Solvang Deserves More Than a Sideways Glance

Solvang Deserves More Than a Sideways Glance

Twenty years ago, a small-budget film greatly impacted the world of wine. The wine-tasting road trip adventures of Miles and Jack in “Sideways” were filmed almost entirely on-location in the small town of Solvang and neighboring spots around the Santa Ynez Valley. As...
The New Puglia

The New Puglia

A striking image has defined Italy’s Puglia region for decades—the white conical stone houses called Trulli. Built by layering stones without mortar, legend has it that the Trulli were designed to avoid taxation since they could be quickly dismantled when the tax man...
Spend a Day in American Canyon

Spend a Day in American Canyon

Those from outside Napa Valley may not be familiar with American Canyon, but it is part of Napa County, and for those who live and work here, it’s an important place — it’s where we go for cheap eats, ethnic cuisine of every kind, and to take care of many of our basic...
Wine Region Series: Piedmont’s Bounty

Wine Region Series: Piedmont’s Bounty

The topography of Piedmont is mesmeric, with rolling hills like Candyland for adults, each meandering byway connecting winery after winery for unlimited exploration. The hilltop villages flaunt castles, Romanesque churches, and pockets of farmland that fill any...
Side Trip: California’s Lake County

Side Trip: California’s Lake County

After arriving in Northern California’s Lake County, one quickly learns a few interesting facts from the locals: 1) the county has the cleanest air in California, 2) Sauvignon Blanc thrives in the region’s volcanic soils and high elevation, and 3) as expressed by...
Side Trip: Healdsburg

Side Trip: Healdsburg

‘It was just a little farm town,’ locals tend to say when speaking of “old” Healdsburg (just over twenty years ago). That’s no longer the case, as evidenced by the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience (HWFE), the first international wine and food event in northern...