Sampling Portuguese flavors in the Douro Valley
A day that begins with a drive through Douro vineyards and a boat ride on the river is off to a fine start. And...
Tasting port with a view in Porto
Our first house guests in Porto provided Tom and me with an always-welcomed opportunity for tasting port with a view. We took our guests...
“This is our Douro”
Portugal's Douro Valley is quite the destination these days. In fact, the Douro is one of the reasons Tom and I recently moved to...
Tasting the food-friendly wines of Spain
"Did you know that there are now more acres planted to vine in Spain than anywhere else? " asked Sommelier Steve Olson, as he...
Luxury meets culinary aboard the Wind Surf
Move over Food Network, I'm now officially a cruising foodie! Tom and I recently enjoyed an eight-day culinary adventure with the boutique Windstar cruise...
Tasting the Colheitas of Graham’s
"Isn't that cool?!" exclaimed our host, raising a goblet of amber-hued liquid and gesturing with it to the distant corners of Palacio do Bolsa's...
A quick winter excursion to Lavaux
With our departure from Switzerland imminent, Tom and I were honored to be invited "down south" for an off-season tramp through the villages of...
Wine lovers think digital in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Our train wobbled along a stretch of rail near Sofia on a mid-October day spitting rain. The railway is being modernized, and work on...
Surprising Ticino Merlot
It sometimes surprises visitors that Switzerland produces wine at all. Swiss wine is produced in luxuriously small quantities, and just 2% of the wine...
A taste of Setúbal, Portugal
At the beginning of the 20th century, Portugal's fishing industry was centered in what is now the Peninsula of Setúbal. The sardine factories have...