The Change in Spain We easily associate wine with Spain; however, this country is also home to Europe’s oldest beer production, dating back over 4,400 years ago in Soria (located on the Douro River to the east of Castile and Leon). Wine was pushed aside when the Romans introduced viticulture. This changed in 1516 when Flemish-born Charles […]
Bordeaux wines meet up @ Bagatelle in Manhattan
For those who need to be seen, the go-to French Mediterranean restaurant in the Meatpacking district of Manhattan is Bagatelle. Gentlemen take note: The name means the “light courtship of a woman.” Designed and managed by French Aymeric Clemente & Remi Laba, this restaurant creates an atmosphere and menu that suggests the flavors of the […]
New Yorkers Discover French Roses
Picture this: It is a late on a summer afternoon; you are relaxing with friends on the terrace of your Manhattan penthouse. The weather is hot, humid, damp, rainy, definitely undesirable. What wine is the perfect selection for improving the mood? A French Rose! Not any French Rose… but the French Rose from Chateau de Berne (Provence) that […]
French Bistro Dining in NYC: Almost Next-door @ Paname
While it is wonderful to discover restaurants in Paris and Rome, St. Charles, Missouri and Sarasota, Florida – a really rewarding food discovery happens when it is a 5-minute walk from home. Eastside Neighborhood Paname opened in November 2014 on Manhattan’s eastside, in a neighborhood with limited options for dining, making Paname (1028 Second Avenue, between 56 […]
Cognac Begins with Grapes. Apples Become Calvados
Have you ever considered an alternative path for grapes; one that leads to something other than wine? Are you ready to acknowledge that not all wine stays as wine, and some wines actually continue their production journey to become brandy…and a few very special grapes – are destined to become Cognac? Only One Cognac While Cognac […]
Live like a Local in St. Maarten
St. Maarten is governed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, although there are very few signs of the Dutch influence remaining. Today, this Caribbean island (shared with Saint Martin, a French overseas collectivity), is a lively island nation (approximately 100 miles east of Puerto Rico), that has become a major port for cruise ships and a […]
Aviation: A Stepping Stone to Caribbean Tourism Expansion… or Not
Unless you live in a Caribbean country, there is no way to reach the islands without using air and/or water transportation. No one has yet found the funding or engineering skill-set to build roads, rails or tunnels as connectors to the region; therefore, the development and sustainability of the region is dependent upon an air and/or […]
The Prosecco Selected by Trainer to the Stars and C-suite Executives
Question: Can you identify the wine that is low in sugar and calories and recommended by Shawn Benson, the trainer to the stars of stage and screen as well as road warrior executives? Answer: Prosecco! This bubbly white wine delivers only 80 calories (per 125 ml), fewer calories than a glass (125 ml) of red […]
Casa Perfect: Retailing Takes on a New Persona
Research suggests that retail is going the way of the Model T and dinosaurs. In reality, retailing is borrowing from the travel and tourism playbook and morphing shopping into a delightful, immersive, experience (even an adventure). As a Class A Shopper who strongly believes in Retail Therapy (usually more energizing than a trip to a […]
Women Travel Solo, Widely and Stylishly
About the Woman Traveler The fact that women like to travel is not a new phenomenon. What might be surprising is the number of women who have traveled or are interested in traveling. A recent Trafalgar survey of USA women reported that 86 percent of women are not afraid to travel regardless of world conditions […]