [map], Lompoc, CA, United States, 93436
August 22, 2012 at 11:13 AM | by | Comments (0)

You've seen the 2004 movie "Sideways," right? It played on HBO for, like, a straight year, we swear. Well, if you have then you've already seen Sanford Winery, one of the stars of the film focusing on California wine tasting. Luckily for everyone, it's not fictional.

Sanford sits in the Santa Rita Hills AVA, a reasonably adolescent wine region if you were to make the mistake of comparing it to the older Napa Valley Area. About a decade ago it was officially given the AVA (American Viticultural Area) designation. Owing its popularity to "Sideways," the whole region has actually been producing various Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs since the early 70s, when Sanford Winery started planting the first Pinot Noir vines in the area.

These vineyards are nestled between the uncommon east-west mountain valleys, making for a perfect natural climate and protection of the very delicate vines for which Sanford meticulously cares.

While recently staying in the Santa Barbara area, we took a very scenic drive to see what all the fuss was about.

more ›

/ / / / / / / / / / /

Three Boozy Beverages Beyond Beer at Munich's Oktoberfest 2012

Where: Munich, Germany
August 21, 2012 at 1:02 PM | by | Comments (0)


Schnapps!

Prost! There's one more month until the start of the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Running from September 22 - October 7, the celebration of beer and the autumn harvest returns with its 14 Big Tents, an amusement park, and all the sausages under heat lamps you can handle.

Naturally the focus will again be beer, but we're here to say that, yes, we've been to Oktoberfest before and, yes, there's more than just heading for the hops. If you haven't made your beer tent table reservations yet, good luck (they're usually booked up as early as February), but drinking other beverages can still yield you a seat.

Here's three other liquids to guzzle during Oktoberfest 2012:

more ›

/ / / / / / /

Transcons Are About to Get Tastier with Upgraded Wines on Delta

August 17, 2012 at 9:49 AM | by | Comments (0)

It’s time to raise your glass to Delta, as the airline is getting ready to pour out some new in-flight drinking options. Unfortunately fancy up in the air cocktails or craft beer kegs aren’t making an appearance to the beverage cart, but there will be plenty of new wine options for those who are fans of the reds and the whites.

The Delta Winemaker Series is set to hit the skies on September 1, as Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson has done her best to select some more premium vintages than you're typically used to on a plane. The focus will be on California wines this time, so don’t hop aboard expecting some French bubbly. Expect plenty of options from Robert Mondavi and Inception, as you’ll be able to pair everything from a Chardonnay to a Pinot Noir with your in-flight meal.

more ›

/ / / /

The Day We Discovered a Secret French Wine

July 25, 2012 at 11:47 AM | by | Comments (0)

One of the things we love about travelling in France is stumbling across random local wines that even winefans like us aren't familiar with. (It doesn't help with the "not familiar" part that the French shifted round their already-impenetrable system a few years ago.) The great thing is, these local wines we'd never heard of are often more awesome than the bigger names. And sometimes they're secret.

And so it was when we came to stay on the Côte Roannaise, a stretch of hills near renowned foodie town Roanne between Lyon and Vichy. Nestling in the hills of the Monts de la Madeleine (Magdalene Mountains) on the side of the upper reaches of the Loire, and discovered both the AOC Côte Roannaise and the IGP Vin de pays d'Urfé.

LOL OMG, WTF's an AOC and an IGP, you ask? Well, get yourself a glass of something, read on and we'll explain.

more ›

Previous
Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12). © Condé Nast. Your California Privacy Rights. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.
Ad Choices