As the former author of Frommer’s Wine Country I’ve visited a lot of wineries in Napa and Sonoma and taken dozens of tours. One of the questions I get asked most by readers is, “Which winery has the best tour?” Well, that depends. If you don’t know anything about how wine is made, I recommend a comprehensive tour by one of the major wineries—they’ve got the Wine for Dummies thing down. The seven listed here are my top picks for an enjoyable weekend of learning the wine-making process. Read full article »
Romantic
The Top 7 Wine-Tasting Tours
Sunday, July 11th, 2010Romantic Road Trips
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
If your Valentine’s Day weekend wasn’t exactly the whirlwind of romantic wonderment you hoped and dreamed it would be, it’s not too late to take a do-over. Spring is right around the corner and plenty of hotels are offering heavily discounted rates and packages to lure local lovers on a romantic weekend getaway. Of the dozens of deals and events that have come across my desk this week I picked a few of my favorites, all of which are guaranteed sure-things for couples in need of an extension on their Valentine’s Day intentions. Read full article »
Valentine’s Day Getaways
Sunday, January 24th, 2010
So you’re going to take your lover to a fancy restaurant on Valentine’s Day, eh? How original. C’mon people, let’s spice it up a bit. Let’s plan the kind of romantic weekend getaway that your significant other would never have dreamed you’d be clever enough to think of.
This year Valentine’s Day falls on Sunday, so that gives you the entire weekend to woo and wow your better half with one of our special Valentine’s Day weekend getaways that will keep you out of the doghouse for months (well, for weeks at least). Read full article »
Romantic Retreats
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
I thought I knew wine until Larry Turley poured me a sip of his finest zinfandel. I was wrong. I thought I knew haute cuisine until I experienced The French Laundry. Wrong again. And I thought I knew luxury hotels until, many years ago, I was invited to stay at the Post Ranch Inn. Words can’t describe how wrong I was.
The point is, there are certain pleasant epiphanies that resonate with you for a lifetime, but typically they only happen if you open yourself up to the experience. We’ve all stayed at nice hotels during our vacations, but when’s the last time you stayed at a hotel that was so special it was the vacation?
The eight hotels listed below offer that sort of experience. Yes, they’re expensive, but you can’t put a price on a lifetime of fond memories. So treat yourself and your partner to an early Christmas present this year and see what it’s like to experience hospitality perfected. Read full article »
7 Getaways to Woo Your Lover
Friday, January 30th, 2009
ROMANCE ON THE RAILS
Now here’s an idea for romantic getaway that you probably haven’t considered: Enjoying a gourmet dinner and wine tasting on a vintage 
passenger train in the Wine Country. There’s something about riding on a train that oozes with romance, and to ride along with your significant other is all the better. The Napa Valley Wine Train is a rolling restaurant of vintage-style cars—each finished with polished Honduran mahogany paneling and etched-glass partition—that makes a scenic journey through the vineyards of Napa, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, and St. Helena while uniformed wait staff serve gourmet dinners and plenty of fine wine. For more information log onto www.winetrain.com or call 800/427-4124. WHERE TO STAY: Napa Hotels
Romantic Getaway: A romantic 2-night Santa Cruz getaway package to 
