Food, Wine and Travel Blog

Top La Rioja Wines for Collectors Although the renowned Rioja region has increasingly had to fight off competition from the likes of Ribera Del Duero and Priorat, it is still justly considered Spain’s most important and finest producer of premium red wines. Over a decade of serious investment and a transformation of the established winemaking […]

Grappa is a traditional Italian spirit made from the pressed seeds and skins of grapes (pomace) or “vinaccia” as it’s called in Italian after the must (grape juice) is used in winemaking. Grappa is made all over Italy, from Tuscany to Naples, to the Veneto region. The process is relatively simple: the leftover pomace is […]

Cellar Tours Selection of Top Port Wine Vintages The magnificent fortified wines of the Douro Valley are undoubtedly some of the greatest, long-lived, and best-value fine wines available today. Indeed, Port can last for centuries and has been made for centuries – the Douro valley was defined as an appellation in 1756, making it the […]

The last fifteen years have seen both connoisseurs and sommeliers go absolutely nuts over the superlative white wines produced in Galicia and Bierzo. Once written off as the land of Rioja, Cava, Sherry, and little else, Spain continues to forge a mighty reputation for the quality of its whites from North-West Spain, particularly Albarino from […]

The pace with which Spain has revolutionized its culinary landscape is one of the most dramatic cultural changes to have occurred in the country in recent times. Once regarded as something of an insignificant player in the gastronomic arena, Spain is now bursting with exciting new venues, dynamic raw talent, and more than a few […]

Portugal is justly recognized as a Mecca for lovers of great seafood, always accompanied by delicious Portuguese white wines, of course! But, like any sensible people, the Portuguese have made full use of their best natural gastronomic resource: miles and miles of gorgeous coastline that supplies some of the freshest, most varied fish and seafood […]

There are many contestants for the title of Europe’s nightlife capital, but we can assure you that Madrid is ten leaps ahead of the competition. Spain’s biggest city remains one of the world’s most thrilling and vibrant destinations, famous for its dynamic, exciting, and ever-changing nightlife scene, including many rooftop bars. Its inhabitants, the Madrilenos, […]

Wine festivals are an integral part of winemaking tradition across both Europe and the New World, celebrating the culmination of months of hard work in the vineyard with what should hopefully be a healthy and plentiful harvest. However, for winemakers, the hard work is just beginning; for visitors to the wine region, they offer a […]

[Updated August 2017] Campania is one of our favorite regions in Italy, so diverse and with such stunning countryside, coast, and towns.  In this area of southern Italy, you’ll find the Amalfi Coast,  the fascinating city of Naples, volcanic Pompeii, Capri, lesser-known islands like Ischia and countless seaside hamlets.  Enjoy these short travel notes on […]

La Rioja is home to some of Spains best restaurants and has a long culinary tradition and is mainly celebrated for its outstanding local produce; wide varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables from local market gardens, in addition to succulent meat and game from the regions’ farms. Indeed, there are enough fine raw materials in […]

Chile is a magnificently diverse country with the mountainous Andes and rugged Patagonia regions, Santiago its cosmopolitan capital, wine country, and the countless coastal beach towns and busy ports. Despite being the most regionally diverse country in South America with an extensive variety of vegetables, countless forms of beef, lamb, goat, and even llama, not […]

In the right hands, a winery can be far more than merely a functional center for processing grapes and producing wine. After all, making great wine is as much an art form as a science – so why shouldn’t a winery reflect the inherent beauty of wine-making? The world’s greatest architects, from Sir Norman Foster […]