Croatia had been on the top of my list of places to visit. Just across the Adriatic from Italy, it has become a popular travel destination. And, a few months ago, I was lucky to finally go. My mom and I took a "girl's trip" and traveled up the coast of Croatia by boat, stopping in more than ten ports. I wrote about our journey in ATOD Magazine and here is Part 1 of Cruising up the Croatian Coast, exploring the history, cuisine, market places and more.
What was once considered off the beaten path, Croatia is one of Europe’s hottest destinations. Perhaps it was the filming of Game of Thrones that opened the world’s eyes to the beauty of the country but regardless of what it is, people are flocking to the country in droves. Croatia had been at the top of my list to visit for the past few years. But with 21 regions and 1185 islands, 67 of which are inhabited, deciding where to go and what to see was overwhelming. To simplify the challenge, I invited my mom to join me for an Adriatic Sea cruise up the coast of Croatia.
21 August, 2018
Less than a year ago, fires ravaged Napa and Sonoma. Thousands of acres burned, homes were destroyed and lives were lost. As we watched the news from afar, we received messages about wineries burning down. When the smoke began to clear (both literally and figuratively), we saw that most of the wineries remained standing. Less than a dozen of the hundreds of North Coast wineries were destroyed and one of them was Napa Valley's Signorello Estate. [gallery ids="19212,19213,19214"]   Ten months later, the remains of the fire in Napa can be seen by the burned trees and charred land. But businesses are running and wineries are getting ready for another harvest. And, that includes Signorello Estate. Because of their strength, resilience and overall positive attitude, Signorello Estate is the Please The Palate pick of the week.
11 August, 2018
A few weeks ago, I went wine tasting for the weekend in California. I did not go to Napa or Sonoma. I did not go to Paso Robles or Santa Barbara. I did not go to Temecula. I went wine tasting in Ramona Valley in San Diego. Yes, the Ramona Valley is a quickly growing wine destination that I wrote about in my recent column in the Napa Valley Register.

Living in California, we are lucky that no matter what city we live in, there is a wine region in our backyard. San Francisco has Napa and Sonoma, Los Angeles has Santa Barbara, Orange County has Temecula and San Diego has the Ramona Valley.

Yes, there is a wine region in San Diego County. In 2006, the Ramona Valley AVA was the 162nd area to be designated as an American Viticulture Area. It was only the second AVA to be designated in San Diego County (San Pasqual Valley was designated in 1981) and the third in Southern California (Temecula Valley was designated in 1986). These three AVAs all fall within the large South Coast AVA, which covers all of Southern California south of Santa Barbara.

31 July, 2018
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