Walking upward on steep cobbled lanes through the village of Lugano Switzerland still enshrouded by morning mists rising from Lago di Lugano is certainly one of life's finer ways to get a workout. If you're up for even more climbing (or a short cab ride), include a visit to Fattoria Moncucchetto, Lugano’s only urban winery.

On a narrow plateau carved out high above the village with breathtaking lake views, family-run Fattoria Moncucchetto sources their base Merlot grapes from a tiny 2.5 acres ons

Pleasant and sociable, bars are great places to unwind in after a day’s work or a day of leisure. Paris is no exception to this trend, with chic or offbeat establishments that never fail to amaze. The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau has created a list of the most unusual bars in Paris.

In Part 3 of Unusual Bars in Paris, we explored the Large Venues for those inclined to claustrophobia or who favor going out as a group. Now, let's celebrate the end of our journey with some champagne - the es

In nearly every corner of the world, you can find a local, traditional beverage that’s worth to taste. In many of those destinations you could easily arrange an organized beverage trail, but very often it’s best to simply head to the nearest pub and enjoy a drink with the locals – a perfect chance to get a bot of taste of the culture! Here are 5 must-try beverages to get you started.

1. Guinness, Ireland

The first pint of dark-bodied stout with roasted barley and caramel flavour, comes from the br

Five decades ago, my Louisiana grandmother traveled to Wynola, minutes from Julian, to find one of her favorite, and rare, treats: pickled pig’s feet.  Now, we can go to Jeremy’s on the Hill for gourmet, farm to table, house made pork sausage, pancetta, and other delectable meals.

Le Cordon Bleu

Cordon Bleu dining is heralded by the crest on the sign at Jeremy's on the Hill (www.jeremysonthehill.com), on Hwy 78 in Wynola, 4 miles north of Julian, California.  Chef Jeremy Manly brings gourmet farm

Sit back for a moment and imagine yourself in your favorite vacation spot. Whether it’s at your local swimming hole kicking back in a lounger with the ultimate trashy novel or a dream excursion throughout Italy, you deserve some R&R. Here are some wines for wherever your adventures take you:

Butterfly Kiss Pinot Grigio 2011

Sourced from select California vineyards graced with sun-soaked afternoons and cool, fog-shrouded evenings, Pinot Grigio grapes used in this Butterfly Kiss showcase ripe sugar

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 the 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

The Thornton Winery in Temecula, CA is home to one of California’s longest running concert series. In fact, this year is the 25th anniversary of the Champagne Jazz Series. As you would expect, this summer’s lineup features some of the biggest and most popular of today’s Jazz performers (Dave Koz, Spyro Gyra, Kenny G, George Benson, Chris Botti, Boz Scaggs, etc.) I’ve enjoyed at least one concert at this intimate venue each of the last three summers and have been inspired by guitar god Lee Rite

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

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

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.

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

Every bottle of wine or liquor I can think of has a label. Many times the label simply indicates the contents with a brief description of origin and flavor. But sometimes, labels go beyond the basic requirements with a higher purpose. Campari and Fonseca Bin 27 Port are two brands with labels promoting indigenous art.

Campari

Campari's art label is very fiery...vibrant! And this most accurately portrays what's inside the bottle. This spirit can be sipped straight, but when mixed in classic cockta

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

It all started with a produce stand run by "Pop" Balducci in Brooklyn. Now after 96 years and multiple restructurings, Balducci’s is a flagship destination for gourmands the nation over online along with 6 physical stores located in Maryland, Virginia, New York and Connecticut. After all these years, produce is still hand-selected, only prime cuts of meat will do, and the fish is flown in fresh daily from the dock. If you walk into any of their shops, you get on site chef prepared dishes, the fi

We all know Harry and David for their delicious gourmet savories but did you know they're planning to produce their own wine? That’s right, this month the iconic purveyor of vaunted gustatory delights opened their own Oregon winery and now offers seasonal lineups throughout the year.

Partnering with winemaker Linda Donovan of Pallet Wine Company, Harry & David now features 9 different varietals, all made with signature Oregon grapes. Their collection includes five charming red wines: Tempranillo,

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

What is Vin de Pays d'Oc?

Wines of Pays d’Oc are simply more adventurous bucking French wine making convention. Elevated worlds above table wine (Vin de Table) but perhaps not entirely conforming to AOC (origin of control) standards...there is plenty of room for distinctive creativity in the Vin de Pays category. Grown in the South of France's Languedoc Roussillon, over 56 Pays d'Oc grape varieties thrive in world renown terrain stretching from the Spanish border to the Rhone delta. Growing condi