Our Travel Experts: Food, Wine & Vineyards

If “Wine is the nectar of the God’s” then wine travel is the path to heaven! I can arrange the perfect experience with the surroundings and accommodations to suit your taste. Are you looking for a hip and cutting edge Inn overlooking the vineyards in the Carneros area of Napa or something more traditional like an intimate B&B in Sonoma? And if you’re looking for the best Barolo red in the Piemonte region of Italy – I have just the right spot in mind. Have you thought about a cruise along the Doro River traveling throughout Spain and Portugal in search of the ultimate Port while being served the yummiest Tapas gourmet delights this area has to offer? Consider tasting the crisp chardonnays of South Africa or Merlots of the Blue Mountains, Australia – all while taking in the most breathtaking scenery. Let me show you the way as I have the perfect wine escapes throughout the world to suit your palette from A to Zin!

Vineyards and wine making have infatuated me for decades. No other harvest in the world yields such diverse tastes and aromas as the yield from grape harvests. Wine is an art form from the vineyard to the glass. Wine enhances food, celebrations and traditions and is even believed to possess health properties. Since planting our own vineyard in 2001 my husband and I have an even greater interest in visiting other wine regions in the world and find there is always more to know and love about this intriguing beverage that ties nearly every country in the world together. If they don’t grow it, they almost always drink it! Adding a visit to a wine region anywhere in the world will compliment city visits and give you a unique, rural experience. I’d love to help you plan a perfect trip to the wine tasting area of your dreams or book a “winederful” tour, river cruise, barge trip, biking or walking tour or other delightful itineraries that will let you include amazing wine and food in your travels.

As a child, I begged for the little plastic oven that baked cakes using a light bulb. But my parents insisted I use the “real” oven and make “real” baked goods. So I did! And from there, I was making my own bread by the time I was 15! I progressed to regional Mediterranean cuisine at 20. I never really considered it an art form. I cooked because I liked to eat well and later, because I had to feed a family on a budget. Since I hated routine, I was always looking for something new to try. I experimented with various herbs and heirloom vegetables in my coastal California garden. Heavens, we even grew our own popcorn! When I became an empty-nester, cooking took on a whole new meaning. I headed back to the kitchen with a new resolve: to be really, really good at it. Then I discovered something. Cooking was now fashionable. OMG! Yet, I’m a travel professional, one who cooks….a lot. Suddenly it dawned on me: I can do both! So now I ferret out cooking classes, restaurants, local regional foods and new culinary experiences. I would love to share this with you, just as I would share with you my broccolini with polenta. If you love to cook, or just love to eat, or just love doing something different from time to time, call me. I can arrange a delightful journey, specially tailored to your tastes.