Wine tasting notes from trips we have taken.
Sonoita is Arizona’s oldest AVA and was established in 1984. It was the first, but its neighboring and second Arizona AVA, Willcox, produces most of the grapes in Arizona. We first visited Sonoita/Elgin in 2011 and were surprised and charmed by the open grasslands. The high-elevation grasslands sit at about 4800 feet above sea level. The Santa Rita Mountains to […]
It has been five years since we last visited Arizona’s Willcox wine region in the southeastern part of the state. We have missed the wide open spaces with cloud-filled skies that go on for miles. We’ve missed hiking in the mountains that surround the Sulphur Springs Valley. We missed relaxing among the mesquite trees and birdwatching at our favorite B&B. […]
Quite a bit has changed since 2017 when we first published a post about the Scottsdale Wine Trail. The wine trail is collection of Arizona winery tasting rooms located in Old Town and downtown Scottsdale. One winery has relocated on the trail, three new wineries have joined and one has left. The tasting rooms are all located within about six […]
It is primarily the animals and the landscape that draw us to a photo safari location, not the luxurious accommodations. I always question whether fancy accommodations will separate us from the views and the sounds of the African night. Happily the view and the chorus of nighttime voices were thoroughly enjoyable from our tented suite at DumaTau. Click on individual […]
Jacana Camp was the first of four stops in the Okavango Delta during our recent photo safari in Botswana. Jacana is located in the 150,000-acre Jao Concession, in the northwestern part of the Delta, south of the panhandle. The camp is located on an island of trees in the midst of a large floodplain and papyrus swamps. The main lodge […]
Recently we spent a couple of days in the Paso Robles wine region. The three-and-a-half-hour drive makes Paso too far away for a day trip, so we planned an overnight stay. For us, wine travel in the time of COVID means looking for lodging in a small rural property and for wine tasting experiences that are outdoors. Planning ahead is […]
The flower garden beneath our second-floor room is in full bloom. Raspberry bushes bear ripe fruit waiting to be picked. Paisley and Clifford, two relaxed longhorns, graze the pasture just beyond the garden. Close by a flock of chickens scratch and peck among the olive trees, with their nighttime roost (a re-purposed travel trailer) set safely within their fenced area. […]
Danshi Rise is just the kind of winery we hope to discover when we travel — single proprietor, small volume, authentic wine tasting experience, delicious wine. We experienced all of this and a man cave to rival any at Danshi Rise in Australia’s McLaren Vale region south of Adelaide. The winery sits on a rise above the vineyard at the […]
September 1 is #CapClassiqueDay, a day set aside to celebrate South Africa’s premium sparkling wines. Cap Classique is made using Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) — the traditional method (as in Champagne) where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. These sparkling beauties are made in a variety of styles, from grape varieties that you might expect and a few […]
In our experience, a safari camp located along a permanent river in Namibia is unusual. We’ve enjoyed a stay on the rim of the Fish River Canyon, but the river was dry in most places. Our stay along the ephemeral Hoanib River provided endless wildlife viewing opportunities along its dry riverbed. We’ve stayed adjacent to the red dunes of Sossesvlei […]
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.
