One of Vancouver Island’s legendary inns has some sublime specials for spring. Sooke Harbour House, about an hour’s drive from Victoria, British Columbia, is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most original and unique lodgings. Serving up cozy accommodations and fabulous food since 1979, I first stayed there shortly after it opened. At that time, owners…
‘Tis the season and decade for green — even for festivals. The Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival, April 12-14 in downtown Palm Springs, is showing its cool colors. The event will be powered by Akeena Solar’s Mobile Solar Power Station and tastings will be served with eco-friendly plates, cups and napkins. All are made…
Having some time to kill often leads me to great new discoveries, and the hours between a recent afternoon doctor’s appointment and meeting friends for dinner was no exception. My doctor’s office had moved to Denver’s far southern suburbs where a food, shopping and nightlife boom has been underway for a couple years. With not…
BKWine is offering three wine and gastronomy tours this autumn to France and Portugal. The tours, organized by Britt Karlsson of BKWine based in Paris, specialize in wine, food and gastronomic travel. The new tours on the program are: September 8-12: Bordeaux Focuses on ambitious and dynamic wine makers of this region. October 22-26: The…
Ty Warner’s San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara is hosting two Secrets of the Grape six-course wine dinners this spring, featuring guest hosts from Far Niente and Sea Smoke Cellars wineries. Both dinners begin at 6:30 PM and are held in the San Ysidro Ranch Wine Cellar. Cost is $295 per person; dinner and one-night…
Here’s a fun way to experience the wonderful wines of my home state of Washington — on a cruise! AAA Washington and Holland America Line are offering the Wines of Washington (WOW) Coastal Cruise on board the ms Oosterdam. The ship departs San Diego on April 26 and arrives in Vancouver, BC on April 30….
This is one of those ideas that seem to make so much sense I wonder why I hadn’t seen it before. The Vino 100 shop in Cathedral City, California – one of my regular stops on visits to the Palm Springs area – is now offering Manicure Mondays. On one Monday night each month the…
Here’s an event for serious wine buyers this weekend, March 7-9, along the Russian River in beautiful Sonoma County. Ex;ore the beautiful Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys, where it’s quiet and bucolic compared to nearby downtown Sonoma and Napa. You can step into the cellar at over 100 wineries to sample many limited…
If your passion is Pinot Noir, head to Shell Beach (just south of San Luis Obispo) on March 7 and 8 for the 8th annual World of Pinot Noir, two days devoted to tasting, talking about and learning more about that fine wine. The festival was created by a small group of vintners from California’s…
Tee-hee, clever title if I do say so 🙂 But, you’ll be even cleverer, if you hurry and score some tickets for the February 16 VinOlivo event. You’ll get all this under one roof: – Swirl, sniff and sip Sonoma Valley’s best wines from Arrowood Vineyards & Winery, Bartholomew Park, Benziger Family Winery, Blackstone Winery,…
Now, you can safely ship a bottle or two of wine or other spirits, especially after you spot a bargain at a Duty-Free Shop or a winery during your journeys abroad. The BottleWise DuoBag is the first multi-purpose bag designed specifically to keep your bottles safe during air travel. Each has two removable liquid-tight pouches…
In the world of Canadian icewine, Inniskillin presents the rarest of its luxurious range just in time for Valentine’s Day. Meet the 2006 Cabernet Franc Icewine. The Cabernet Franc’s heavenly aromas and rich flavors are enhanced by its brilliant carmine color. This particular harvest has produced an icewine with an abundance of fruit aromas on…