When your three top talents are eating, sleeping, and criticizing, your career options are pretty limited, so it’s a good thing that I ended up being a travel writer. But it’s the eating for a living that I enjoy the most. That, and being able to share my finds with fellow food lovers. Lately I’ve been tooling around Sonoma County on a never-ending quest for the perfect hamburger (as noble a pursuit as any in my opinion), revisiting some my restaurant favorites and discovering a few new gems that I’d like to share with you. Read full article »

When you mention the Wine Country most people think of Napa or Sonoma Valley. But true wine geeks have long known that some of Northern California’s best wine and wine-tasting experiences can be found well beyond the valleys, often at family owned wineries tucked away on one-lane roads that would be impossible to find if it weren’t for the periodic signs pointing you in the right direction. It’s experiences like these—casual yet captivating conversations with winemakers as you savor the fruits of their years of hard work—that make visiting these esoteric wineries worth the effort. Ergo, here is Round 2 of my “Who knew?” favorites. Read full article »

When you mention the Wine Country most people think of Napa or Sonoma Valley. But true wine geeks have long known that some of Northern California’s best wine and wine-tasting experiences can be found well beyond the valleys, often at family owned wineries tucked away on one-lane roads that would be impossible to find if it weren’t for the periodic signs pointing you in the right direction. It’s experiences like these—casual yet captivating conversations with winemakers as you savor the fruits of their years of hard work—that make visiting these esoteric wineries worth the effort. Here are a few of my “Who knew?” favorites. Read full article »

If you’ve ever been to Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley on a sunny summer weekend then you already know what it’s like to wait in traffic and stand in line. It’s a frustrating experience, especially when all you desire is a relaxing weekend getaway to the Wine Country. That’s why, right now, you’re going to pick up your day-planner and pencil in a May getaway to the Wine Country. Late spring is a wonderful time to visit the valleys and see the flowers in bloom—forget-me-nots, begonias, lavender, tulips, poppies, roses—while driving the traffic-free roads from winery to winery. So to get you started in the getaway-planning mode, here’s a short-list of some of my favorite wine-tasting tours in Napa and Sonoma. Read full article »