Wine Travel Stories

In-depth Tales of Winery Visits Around the World

Visiting Doug Frost’s New Winery in Walla Walla – Echolands

New Echolands Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. RICHARD DUVAL I have visited Walla Walla on two previous occasions, and both times I was impressed with the very friendly and laid-back wine town in the far southeast corner of Washington State. But now they are growing so fast, with new wineries popping up all of the time, and top scores from wine critics. After interviewing Doug Frost, MW/MS about his new winery there called, Echolands, I can't wait to visit again! I should mention that I've known Doug for over 15 years. He was one of my instructors in the Masters [...]

By |2024-02-15T12:15:16-08:00February 15, 2024|

Sheep and Chickens in the Vineyard at La Crema Winery in Sonoma County

Sheep in the Vineyard at La Crema Winery Help with Regenerative Farming LA CREMA I have visited La Crema Winery in Sonoma County many times over the years, and it is always a delight, because the winery tasting room is next to the famous Saralee's Vineyard in the Russian River Valley AVA. Saralee and Richard Kunde were the original owners of the vast vineyard, and over the years they planted many different grape varieties to enjoy. They also hosted large charity events, which were always fun to attend. In 2012, Saralee sold the vineyard to Jackson Family Wines, who have [...]

By |2023-12-14T12:04:14-08:00December 14, 2023|

Wine In India – Consumption Rates Increasing Along With Wine Knowledge

Sonal Holland, MW – CEO and Founder of Sonal Holland Wine Academy in India. HOLLAND Though I have not yet traveled to India to taste wine from their 110 wineries, I definitely hope to do so in the future. In the meantime, I keep abreast about wine in India from my friend, Sonal Holland, India's first MW. In fact, I was in London at the Awards Ceremony when she became an MW. Here is some of the recent information she shared with me about the growth of the Indian wine industry, along with increasing wine consumption (in moderation) and wine [...]

By |2023-10-25T11:23:54-07:00October 25, 2023|

Why Sommeliers Admire The Petaluma Gap Wine Region In Sonoma County

Tasting Wines of the Petaluma Gap at the Annual 'Wind to Wine Festival' PETALUMAGAP.COM I live in the Petaluma Gap wine region of Sonoma County, and have been so impressed with the growth of wineries here. In the last few years it has grown from just a handful of wineries to over 20 different wineries to visit! The cooler, windier region specializes in wines made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah grapes, but they also make other types of wine as well. For this article I interviewed 6 sommeliers to find out what types of food they recommend pairing with [...]

By |2023-10-02T10:41:56-07:00October 2, 2023|

Wine and Wineries On the Island of Bali, Indonesia

The Island of Bali in Indonesia Now Has Four Wineries. Sanur Beach, Bali. GETTY When I visited Bali recently I was delighted to find that they have 4 wineries!  Even though I wish I had the time to visit all four, I was able to visit Hatten Winery because it was very close to my hotel, the Intercontinental Resort at Sanur Beach.  When my husband and I arrived at the Hatten Cellar door by taxi, we didn't have an appointment, but we were welcomed warmly by Mr. Made Arinjaya. He made our visit very pleasant, and we were able to [...]

By |2023-08-16T09:30:28-07:00August 2, 2023|

Albert Bichot Winery in Burgundy Focuses on Organic Farming And Reducing Bottle Weight

Château-Gris in Nuits-Saint-Georges, France - Organic Wine Estate Owned by Albert Bichot. ALBERT BICHOT When I was doing my 4 month sabbatical abroad in Burgundy, Albert-Bichot was one of the wineries I was able to visit. They have a tasting room in downtown Beaune, but also own many individual wineries throughout Burgundy. As a large producer making 6 to 7 million bottles per year, they actually produce a lot of regional Burgundy wines that are affordable for everyday. At the same time, they also craft some very exceptional Premiere and Grand Cru wines, with price tags soaring in the the [...]

By |2023-06-15T12:24:43-07:00June 15, 2023|

Lunch with Portugal’s Rupert Symington to Discuss Sustainability And Innovation Efforts

Terraced Vineyard in the Douro Wine Region of Portugal. SYMINGTON FAMILY ESTATES The first time I visited Oporto, Portugal, I was thrilled to be able to tour the famous Graham's port house owned by the Symington Family. Therefore, I was very pleased to receive an invitation to have lunch with Rupert Symington, current CEO, and his son Hugh in San Francisco this Spring at the Wayfare Tavern. Not only did we have a delicious meal paired with 5 of their wines (see menu at bottom of article), but they updated me on everything they are doing to combat climate change [...]

By |2023-05-01T13:01:13-07:00May 1, 2023|

The Power Of 50 Years Of Mentorship At Chandon In Napa Valley

Reunion of 4 Chandon California Winemakers to Create 50th Anniversary Special Cuvee: Tom Tiburzi, Dawnine Dyer, Pauline Lhote, and Wayne Donaldson DAMION HAMILTON 2022 In 1974, with a degree in Biology from University of California at Santa Cruz, Dawnine Dyer set off to Napa Valley with a dream to enter the wine industry. Not only did she succeed spectacularly with jobs at Robert Mondavi Winery, 25 years at Chandon California, and her own brand, Dyer Vineyards, but through the years she developed a reputation of being one of California’s most important female winemakers and mentor to countless others. This week, [...]

By |2023-04-10T18:28:20-07:00April 10, 2023|

The Lion, The Wine and The Belly-Dancers: DAOU Vineyards Release Party

Probably one of the most enchanting wine release parties in California is the annual “Soul of a Lion” event held at DAUO Vineyards in Paso Robles each Spring. The wine is a delicious Bordeaux blend, made primarily of cabernet sauvignon, and was named in honor of George and Daniel Dauo’s father, Joseph Daou. The story behind the name is that Joseph always exhibited “the soul of a lion,” in that whatever hardships knocked him down growing up in war-torn Lebanon, he always jumped back up and faced life with the courage and strength of the “king of the jungle.”  Daniel [...]

By |2023-04-02T12:20:08-07:00April 2, 2023|

1795 and 1840 Rare Madeira Wine To Be Auctioned at Christie’s

Madeira Wine. Photo Credit: Creative Commons One of the great benefits of studying to become a Master of Wine is that I was introduced to fine Madeira wines, and fell in love with them.  The taste is especially enchanting because it is a combination of dried orange peel, caramel, hazelnut, and brown sugar, as well as many other complex notes, depending on the age and varietal. I am also amazed by the fact that Madeira wines never go bad, even after the bottle has been opened for years! So I was intrigued when I learned that one of the largest [...]

By |2023-03-23T15:05:15-07:00March 23, 2023|

Why French Millennials Don’t Drink Wine

Why French Millennials Don't Drink Wine. Photo Credit: Pexels.com When I was traveling in France for a month in 2008, I did some research on why younger French consumers were not adopting wine as much as French people did in previous generations. The results were rather surprising so I published them in an article in WineBusiness.com, with my co-researcher, Dr. Francois d'Hauteville, who was teaching at the University of Montpellier in Southern France. Recently I was contacted by a French student who is studying the same topic, because -- alas -- the issue is still current. Young people in France [...]

By |2023-03-20T12:30:01-07:00March 20, 2023|

Olivier Krug Describes How Champagne Can Be Paired with Music

Experience a Champagne and Music Pairing GETTY I first visited Krug Champagne House in Reims, France with my wine business students in 2014 (post at this link). While there, we had the most amazing tasting in the garden, as well as a tour of the cellars. Towards the end of the tasting, we were all honored and impressed with Olivier Krug came to speak with us, and reminded us that champagne is all about the enjoyment of life. Now in 2023, I had the honor of interviewing Olivier for this Forbes article, and once again I was entranced with his message. [...]

By |2023-03-07T15:57:51-08:00March 7, 2023|

How Horses In The Vineyard Help Create World-Class Wines At Cayuse

Horse Plowing the Vineyard at Cayuse Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. ANDREA JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY In the Washington State wine industry many people refer to Christophe Baron as the ‘Crazy Frenchman.’ Who else would buy of field of stones that no one else wanted and plant a vineyard on it? Who else would employ massive-muscled work horses to till the soil in the vineyards? But…. who else would become so successful that his distinctive biodynamic world-class wines typically sell out in the first 3 weeks of release each year? Born in Champagne, France, to a winemaking family, Baron studied viticulture and enology [...]

By |2022-12-29T09:23:25-08:00December 29, 2022|

The Opus One Celebration Dinner for Collective Napa Valley Event

Collective Napa Valley 2022 November Auction Dinner at Opus One Winery. ALEXANDER RUBIN Multiple auction paddles were raised at an elegant Opus One Winery dinner as part of Collective Napa Valley’s November 2022 event. Tickets to the $2500 per person weekend sold out quickly, as supporters from around the nation, as well as some international visitors, rushed to secure the limited seats. The weekend event, along with online bidding and donations during November, easily achieved the $2 million goal set to fund wildfire mitigation and reforestation. This amount is in addition to the $4.6 million that Napa Valley Vintners has [...]

By |2022-12-03T17:52:13-08:00December 3, 2022|

Gundlach Bundschu Celebrates 160 Years Of Winemaking, Grape Growing, And Humorous Tricks

Humorous Trick to Share Sonoma Valley Wines on Napa Valley Wine Train in 1990. GUNDLACH BUNDSCHU In 1858 Jacob Gundlach immigrated from Bavaria and purchased 400 acres of land in Sonoma Valley, California to plant grapes and start a winery. Today, Gundlach Bundschu is considered to be California’s oldest continuously family-owned winery, with 6th generation, Jeff Bundschu, now at the helm as President. But the winery isn’t just known for award-winning wines, but also for its culture of fun, rock ‘n’ roll parties, and humorous tricks played on fellow vintners over the years. It was also on a Halloween evening in [...]

By |2022-11-12T15:40:41-08:00November 12, 2022|
Go to Top