As far as California wine goes, Napa and Sonoma get most of the attention. The wines from those hot areas can get really saturated with fruit, so I actually always try to seek out California’s lesser known areas that have cooler climates. I love Pinots from Mendocino and white Rhône varietals from Paso Robles, but … Continue reading
Category Archives: escapefriend
scavenger hunt through friuli
A few years ago I was living in Rome and ordered a glass of wine on the rooftop of a hotel near the Bocca della Verità. They brought me a white, and it was amazing – crisp, lemon peel, white stone minerality. I asked the waitress to bring me the bottle, and it was a Livio Felluga … Continue reading
willamette in five glasses
I’m always surprised when people don’t know that Oregon makes wine. And not only does it just make wine, it makes some of my favorite wine in the US. The Pinot Noirs are a balance between elegant, earthy Burgundies and heavily-fruity ones from Sonoma. But you also have delicious Pinot Noir-based rosés, lush and pear-flavored Pinot … Continue reading
la vita ruffino
Italy is by far my Happy Place. Not only am I 100% Italian, but it’s known for la dolce vita. That literally means the sweet life, and is basically just all about kicking’ it and enjoying life. Many an evening has been passed sipping an apertivo in a piazza, or eating the best [fill in … Continue reading
grape passport: alto adige
Had such a fantastic time in Alto Adige. Most of the wineries aren’t very far from the town of Bolzano, so it’s easy to travel around and see lots of things. see The Dolomites – we drove to Val Gardena and took two gondolas up the mountains. Then you can hike around to lots of … Continue reading
grape passport: mendocino
I travel to explore wine, so here are some good tips to help your grapey travel experiences. . drink Here’s a full list of wineries in the region. But aside from your usual fun sampling wine, you can: Play bocce at Balo Visit Pennyroyal Farm to sample some handcrafted cheese they make from goats and sheep raised on their family … Continue reading
grape passport: rias baixas
I travel to explore wine, so by no means are my travel posts exhaustive in terms of sightseeing. Just good tips to help your grapey travel experiences. Rias Baixas is in the northwest of Spain, north of Portugal, and a fun way to drink a lot of Albariño while seeing a part of Spain that’s much … Continue reading