 With summer saying farewell and travel prices falling back down out of the stratosphere people are planning seasonal getaways. A popular trip is the wine vacation. While California might be the first place to come to mind, made even more popular due to the success of the movie, “Sideways” it’s certainly not the only wine destination. In fact, whether you want to venture to the other side of the globe, or not too much further than your own backyard there are plenty of wine vacations that fit the bill.Let’s start with not just this continent, but this state. Our own beautiful and award-wining vineyards are the way to go. Knowing that staying overnight “out east” during the high season can be pricey, with rooms at their highest cost and minimum stay requirements of two, and often three nights, it makes perfect sense to wait until the beginning of the fall to enjoy the Long Island vineyards. Info can be found on not only vineyards, but also lodging options www.liwines.com. Many local B&Bs are situated within walking distance to multiple vineyards. If you opt for more of a hotel or Inn experience, a short cab ride can get you to almost any vineyard of your choosing. There is also the “tour” option for those more open into having a limo company organize their vineyard experience. These tours usually include three vineyards, lunch and all transportation. Cars range in size from large party buses to smaller town cars suited for one or two couples. Starting fairly close by, Connecticut has a wine trail with a variety of vineyards. My sister, sister-in-law and I chose this as our, “Girls weekend away,” one summer and had tremendous fun. Scenery was beautiful, the people warm and friendly and the wine at two vineyards: DiGrazia and Haight-Brown Vineyards, was exceptional. The drive was short and accommodations in local hotels were affordable. Look here for info on the CT Wine Trail. www.ctwine.com Want to go “upstate?” As close as the Hudson Valley, less than two hours from NYC, www.hudsonvalleywinecountry.org or as far as the Finger Lakes www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com and Niagara niagarawinetrail.org. New York has numerous wine trails to explore. Ready to venture off the continent? Google Italian wine tours for an assortment of guided tours and destinations. Prefer South America? Chilean wine tours are also popular. Not opposed to being on a plane for a day or so? Australia’s southeastern neighbor, New Zealand, also boasts a booming wine industry, more than just Sauvignon Blanc, as well as breath taking scenery. The reviews of this vacation destination are stellar and their seasons and ours are flip-flopped. Leave during our winter, get there during their summer. |
Linda Delmonico Prussen is an award-winning journalist whose passion is wine. Her other forms of generating income include acting in TV and film, playwriting and coaching gymnastics. When not working she enjoys spending time with her three beautiful daughters, her husband, her friends, her family and her best friend, her Maltipoo Powder. She can be reached at lprussen@optonline.net |
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