The Haute Travel Writer

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Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa:California's Wine Country Retreat

It is one of Wine Country’s most iconic hotels, built a century ago with a history as rich as the nearby gold rush towns located throughout the region. It is literally a beacon for the well-to-do seeking the good life with a fitting three-story high water tower that sits at the center of the property like a trophy. One could surmise the tower is a symbol of admiration bestowed by guests for the 5-star resort’s sublime setting, luxurious accommodations, and dining experience created to impress th
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MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa: Sonoma Wine Country's Hautiest Hideaway

They come to this region in droves and with good reason. This sun-drenched hamlet is the ideal escape from the manic pace of San Franciso and Silicon Valley or for those from around the world who love good wine. Here they find an ideal base to explore all that this bountiful wine region has to offer from epicurean experiences and the lovely drop and all of the lifestyle that goes along with it. It is Sonoma and one of its most iconic and beloved retreats is the MacArthur Place Hotel and Spa. Th
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Francis Ford Coppola Winery: Sonoma's Oscar-Worthy Wine Experience

Everyone has an unforgettable and favorite scene from The Godfather. It may be the kiss of death from Michael to his brother Fredo or the severed horse’s head put in the bed of an unfortunate who refused a family request. Or from Apocalypse Now, the scene with Robert Duvall, as bombs rain down and explode around him, belts out: “There’s nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning”. These scenes are part of who we are as a culture, cinematic gold for generations created by a virtuoso of the s
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Finding Pleasure in a Glass In Argentina: Mendoza's Salentein Wine Experience

Argentina is an incredible country with so much to see. It has a rich diversity of nature from its arid landscapes of salt flats and deserts in Salta to its stunning Alp-like mountain ranges in the Andes, and of course the gorgeous scenery and wildlife of Patagonia. And one must mention their capital city Buenos Aires which has been called Paris of the South, filled with outdoor cafes, steak asado, and the tango. Argentina is also known as one of the top producers of New World Wines with one par
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Uruguay's Ultimate Wine Retreat, The Sacromonte Landscape Hotel

It’s in a far-off place and hard to get to. On the other side of the world tucked away in a little corner of South America where the closest city is Punta del Este which is about an hour away. While you are en route, you’ll barely notice that the roads have changed from well-maintained to bumpy, pot-holed, and unpaved as the distraction of the bucolic pastures, woodlands, and undulating hills of the Uruguayan countryside demands your full attention. You’ll soon find out that the place at the end
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The Penfolds Grange and a Visit to the Magill Estate Cellar Door: Australia's Crown Jewels of Wine

There are certain people, places, or products that are so far beyond any peer that their superiority is without question. They are, in a word, undisputed. An example would be Mike Tyson in his prime, so ferocious that any opponent was not expected to last more than a few rounds before inevitably being knocked out. Or perhaps a Rolls Royce Phantom, the epitome of luxury cars so much so that every
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Exploring Stellenbosch, South Africa: One of the World's Most Spectacular Wine Routes

When we think of the world’s top destinations to enjoy wine, the first that comes to mind are Bordeaux, Tuscany or perhaps the Napa Valley. They are known for their excellence in wine but also as places where lovers of wine can go to be immersed in the terroir of the locale, amongst the rolling hills filled with grape vines and to be able to swirl and sip at the winery’s cellar door. The experience does not end at the cellar door; beyond the bottle are culinary experiences where gastronomic menu
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Art of Living: The Bordeaux Wine Region and the Chateau Codellian-Bages

Bordeaux. The word, as it rolls off the tongue, brings to mind sophistication, the finest of wines and the French art of living. The Bordeaux region is remarkably beautiful with scenes of winding rivers, French chateaus in the countryside and grape vineyards as far as the eye can see. This is wine’s ground zero, named the Médoc. In the middle of the Médoc near the town of Pauilliac is the Chateau Codellian-Bages, a luxurious estate giving access to all of the epicurean riches this region has to
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Discovering The Wine Heaven of Australia's Margaret River

Australia is a country known for kangaroos, the Great Barrier Reef, the unspoiled nature the Outback as well as their bustling cosmopolitan cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Australia is also renowned for two other definitive attributes. Australia is known for its tough and defiant people; mavericks who, as a result of being cut off from the rest of the world by geography and endless oceans, forged an independent and self-sufficient country. Australia’s second notable feature is a gift to the oeno
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Experiencing Tuscan-style Good Living and the Castello Banfi-Il Borgo Winery Estate

For the well-heeled epicurean, a destination that is a must see is Tuscany. There’s a mystique and legend around it built over water coolers in faraway places as those who return regale stories of rolling hills of grape, golden sunsets over wide open fields, rustic estates dotting the landscape and, of course, the wine. The fantasy of Tuscany builds beyond that with dreams of staying in the luxurious accommodations in a grand estate and having an exquisite gourmet dinner under the stars with you
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Discovering Italy's Best Kept Secret: the Wine-Rich Collio Region

Discovering Italy's Best Kept Secret: the Wine-Rich Collio Region The saying goes that one could travel for their entire life and never see all of Italy’s beautiful destinations. That saying rings true, yet most travelers stay on the beaten path visiting Florence, Rome, Venice or perhaps one of Italy’s many islands. Lovers of wine usually pick Tuscany, whose roads in summer months quickly fill with wine hungry tourists buzzing around on their Vespas. In the northeast part of Italy is where the
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South Africa's Culinary Capital and its Epitome of Opulence, La Residence Wine Resort

South Africa’s Western Cape is renowned for producing some of the world’s finest wine and is home to more than 800 wine estates. Franschhoek is South Africa’s culinary capital and a top oenophile destination that rivals Bordeaux, Tuscany and the Napa Valley. There you’ll find La Residence, Franschhoek’s finest abode, bar none, heralded for its scenic beauty, stunning décor, and providing the quintessential wine resort experience. Franschhoek is Africa’s mecca for the wine lover. This region has
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Australia's Willie Wonka of Wine, Chester Osborne of d'Arenberg Wine and the McLaren Vale

Australia's wine industry is ripe with visionaries, mavericks and colorful characters with a bullheaded commitment to creating world-class wine. They are after all farmers and, by definition, toil season after season, crop after crop, and harvest after harvest in hopes - and often failures - of creating liquid gold from each uncertain vintage. Arguably South Australia’s most colorful winemaker, literally, is Chester Osbourne of McLaren Vale’s d’Arenberg Wines. Known for his flamboyant shirts tha
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Wine time in Australia’s Yarra Valley with De Bortoli Wine and the Araluen Boutique Accommodation

Victoria, a state in south-eastern Australia, is a destination hard not to love. The cosmopolitan and vibrant city of Melbourne is surrounded by the seaside beaches of the Mornington Peninsula to the soaring alp-like Grampian Mountain Ranges. At the turn of the century and after the world wars, Italians, as other European immigrants, settled throughout Australia and brought their traditions of food and wine making. Those early settlers found similar growing conditions in the undulating hills an
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The Mornington Peninsula's Epicurean Triumph, the Polperro Winery, Cellar Door Restaurant, and Vineyard Villas

There is nothing like a weekend getaway in the country. Taking a few hours’ drive away from the big city for an indulgent change of scenery and enjoying some delightful simple pleasure. An hour’s drive from Melbourne Australia is the Mornington Peninsula, a bucolic countryside surrounded by idyllic blue water and white sand beaches. This is one of Australia’s most coveted wine regions known for producing some of the country's top chardonnays and pinot noirs. An ideal way to savor the peninsula i
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Black Barn Retreats of Hawke's Bay: New Zealand's Ultimate Vines, Wines and Dine Vacation

Hawke’s Bay is the culinary mecca that put New Zealand on the international wine connoisseur’s map. The soil and climate are perfect for producing some of the top red wines with exquisite merlot, cabernet sauvignon and Malbec blends.  But Hawke’s Bay has more to offer than its abundance 150 wineries and cellar doors. There are outdoor concerts, amazing natural vistas and activities, and exceptional holiday experiences.  For lovers of food and wine and wonderful holidays, Black Barn Retreats are
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Australia's Grape to Glass Field of Dreams: Clare Valley Gourmet Week

Australia is indisputably one of the top producers of new world wines. Since the late 1800s, immigrants from Europe brought their way of life and love of food and wine to this island continent in the far reaches of the globe. In the highlands two hours away from Adelaide in South Australia is where you’ll find the Clare Valley. A piece of heaven found on rolling hills and pastures that produce highly acclaimed cool-climate wines. A celebration of this region’s traditions and love of food and win
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Greece’s Mountain Wine Country and the Katogi Averoff Hotel & Winery

Greece is a destination with endless places to see and experiences to enjoy. There’s another part of Greece, in the north, surround by mountains and forest, where brown bears still roam the woods. The area is Metsovo and it is a traditional mountainside village surrounded by vistas of the awe-inspiring Mount Pindos. It is also the home of a lovely Katogi Averoff Hotel and Winery.
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Lindenderry at Red Hill, Australia's Bordeaux Down Under

When we think of a destination for wine lovers, we think of Tuscany, Bordeaux or maybe the Napa Valley. We dream of driving through a countryside of rolling hills of vineyards dotted with villages and chateaus. The vacation in the vines invariably includes meandering from cellar door to cellar door tasting favorited wines, at their origin, that may sit in our wine cellar or that we’ve had during a gourmet dinner out.  Australia must also be on that short list of the perfect wine vacation. There
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Sipping and Swirling in Australia's Yarra Valley Wine Region and the Chateau Yering Estate

Sipping and Swirling in Australia's Yarra Valley Wine Region and the Chateau Yering Estate Ever since the British came to Australia 200 years ago, they found the ideal soil and sun conditions and began to produce wine. Later, after WWII, Italians and Germans immigrated and brought along their precious vine stocks. From those humble beginnings, the wine regions of Australia have created a wine industry that has grown to rival the old world wines Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, and well as new world
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