Category Archives: Wine

Agency Exclusive Waterfalls & Wine Tour

Leave a reply

We are very pleased to announce that we are now accepting deposits for our June 2015 Waterfalls & Wine tour!  Perfectly timed to coincide with our Alaska Inside Passage Cruise group, this is an agency exclusive tour – not available anywhere else.

winery oregon (2)Whether you are a wine novice or connoisseur, prepare yourself for an amazing time as we explore the wines and natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.  Our group tour embarks from Seattle, Washington on a wines and waterfall focused journey through Washington State and into Oregon, ending in Portland.  Along the way you will view some of the areas most amazing waterfalls and sip wine at award-winning wineries.   Taste the big Merlots of Walla Walla Valley, the supple Chardonnays of Horse Heaven Hills, and the sleek sexy Pinot Noirs of Willamette Valley.  You will even create your own red wine blend to take home.  The waterfalls are not only amazing to view, they are extremely accessible.  You won’t be taking long hikes to see them, as you need to save your energy for sipping wine!   For all the details and pricing information – please visit our web page.

pacific northwest wine (6)
Snoqualmie Falls

2015 Waterfalls & Wine Tour

2 Replies

Waterfalls & Wine

Our research is almost complete! In June 2015 we will be hosting a very special Waterfalls & Wine tour in the Pacific Northwest. From the supple Pinot Noirs of Oregon’s Willamette Valley to the Powerful Merlots of Walla Walla Washington, we will cover the wonderful world of Pacific Northwest Wines. Our wine country travels take us along the Columbia River Valley where we will view amazing displays of easily accessible waterfalls. You do the packing and leave the rest to us.

While we are firming up plans with wineries and hotels – mark your calendars – full details are coming soon!

Washington Grapes, Mountains & Waterfalls

Leave a reply

Washington AVAs

Washington state ranks second in the US in wine production, behind only California.  Washington has twelve federally defined American Viticultural Areas (AVA) with all but one in Eastern Washington. The largest AVA is the Columbia Valley AVA, which extends into a bit of northern Oregon and encompasses most of the other Washington AVAs. These include Walla Walla , Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope, Lake Chelan, Naches Heights, and Yakima Valley, which in turn also encompasses Rattlesnake Hills, Snipes Mountain and Red Mountain.   In our short trip to the area, we traveled through the majority of these locations!

Horse Heaven Hills

Grapes were first planted in Walla Walla by Italian immigrants a very long time ago – it was in the 1950s and 1960s, the precursors of the state’s biggest wineries (Chateau Ste Michelle and Columbia Winery) began.  While many grape varietals thrive throughout Washington, the dominant ones are Rieslings, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.  In our opinion the big boy is the Merlot with bright intense flavor and lush texture.  It is said that in California, Merlot is added to Cabernet Sauvignon to soften it, but in Washington, Cabernet Sauvignon is added to help soften the Merlot.

 

Columbia River Valley
Grapes ripening in Horse Heaven Hills
Columbia Crest
Columbia Crest
95 points of yum!
Barrels at Columbia Crest
L’Ecole converted school house
L’Ecole Winery
2011 Ferguson – sold out
Wino Crossing sign at Va Piano
Northstar Winery
Lavender in bloom
Northstar Winery
Blending classroom at Northstar
Adamant team – he makes wine, she does the artwork
Cute winery dog at Adamant
Horse Heaven Hills

Besides the wine, the state has gorgeous scenery.  Check out our videos at Snoqualmie Falls and Mount Ranier below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our version of the Oregon Trail

2 Replies

The Oregon trail is an historic wagon wheel route, originally laid by fur trappers and traders that connect Missouri to Oregon.  Settlers used it to come west and stake out claims for land.  While the land journey is certainly a great trip, we took an air journey and flew into Portland.  Portland is an interesting and somewhat quirky town with many unique and interesting neighborhoods to enjoy as well as a highly accessible and enjoyable downtown area.  The Columbia and Willamette rivers run right through the heart of Portland, but they are not the only liquid assets here, which seems to have a micro brewery on every block.  For this trip, we were not there for the beer (sigh), but simply using it as our jumping off point to get to the Willamette Valley in search of grapes.

sokol blosser-001

The Willamette Valley has emerged in recent years as one of the premier wine producing regions in the country, even garnering international notoriety. The valley is home to over 300 individual wineries The climate, latitude, and geology is particularly suited to the production of top-quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris.  The Willamette Valley is a huge appellation that includes six sub-appellations: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill-Carlton.

As we are still travelling, here is just a quick photo overview as it is almost time to get out and explore some more.

Stoller Family Estate in Dundee Hills.  Beautiful tasting room and great 100% Estate grown wines.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Sokol Blosser Winery – the Evolution blend is easily found in the midwest.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Durant Vineyards – one of our favorite stops!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Archery Summit – Great wines and a unique (to this area) wine cellar tasting room

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Not just horsing around in Napa Valley

Leave a reply

Today we are in iconic Napa Valley.  Our first stop is not the usual tourist hot spot.  We have an appointment at Tamber Bey.

Tamber BeyAccording to their website: “Vintner Barry Waitte founded Tamber Bey Vineyards in 1999, when he purchased a 60-acre vineyard in the Yountville Appellation and an 11-acre property in the renowned Oakville Appellation. This marked Waitte’s entry into the wine business as a grower. He immediately hired vineyard manager Josh Clark to plant and farm the properties with the goal of growing premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Dijon Chardonnay.”

Tamber BeyThe winery itself is located at the Sundance Ranch (an homage to Robert Redford – friend of the owners) in Calistoga, a world-class, 22-acre equestrian facility that is dedicated to training top performance horses. . The tasting room is located in the original barn clubhouse. The 16-stall barn surrounds the courtyard, where guests can taste wine and mingle with the horses. A spectacular view of Mount St. Helena and the Palisades frame the setting.  The wine barrels are currently stored in what was originally a horse show ring.

The wines were great and the setting was awesome!  Sue’s favorite was the Dijon Chardonnay and Paul’s was the Rabicono red blend. This is a great setting for a stop with our Napa winery group with Vino Etcetera .  We are still looking for a few dedicated wine enthusiasts to get the group on it’s way!

Everything you need for horses
Careful Sue!
what looks like beer barrels are the juice for topping off the barrels as they age
it’s all good
the guard cat

 

 

Sip Wine in Napa Valley with your personal Sommelier

Leave a reply

Sue has been working very hard on assembling the perfect Napa Valley Experience for a select group of wine explorers from September 28 to October 2, 2014

Corienne Winkels, sommelier and proprietor of Vino Etcetera in Oconomowoc will be your enchanting host for this 5 day / 4 night journey into the heart of the most iconic wine country in America.

pejuOur Experience includes: amazing hands-on wine blending, a special welcome BBQ dinner at an estate winery sitting at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, special wine pairing with cookies!, private cellar tastings, cheese pairing, VIP reception with special country dinner under the stars with build your own wood-fired pizzas and 20 much more.

Our group will participate in many premium planned activities and tastings, but we also built in plenty of free time where you can simply relax and explore on your own.

We are now taking deposits!  Group size is strictly limited and deposits must be in by July 10 to reserve your spot on this trip.  

Please See our web page for more details, pricing and payment information.

Napa Wine Grapes

European Christmas Markets – Let’s GO!

Leave a reply

nutcrackerAdvent has been ushered in since the late middle ages via traditional Christmas markets.  Depending on where you are in Europe a Christmas market is also known as Christkindlmarkt, Marché de Noël, Christkindlesmarkt, and Weihnachtsmarkt. Christkindlesmarkt literally translates as “Christ child market”.

Generally held in town squares, the markets sell food, drink and seasonal crafts from open-air stalls accompanied by traditional singing and dancing.  Popular attractions include a Nativity scene, nutcrackers, toasted almonds, traditional gingerbread cookies and hot mulled wine to help stave off the cold winter air.  Many handmade items including toys, decorations and ornaments are found in the Market.  Check out this photo – It’s truly a magical experience!cologne cathedral market

One of the most visited Christmas Markets is found in Cologne, Germany which in fact has 7 markets in total of which the 4 biggest are located near the amazing Cathedral. The Christmas Market at the Cologne Cathedral is the most impressive one in, due to the huge backdrop of the imposing Cathedral.  Beneath the Cathedral and the largest Christmas tree in the Rhineland, you can find well over 160 festively designed wooden pavilions. Here you can watch artisans at work, enjoy original “Christmas Mulled Wine” out of festively decorated Christmas mugs or you can choose from an unlimited choice of sweets and local delicacies. The Alter Markt takes place in front of the old town hall only 200 meters from the cathedral. Shadowed by beautiful narrow-gabled houses and half-timbered stalls, this market conveys a very romantic and idyllic feel.  The Neumarkt is Cologne’s oldest Christmas market located near St. Aspoteln’s (Basilica of the Holy Apostles) church. This market glows in splendor with charmingly designed chalets and a unique “stars at night” theme.  The Christmas Market on the Rudolfplatz takes you to a world of brother’s Grimm fairy tales. Large fairy tale figures and festive illuminations provide a special eye-catcher, set against the historic backdrop of one of Cologne’s 3 standing medieval gate houses.

Rhine Holiday Market 2014 mapYou may very well be asking why we are talking about Christmas markets in May?  Well because to see the markets you need to plan ahead.  GetAway Travel has an agency exclusive offer for you to join us on an amazing River Cruise on the Rhine River during the start of Advent.  

Prepare to be pampered and amazed on our special 7 day trip cruising along the legendary Rhine through Germany, France and Switzerland. Explore charming towns and discover treasures in some of Europe’s finest traditional Christmas markets. You’ll revel in the brilliant holiday decorations and in tasting the many treats and spiced wines of the season. This is truly the way to celebrate Christmas!  Discover the roots of our Christmas traditions as you explore some of Europe’s most charming towns. Browse for unique ornaments in Basel’s Christmas Market. Sip vin chaud as you stroll to Place Kléber to behold the enormous, brilliantly lighted tree that Strasbourg offers modern celebrants. Find unexpected treasures in the red-roofed stalls clustered around Cologne’s magnificent cathedral.

You may have never planned your Christmas holiday this far in advance, but now is really the time to get in the spirit and join our group.  Please view our webpage for more details on this cruise and information on how you can sign up!

Oh and did we mention that the river cruise is all-inclusive?

 

Alaska 2015

Leave a reply

We are putting together a group for an Inside Passage Alaska Cruise in June 2015 and you’re invited!  Join the group and get a close up view of Alaska’s famous glaciers, abundant wildlife and inspiring natural beauty.  Journey round trip from Seattle Washington aboard the stunning Crown Princess.  The Crown Princess is the largest ship Princess Cruises has ever put in Alaska – which means more entertainment, dining and relaxation options on-board for you.  Walk on a glacier in the morning, spend the afternoon in the spa and finish the day with gourmet dining and a broadway show.

We have special pricing and amenities just for you in several stateroom categories.  We are also starting to put the finishing touches on a custom add-on for this trip – Pacific Northwest Wine Tour.  We can’t release the wine tour details yet, but the timing will coincide with the cruise dates so you choose to do both the Cruise and Wine tour together.

Please visit our web page for more details.

Cruise Ship in Glacier Bay

Cruise Ship in Glacier Bay

 

7-day Round Trip Inside Passage Cruise on Crown Princess

7-day Round Trip Inside Passage Cruise on Crown Princess

 

Some things are always a work in progress

Leave a reply

For example, it seems that every single Google app we use always seems to be in beta version.  Not a bad thing as one can assume it will (hopefully) keep getting better and better.

Such is the case with our GetAway Travel Pinterest pages.  Always room for improvement, but it is actually starting to look better.   We have a wealth of great photos from our trips that we love to share to help inspire our clients.  Eventually we will get more photos posted, but there is only so much time in the day – and – planning great vacations for you will always come first.  For now, please enjoy and let us know what you would like to see more of.

On our “Places We Love” board, we’re messing around with the new Pinterest feature that shows on a map where all the pins are located.

We do have other passions besides travel!

Here is a very small fraction (so far) of wineries we have visited

and of course our Wheaten friends

 

The way grocery shopping should always be

1 Reply

We’re talking “market day” in Italy!  Nearly every town in Tuscany and Umbria have a weekly market day and there is nothing more special than being a part of one.

Usually held in the mornings, the town square is filled with dozens of trucks with literally everything from fruit to nuts.  There will be stalls selling shoes, clothing, olives, bread, meats, cheeses and everything in between.  Now don’t get us wrong, this is not a tourist attraction, this is how the locals shop and it’s amazing to be able to participate.  We love to sample our way through the market, always buying things to eat throughout the rest of our trip or to pack for our family back home  When we aren’t sampling we are photographing the array of items for sale.  On our Wine Centric Italy trip in October 2014 we’ll be experiencing market day in Greve in the Chianti region.  I know we’ve said it before, this is another one of those experiences you must have when visiting Italy.

1-Limone sul Garda Italy 5-28-2008 10-48-04 AM 3872x2592
1-Limone sul Garda Italy 5-28-2008 10-48-24 AM 3872x2592
1-Lucca Italy 5-27-2010 3-45-32 AM 3872x2592
16-Cortona Italy 5-29-2010 3-32-16 AM 3872x2592
17-Cortona Italy 5-29-2010 3-32-55 AM 3872x2592
Ravenna, Italy
Deli In Italy
18-San Gimignano Italy 6-3-2008 8-56-51 AM 3872x2592