Vacations Blog

A Vineyard in Rioja

The Rioja region is Spain’s largest and most famous wine region, yet it’s still relatively undiscovered by tourism. There are over 500 wineries in operation, but many do not offer tours, or offer tours only by appointment or only in Spanish. It can be difficult to get around the area without a car. But, with some careful planning, you can arrange a few days of touring and tasting even if you are traveling without a car or don’t speak fluent Spanish.

You can still tour the wineries of the Rioja region by bus and train, but a bit more coordination is necessary, and you may have to spring for a taxi to reach a few of the further out wineries.  The rail company Renfe services Logrono and Haro, and Alsa runs regional buses between most of the smaller towns.

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Purple Roofs is “your GLBT key to world travel” and features Gay and Lesbian Bed & Breakfasts, Inns, Guesthouses, Hotels, Travel Agents, & Tour Operators.

The site is run by Mark and Scott and they have been kind enough to share some of their favorite vacations with us.

Today we’re looking at the weekend getaway of Amador County in Northern California for wine tasting, bed and breakfasts and everything in between.

When most people think of California wines they think of two places: the Napa Valley and the Sonoma Valley, and then they go there by the busload.  This premier wine region in Northern California overflows with tourists in the summertime, and wine tastings are often $5, $10, or $15 a glass.  Yes, for a tasting.

However, there are a number of other lesser-known wine regions in California that offer fantastic local varietals, scenic vine-covered hills, and best of all, elbow room.

The Shenandoah Valley in Amador County is such a place.  It is a lovely wine-growing region about an hour southeast of Sacramento. There are at least 32 wineries here within 15 minutes of each other, most of them can be found on one large loop of road that makes it easy to enjoy the grand tour.

How to Get There:

From the East (Lake Tahoe/Highway 50), catch Highway 49 in Placerville south. In 14 1/2 miles, you’ll reach the small town of Plymouth – make a left onto Fiddletown Rd., and you’re there.

From Sacramento proper, you have a couple options. The shorter route is to take Highway 50 up to El Dorado Hills. Take the Latrobe Rd. Exit (it only goes south), and follow Latrobe Rd. about 14 miles south to Old Sacramento Rd. This runs about 5 miles into Plymouth, and becomes Fiddletown Rd., leading you right into the wine region.

For a slightly longer scenic route, exit Highway 50 at How Ave. Go South on Howe and make an almost immediate left onto Folsom Blvd. Stay to your right – in about a block, Folsom veers left and Jackson Highway (16) veers right. Stay on 16 for about 30 1/2 miles, passing through lots of farmland and rural scenery. 16 then becomes 49 north bound and veers to the right – a little more than 2 miles takes you into Plymouth. Make a right onto Fiddletown, and you’ve arrived. Read More »

For vacationers looking for a spring wine tasting escape full of the fun and excitement only offered in Las Vegas, the annual UNLVino wine tasting event is the answer.

Wine enthusiasts enjoy the flavors at the UNLVino Grand Tasting at Paris Las Vegas.

Celebrating its 35th year, the three-day event offers wine enthusiasts an opportunity to enjoy the latest releases, the best vintages, and the finest varietals from across the globe. In 2008, more than 6,000 wine connoisseurs and novices converged at the Grand Tasting and enjoyed 2,900 bottles of wine from more than 750 wineries and 125 suppliers. It was America’s largest single day wine tasting. This year’s Grand Tasting promises to be equally exciting.

Champaign and sparkling wine will flow poolside at the Palms.

UNLVino kicks off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 at the Palms Pool and Bungalows with “Bubble-licious,” featuring champagne and sparkling wines. If you’ve ever experienced Las Vegas in the spring you know this evening outdoor event will be spectacular. Guy Fieri, celebrity chef and Food Network television personality will co-host. Advance purchased tickets are $100 or pay $125 at the door. Located on Flamingo Road, just west of the Las Vegas Strip, the Palms is home to the Playboy Club, great restaurants and exciting nightlife. A popular hotel for celebrities, the Palms is a great place to vacation like a “rockstar” during your wine tasting vacation.

The second night of UNLVino, “Auss-Some and Then Some,” will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday April 17, at the District at Green Valley Ranch, an upscale outdoor shopping, eating and entertainment venue located just minutes east of the Las Vegas Strip off Interstate 215 at Green Valley Parkway. The event will feature extraordinary wines from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America. Tickets for the event may be purchased for $75 in advance or $100 at the door.

Enjoy wines from the Southern Hemisphere at the District at Green Valley Ranch.

The District is adjacent to the luxurious, yet affordable Green Valley Ranch Resort offering rooms walking distance from the action. Enjoy a day at the resort’s lavish pool and spa before heading out for an evening of wine tasting.

The climax of UNLVino is the Grand Tasting from 2 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 at Paris Las Vegas, offering a taste of the latest releases and the best vintages from around the world. The event also features an art and wine auction, offering an opportunity to bid on fine art, rare wines and wine country vacation packages. Registration and preview for the auction will begin at 2 p.m. with the bidding starting at 3 p.m. Tickets to the Grand Tasting are $100 for advance purchase or $125 at the door. Accommodations are available at Paris Las Vegas and Bally’s as well as nearby resorts, such as Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, or Flamingo.

Tickets for all three events are available at www.unlvtickets.com, or call (702) 739-FANS (3267). You may also purchase tickets at Guest Services at the District at Green Valley Ranch. As with most wine tasting events, attendees must be 21 years old or older to enter any of the three UNLVino events. Also, remember to drink responsibly.

All proceeds from the event benefit the University of Nevada Las Vegas, hence the name UNLVino.

Photos courtesty of UNLVino, Palms and the City of Henderson.

Here in the Heartland, spring is in the air. Temperatures in the low 60’s are allowing the daffodils to make their first appearance, and our family’s annual “ice breaking” trip to Kelleys Island took place yesterday.

Which makes this the perfect time to consider your first outdoor destination road trip. One of my greatest pleasures is looking for new and off-the-beaten path things to try. I mean, anyone can call a travel agent to plan a trip to Disney, right? But how many get to make the Dandelion May Fest their point of destination?

Work with me here, people.

So it’s not glitz and glamour, but you have to admit that it sounds quaint. If you live in Cleveland, it’s only a 90 minute trip to beautiful Amish country, and the festival truly offers something for every family member.

The Dandelion May Fest is held the first weekend in May (2^nd and 3^rd in 2008) at Breitenbach Wine Cellars in Dover, Ohio. The winery makes 40 varieties of wines, one of the most popular being their Dandelion Wine. Wine tasting and cellar tours are part of the festival and finals for The Great Dandelion Cook-off are held during the weekend. There will be dandelion foods to sample, including dandelion sausage, dandelion salad, dandelion bread and dandelion gravy. The festival also features a juried arts and crafts show, 5K Run and various forms of entertainment.

If you need a place to stay, I found several interesting options. Of course, you can stay right at the winery in their B&B, but I imagine that they are booked at this point. If you find that they have no rooms available, another option is Cricket Hill Cabins. They have four secluded cabins in neighboring Millersburg, OH. You may also want to check out Donna’s Premiere Lodging, located close by in Berlin, which has cabins as well as numerous other types of accommodations. Or, if you want to stick with a B&B atmosphere, I think the Garden Gate looks very nice. I’m all over that Garden Gate Suite with the Jacuzzi tub and fireplace!

On your visit, be sure to enjoy the gracious nature of the local Amish community. There are several options for Amish lodging, and many more choices for shopping, dining, and visiting. Amish Tours of Ohio offers progressive meal tours (although none are scheduled for the weekend of the Dandelion May Fest), meals in Amish homes, historic tours, and private tours that allow visitors to experience Amish culture firsthand. If you are part of a larger group of 20 or more, consider utilizing Country Coach Adventures to head up your group’s tour.

Regardless of what you do, I hope you find something that allows you and your family and/or friends to enjoy the feeling of renewal and see the beauty of spring time in Ohio!

My husband and I both enjoy wine, and before the kids came along, we used to spend many a relaxing afternoon at wineries in the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains, picnicking and sipping classy California wines. Along came the kids, and somehow this did not seem practical anymore. We had new afternoon plans, which mostly involved naps, scheduled feedings and lots of play time. Wine tasting seemed like it had gone the way of our golf games….

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Dry Creek Valley Wine Tasting

One of my favorite wine tasting destinations is Dry Creek Valley, an easy hour drive from San Francisco. This area feels undiscovered compared to the neighboring wine areas of Sonoma and Napa Valley. It has no traffic, no crowds and some great wines, primarily Zinfandels. The atmosphere at the wineries is warm, friendly and relaxed. Unlike the large wineries of Napa, that have a corporate feel, here you will often be served by the owner of the winery in intimate, well designed tasting rooms overlooking the vineyards.

In the summer, my husband and I ride our bikes on the warm afternoons from winery to winery. We usually park by the Raford Inn, bike north on Wohler Road and then north again on Westside road. We visited many wineries along the road including Hop Kiln, Davis Bynum, Belvedere and ridden all the way up to Preston. (A tip: Know thyself. I would only ride the length of this road if you ride frequently and the weather is on the cool side. I was tired at the end of the day, very tired, and in the summer, I found the sun was merciless. My husband loved the ride and thrived in the hot weather. He also rides most weekends.) You can create a ride varying in length from one to twenty miles and stop at as many wineries as you like. The two lane country road offers low rolling hills and few cars. My pace definitely slows as the day progresses. At the end of the day, we drive back to the wineries and pick up any wine we purchased. I recommend plenty of water and bringing a picnic lunch. There are no restaurants along the way and very few wineries offer any substantial food.

This wintry weekend, due to the cold weather, we decided to drive and meander further down the valley and visit wineries on the West Dry Creek Road. Each of the wineries are within about a ten minute drive from each other. We started with lunch in Healdsburg and then drove about fifteen minutes to Zachichi, a winery founded in 2000 by a New Orleans physician and his wife. The warm and welcoming couple were in the light filled serving room overlooking their vineyard and offered selections straight from the barrel. Get their Petit Sirah, if you can. Next we went to Bella, they serve tastes of Zinfandel from inside a cave, created by dynamiting the hillside on their property. They have lightened the cave by painting the interior in a dark cream and decorating with tones of white, its pretty. Dutcher Crossing was our final destination, it offers a sauvignon blanc, chardonnays and of course Zinfandel. The wines were good and the servers friendly. This quick tour will give you a sampling of the hospitality and the wines of the area.

Whether you are a wine expert or you are just learning about wines, Dry Creek Valley is a fun getaway with great wine, friendly people, unique architecture and amazing vistas.