Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail in Michigan Introduces 3 New Touring Loops

The Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail in Michigan is introducing three new touring loops: the Northern Loop, Sleeping Bear Loop and Grand Traverse Bay Loop.

The number of wineries in Michigan topped the 100 mark in January. Twenty-five of them – fully one-quarter – are along the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, the state’s oldest and largest.

“The growth in wineries in Leelanau Peninsula has been amazing, and our loops have been developed to make it easier for visitors to plan trips through wine country,” states Trail President Matt Gregory. “The main goal is to offer an enjoyable experience for people to explore our wines and tasting rooms and to unlock the hidden treasures of Michigan’s Wine Coast.”

The Northern Loop covers the northern half of the peninsula and holds ten wineries located in and around the villages of Lake Leelanau, Leland, Northport and Omena and iconic destinations like the Grand Traverse Lighthouse and Fishtown.

The Grand Traverse Bay Loop stretches from just outside Traverse City to Suttons Bay along the east side of the peninsula and features nine wineries and the Leelanau Bike Trail.

The Sleeping Bear Loop consists of six wineries in the western half of the peninsula from Glen Arbor to Cedar to Lake Leelanau and boasts the stunning beauty of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Visitors can pick up a Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail brochure with a handy map at any of the wineries and various regional businesses. The brochure and maps are available online at www.lpwines.com. The trail has also released a free iPhone app for easy access to Leelanau wineries, lodging, restaurants and more.

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Access Trips has new culinary tour highlighting best of California wine country culture; partners with Sonoma Film Festival

From exclusive cooking classes with Sonoma’s top chefs to private vineyard tours and tastings, Access Trips brand new five-day culinary tour is a foodie fantasy in the heart of California’s Wine Country. The new tour offers access to some of Sonoma’s most renowned local restaurants, chefs and vintners, as guests learn to cook with organic, locally sourced ingredients that change seasonally and showcase the best of California cuisine.

Nestled in a lush valley with trellised vineyards climbing the surrounding hills, and bound by a central plaza and a historic Spanish mission, Sonoma is arguably one of the most beautiful towns in California. Offering a quaint, intimate alternative to the usual tourist trails in Napa, Sonoma is a mecca of cultural and culinary treasures awaiting discovery.

For the ultimate California experience, Access Trips has partnered with the Sonoma International Film Festival to offer a discounted three-day, three-night Film Festival VIP extension package for guests on Access Trips’ first Sonoma Culinary tour departing April 7, 2013. The tour’s July departure was also timed to dovetail on Destination Race’s Napa to Sonoma half marathon on July 21, 2013.

California Wine Country Culinary Tour
Five-days from $2,590 pp

From once-in-a-lifetime cooking classes with Sonoma’s finest chefs to wine, cheese and chocolate truffle tastings and a tour of one of California’s oldest family owned vineyards, Access Trips’ California Wine Country Culinary Tour is a gourmand’s dream. Indulge your palate during sumptuous meals at top Sonoma restaurants, Café La Haye and Harvest Moon Café, before enjoying exclusive cooking classes led by such big names as Harvest Moon Chef Nick Demarest. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, olive groves and rolling vineyards, visit Stone Edge Farm for a multi-course cooking class with acclaimed chef, John McReynolds, and learn tricks to add variety to recipes at home. Discover the local farmers market, take in the sites during a hike along the Glen Ellen Reservoir and relax poolside at the luxurious, boutique, Macarthur Place – Sonoma’s finest Inn and Spa.
http://www.accesstrips.com/sports/culinary-tour/

Sonoma International Film Festival VIP Package
Three-days from $2,000 pp

Get in touch with your inner movie star during Access Trips’ three-day, three-night Sonoma International Film Festival extension. Enjoy VIP-access passes to all films, filmmakers, and discussion panels, and of course, exclusive parties with the best in California wine and cuisine! Savor your red carpet moment at the red carpet gala, where you’ll find out which celebrity will be honored by the association. The main festivities are in the Sonoma Plaza, just four blocks walking distance from Macarthur Place, your luxurious inn and spa. Book the Film Festival package along with the California Wine Country Culinary Tour and receive 10% off both the tour AND the extension, for a total savings of $459 per person. Space is limited to just 12 guests.

Access Trips is a leading adventure travel  operator specializing in exotic learning vacations to 13 countries worldwide. This company offers a wide range of small-group outdoor sports and culinary-focused trips that are expertly designed to allow guests to experience a new culture, learn new skills or fine-tune existing ones, and revel in the splendor of their destination. Based in San Francisco, California and launched in 2001, Access Trips’ impressive portfolio includes cooking, surfing, mountain biking, snowboarding, skiing, and multisport itineraries. Regardless of the focus of the activity, Access Trips caters to a variety of skill levels, serving the novice as well as the expert in a relaxed, non-intimidating setting with the help of world-class instructors and multilingual guides. For more information about Access Trips and the adventure tours available, visit www.accesstrips.com.

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Food & Wine Trails Offers 12 New Cruises for 2013

Food & Wine Trails has released details of 12 new food and wine cruises for 2013, filled with opportunities to drink the best wines, experience great meals and travel with top wine and food personalities.

Among the highlights:

• A multi-course, wine-paired dinner at Chateau Smith Haut-Lafite in Bordeaux hosted by star Napa winemaker David Ramey who has previously worked in Bordeaux – on the Oceania Nautica June 13-20 Lisbon to London cruise.
• A vertical library tasting of Duckhorn’s acclaimed Merlot, with founder Margaret Duckhorn – on the June 26 to July 3 Azamara Journey Rome to Monte Carlo cruise.
• A private wine-maker hosted luncheon at a top Chateauneuf-du-Pape winery served by a Michelin starred chef on the Azamara Journey July 3-11 Monte Carlo to Barcelona cruise.
• A tour of the Grgich family winery in Croatia with Violet Grgich – on the Oceania Riviera Sept 7-19 Venice to Barcelona cruise.

The value of a Food & Wine Trails cruise becomes apparent when viewed against a comparable land-based culinary vacation. Whereas a typical price for a land-based wine program is $4,000 to $5,000 per week per person, the price of a similar length Food & Wine Trails wine cruise starts at $2,274. This includes the cruise cost with transportation to and within Europe, all meals and entertainment, plus an exclusive to the group wine experience with winemaker dinners, parties, receptions and educational wine tastings.

The mission of Food & Wine Trails is to provide authenticity, value and access to the world’s best food and wine travel experiences. Each program is led or organized by a recognized local culinary expert to provide the guest with insight, access and a behind-the-kitchen (or cellar) door experience. Food & Wine Trails is the tour division of the HMS Travel Group, a 25-year-old company based in Santa Rosa, California. The company designs culinary travel programs for enthusiasts and for the creme of the food and wine world, producing programs for Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and many of America’s top food magazines and wineries. Larry Martin, the president of Food & Wine Trails, is a wine collector, vegetable gardener and the Northern California Regional Governor for Slow Food, an international food advocacy organization. The editors of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine have chosen Martin as World’s Top Wine Travel Specialist for three consecutive years.

Contact Food & Wine Trails at 800 367-5348, or info@foodandwinetrails.com. A complete list of 2013 wine cruises can be found at www.foodandwinetrails.com/cruises.

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Food & Wine Trails 2013 Wine Cruises Include One Featuring Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia Wine Events

Food & Wine Trails has announced their 2013 wine cruise series, with eleven adventures hosted by top California wineries and one hosted by one of Italy’s most famous wineries.

The 2013 California winery hosts include V.Sattui Winery, Martinelli Vineyards & Winery traveling with Foxen Winery, Mira Winery traveling with Ideology Cellars, Ramey Wine Cellars, Domaine Chandon, Sojourn Cellars, Duckhorn Vineyards, Tablas Creek Vineyard, Grigch Hills Estate and Cameron Hughes Wine.

On their Fourth Annual Wine Voyage, FOOD & WINE Magazine has partnered with the Italian Super Tuscan Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia. One of the few wineries in the world to receive a perfect 100/100 score from Wine Spectator, Ornellaia will be providing their wines for the onboard events including tastings and a wine-paired dinner.

These cruises sail the Mediterranean between April and October, because according to Food & Wine Trails President Larry Martin, “It’s the ancestral home to today’s wines and the best time of year to visit. When combined with the region’s natural beauty and popularity of the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet, it is no wonder that the Med has always the most popular destination for the food and wine lover.”

All Food and Wine Trails’ cruises include a private onboard wine program, and extras such as free or included gratuities, a $100 early-booking shipboard credit and discounted or free airfare from the US to Europe. Each cruise is held on a small to mid-size Oceania Cruises or Azamara Club Cruises ship, and is hosted by winemakers or winery principals.

Martin explains, “It’s important for us to offer great content and personal access to the movers and shakers of the wine-industry. All our programs not only include private tastings of library and current vintages, exclusive group parties, and winery hosted dinners, they also allow the guest to visit top wine estates while in port for private tours and luncheons. This makes each wine cruise a unique and educational experience.”

Stateroom prices for Food & Wine Trails’ 2013 wine cruises start at $1985 per person (double occupancy) with departures from April 21st with V.Sattui Winery through October 11th with FOOD & WINE Magazine and Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia.

Food and Wine Trails, 707A 4th Street, Santa Rosa CA 95404, 707-526-2922, foodandwinetrails.com.

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ConsciousWine gives away an all-organic eco-foodie dream trip for two to Oregon Wine Country

McMinnville, Oregon – On March 31st, ConsciousWine, America’s greenest online wine shop, will hold a Facebook Livestream drawing to win an eco-foodie’s dream trip for two to Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine region this May. Residents of the continental United States can enter to win for free through March 30th at ConsciousWine.com/contest.

Jeff Weissler, better known to his fans as “The ConsciousWine Guy”, will personally take the lucky winners on guided tastings and tours of some of the top organic and biodynamic wineries, restaurants, and farms in the verdant viticultural region. The trip includes rare opportunities to share one-on-one time with some of the leading winemakers, chefs and farmers at the forefront of Oregon’s emerging eco-culinary scene. Weissler will give winners a first-hand look at on-the-ground practices that set the green food and wine scene apart from its “conventional” counterparts.

Three night stay at the Youngberg Hill Inn

The whirlwind tour, valued at $2,750, includes a 3-night stay in a queen suite at the luxurious Youngberg Hill Inn. Set on a 50-acre hilltop overlooking the estate’s 22-year-old organic vineyard, the inn offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the lush Willamette Valley beyond. Best known for its Pinot Noirs, Youngberg Hill’s operation has been organic since 2003. The family estate is certified sustainable by LIVE and certified Salmon Safe.

Wining and dining the Willamette

In addition to tasting some of the Willamette’s finest green wines, the winners of the ConsciousWine contest will also experience a culinary tour de force of organic Oregon fare.

Day one includes a private, multi-course demonstration dinner prepared by Red Hills Market, using their mobile wood-fired brick oven. The dinner will be paired with Youngberg Hill’s award winning wines made from 100% organically grown grapes.

Day two features a family-style 8-course feast at Thistle paired with wines from the Demeter-certified biodynamic vineyards of Dominio IV. The intimate 20-seat gourmet eatery in McMinnville has earned Chef Eric Bechard and co-owner Emily Howard a well-deserved reputation for working hand-in-hand with local vintners, farmers and fisherman to source the finest, freshest local ingredients available.

Day three finishes out the trip with a 3-course cooking class at the Wine Country Cooking Studio with Chef Wendy Bennett, featuring the biodynamic wines of the eco-conscious Brooks Estate.

Winners will also enjoy tastings and tours at Lūmos Wine Company, Dominio IV, Archery Summit, de Lancellotti Family Vineyards, Briar Rose Creamery and the Oregon Olive Mill and other surprises.

For more information, visit: http://consciouswine.com/contest.

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European Wine and Bike Tours Merge Best of Two Worlds

Dual interests of biking and wine tasting come together in Tuscany, Italy. Bike Tours Direct serves as a central resource for bicycle tours in Europe, representing more than 50 tour companies that offer more than 200 tours in 35 European countries © 2011 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

Europe has long been a top destination both for travelers interested in its fine wines and for bicyclists wanting to explore countries at a leisurely pace. Increasingly, travelers are merging those two interests thanks to a growing number of wine and bicycle tours. For travelers interested in experiencing the best of European wines and country roads, BikeToursDirect offers several wine and bike tours in some of the top wine-producing regions of the world.

The trips provide special access to some of the best vineyards and wine cellars and most breathtaking cycling landscapes in the world. Offering dozens of wine and bike tours in 2011, BikeToursDirect works with locally-based tour operators who can provide special access to off-the-beaten-(bike)-path vineyards and producers.

“A wine and bike tour offers both the intimacy of a bike trip and the fun of visiting a vineyard or winery,” says Robert Heiss, co-owner of teatrekker.com and a wine and food connoisseur who has participated in several wine and bike tours. “There is nothing like arriving at a vineyard on a bicycle—it makes you feel, just for a moment, as though you might really live in the village down the road and are just stopping by for your regular wine purchase.”

“Another bonus of exploring a region by bicycle: guilt-free dining,” says BikeToursDirect president Jim Johnson. “And nothing goes better with a fine meal than a fine wine!”

With a variety of terrain, food, wine and cycling options, bike tours in Tuscany are a top choice for cycle tourists interested in wine and cuisine. Every tour BikeToursDirect offers in the region spotlights vineyards, wine and food in some way, with several tours that have a more concentrated “wine and bike” focus. Two popular options include the “Tuscany Wine Classic” or “Tuscany’s Crown Jewels” tours, which wind through the enchanting Tuscan landscape, incorporate wine tastings at several vineyards and feature authentic Tuscan food.

“The connection you make with the countryside from the seat of a bicycle can never be replicated in a car,” says Dominick Cerisano, founder of Best Tuscan Tours, LLC and Chief Cycling Officer. “The sights, the smells, the way the Tuscan sun reflects through the vineyards—these are the sensations you can only feel on a bike. Also there are no fines in Italy for cycling after enjoying a few glasses of Chianti. You can’t do that in a car!”

“For cycling wine lovers we provide special access to the best producers both large and small,” says Cerisano. “Our on-staff sommelier can further assist wine connoisseurs with purchasing advice and even assist with expert packaging and shipping right to your home.”

Fine wine is plentiful in France, another top choice, with tours in the Burgundy, Bordeaux, Loire Valley and Provence regions that include visits to some of the best-known wine producers in the world. Bike tours in Provence are especially popular because of the unique regional wines, historic medieval architecture and landscape that inspired artists like Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse.

Other popular choices include tours along the Mosel, Rhine and Main River Bike Paths in Germany, which feature vineyards at almost every turn.

Hungary, a country not as well known for its fine wines as other countries—due to lower exports rather than lower quality—features “Wine and Bike in Hungary’s Balaton Uplands,” which includes two or more wine-tastings and vineyard visits every day and unlimited wine with dinner!

To help cycle tourists find wine and bike tours that fit their interests, BikeToursDirect offers a “Wine and Bike” page that spotlights several popular tours. BikeToursDirect also has a TourFinder that provides a detailed search of more than 200 tours offered on its website. With just a few quick clicks, a cycle tourist can create a list of tours based on key parameters (such as a wine and bike focus, country and level of difficulty) to help narrow down the search for the perfect wine and bike vacation.

About BikeToursDirect

BikeToursDirect, now in its eighth season, serves as a central resource for bicycle tours in Europe, representing more than 50 tour companies that offer more than 200 tours in 35 European countries and is currently expanding to Asia, Africa and Australia. BikeToursDirect offers a variety of resources to help travelers choose tours and handles the entire booking and payment process. Learn more at www.biketoursdirect.com. Telephone: 1-877-462-2423 or 1-423-756-8907. Email: info@biketoursdirect.com.

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