As I began to make plans for a short Easter weekend trip to Willamette Valley, I kept getting the question, “why are you driving nine hours for wine when you live in Napa?” Having done some research on the region’s easy access to wineries, restaurants, and outdoor splendor, I was able to formulate a basic […]

Last Winter, while studying at the International Wine Institute of Bordeaux, I attended a class on the wine region of Burgundy (Bourgogne in French). Discussing the nuances of Burgundian terroirs from the grapes and soil to the climate and vineyard placement, inspired a spontaneous trip to this fabled region. Within weeks I had found myself traipsing […]

About 120 miles north of San Francisco, dispersed between the towering Redwoods and rugged Pacific coastline, are scores of vineyards belonging to Mendocino Wine Country. This region may be lesser-known than it’s southern grape growing neighbors, but the wines Mendocino puts forth can certainly rival Napa and Sonoma. Vineyards span across several narrow valleys, including […]

Cue the twinkling lights, festive treats, and steaming-spiked drinks…it’s Christmas time once again. One of the best places to celebrate the holiday season is inside the many picture-perfect Christmas markets throughout Europe. While living in Bordeaux, France this past year, I did exactly that. Straight from the pages of a story-book is the Marché de Noël de […]

Just when you think Napa Valley can’t get any better, she starts to shed her leaves and metamorphose into a brilliant Autumnal paradise. As a girl who grew up being spoiled by Fall in New England, you bet I can appreciate that time of year when the leaves get crunchy and the air becomes crisp. […]

I might have cried when my boyfriend surprised me with a hot air balloon ride over Napa Valley for our anniversary this year. Despite my fear of heights, taking flight aboard a wicker basket and colorful balloon has always been a bucket list item of mine. Our car headlights were alone on the road as […]