The Travel Snob

Bon Appetit et Salut! Wine & Culinary Adventures await in the Walla Walla Valley. TRAVEL SNOB TRAVEL BLOG

If your personal holy trinity involves great wine, food & scenery, it's time to add Walla Walla to your travel plans. Extending from eastern Washington State to the south, and across the Oregon border (one-third of Walla Walla's vineyard land is actually in Oregon), the Walla Walla Valley increasingly the talk of wine & foodie circles.  "We surveyed the most intriguing wine producing regions of the world, looking for the perfect launch destination for Inspired Travel," explains Steve Woodward, managing director of HinsdaleCellars.com, about their boutique travel service which specializes in small group experiences, private tours and custom dining."The choice soon became obvious -- Washington's incomparable Walla Walla Valley."

In addition to connoisseurs, the region has been luring winemakers from tradition-bound parts of the world such as Christophe Baron of the acclaimed Cayuse Vineyards, who uprooted from his native France more than a decade ago - drawn by the rocky soils of Walla Walla. "The best wines made in Washington rank among the best wines produced anywhere in the world," notes author and Washington native John Doerper. "(Yet) much of Washington's Wine Country and many of its wines are still little known, making this a perfect region to explore."

For more info, visit HinsdaleCellars.com.

- The Travel Snob

(photo: whitman.edu)

Enjoy Culinary Fabulousness While You Worship the Sun on St. Barts from Feb. 19-26 & again in April. TRAVEL SNOB TRAVEL BLOG

From Feb. 19-26, and on April 13 & 14, an association of French West Indies island's restaurateurs is hosting Gastronomy Week Caribéenne, to showcase St. Barts' most accomplished chefs.  Fine wines will accompany the dining extravaganza - which will be reviewed by an international panel of eight judges made up of famous chefs and top food critics & editors. "St. Barts is increasingly well known for its fine dining," notes Stiles Bennet, Director of Marketing for Wimco, one of St. Bart's leading luxury villa rental companies. "Many of our clients tell us that one of the primary reasons they go to St. Barts, in addition to enjoying the privacy of a villa vacation, is to dine well, even very well."

Gastronomy Week Caribéenne in St. Barts:

• Feb. 19-26: over seven nights in 20 restaurants, each of which will produce an entrée sourced entirely from nearby islands & local waters
• April 13: the dinner will be at the Guanahani Hotel
  
• April 14: Eden Rock Hotel
• Cost & Info: $250/evening; email info@wimco.com with the following Subject Line: St Barts Chef Event Tickets

- The Travel Snob

Cook up a Storm in Italy with The International Kitchen's "Women Only Weeks" Culinary Vacations. TRAVEL SNOB TRAVEL BLOG

Take a culinary vacation featuring young, dynamic female chefs, deluxe accommodations, exciting excursions and the unique opportunity to cook with other women in two of the most scenic regions of Italy: the Amalfi Coast & Tuscany. “Travel for women exclusively has increased dramatically in the past few years," explains Karen Herbst, president of The International Kitchen - a premiere culinary tour operator dishing up cooking school vacations in Italy, France and Spain. "I think the success of our past Women Only Weeks is a real indicator that this trend will only continue to grow. We provide a venue for women travelers where they are totally comfortable.”

‘A Mediterranean Cooking Experience at Relais Oasi Olimpia’on the Amalfi Coast:

• April 15-21 & October 14-20
• includes 4 hands-on cooking classes
• excursions to see the region’s homemade mozzarella cheese & limoncello
• sightseeing in nearby Amalfi, Positano & Ravello
• cultural tour of Pompeii
• shopping in Sorrento
• the deluxe 6-night program is usually priced at $3,210 per person, but for the Women Only Weeks, the cost is $2,250 per person (based on double room occupancy)

‘Convivium in Montaione’in Tuscany with young, Michelin-star chef Sara Conforti:

• October 22-28, 2007
• located in scenic Palazzo Mannaioni
• 3 hands-on cooking classes
• a demonstration cooking class at the chef’s restaurant
• wine tastings
• visit to the local market in Certaldo
• cultural excursions to the Tuscan cities of Lucca, San Gimignano & Pisa
• Usually priced at $2,800 per person, but for the Women Only Week, it is reduced to $2,400

For more information about culinary & wine vacations, check out TheInternationalKitchen.com or TheInternationalVineyard.com.

- The Travel Snob