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The wines of Loudoun County, Virginia

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

It is a new year and the vines are dormant. In regions across the West Coast, much-needed rain is falling. But on the East Coast, the vines are buried under snow. As I see friends post photos of being in the snow, I am reminded about my visit this time last year to Loudoun County in Northern Virginia where I went to explore the wines.

There are approximately 250 wineries in Virginia. Loudoun County is considered the wine region of Washington, D.C. Located one hour outside of the nation’s capital, Loudoun is home to more than 40 wineries. The first vines were planted in 1981 and the region has exploded since. Loudoun County is divided into five distinct geographic sections – northern, western, southern, central and eastern.

For my exploration of Loudoun County, my home base was in Middleburg in Southern Loudoun at the Salamander Resort and Spa. In the middle of horse country, this luxury retreat sits on 340 acres and includes 168 rooms, a 23,000-square-foot spa, equestrian center, culinary garden, cooking studio and restaurants.

19 January, 2017

The Chicken or The Egg, Playa Vista

The age old question is what came first, the chicken or the egg? Will we ever really know the answer? Do you care? After all, they both taste good and that is what matters. And you can choose both at Playa Vista's The Chicken or The Egg.

The Chicken or The Egg is a bright, welcoming space. With canary yellow walls and fresh greenery, it is hard not to smile when you walk inside.

Seating is available at tables but the lounge chairs are rather eye catching, especially on a lazy Sunday morning.

17 January, 2017

Urban Wine Tasting: San Francisco and Santa Barbara

This story originally appeared in California Winery Advisor. Urban Wine Tasting Napa, Sonoma, Santa Ynez Valley, what these places have in common is that they are wine regions. What they also have in common is that they are in close proximity to cities – Napa and Sonoma to San Francisco and Santa Ynez to Santa Barbara. While a trip to wine country is always welcome, these days you do not have to leave the city to go wine tasting. Both San Francisco and Santa Barbara offer urban wine tasting experiences, featuring the wines of the neighboring wine regions but with the convenience of being in the city. SANTA BARBARA Santa Barbara Wine Country is forty-five minutes north of the city of Santa Barbara. With Los Olivos, Solvang and the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, as well as all the estate wineries, there is plenty of wine tasting to be done in the area. But over the past few years, many of the wineries have been opening wine tasting rooms in downtown Santa Barbara, also known as “the American Riviera”. While there are no vineyards downtown, the proximity to the Pacific Ocean is appealing. With a unique range of tasting rooms in the city of Santa Barbara, your entire visit can be focused on wine or can be interspersed between eating, shopping and hanging at the beach.

13 January, 2017