The year was 2020, and I, among others, spent US$326.6 billion on wine. Thanks to the pandemic, we wine drinkers are finding solace by drinking more wine, pushing revenue to a projected US $434.6 billion by 2027, representing an increase of 4.3 percent between 2020-2027. Dessert wines (i.e., Sauternes/France; Tokaji Aszú/Hungary; Muscat/Italy) are a growing category […]
Caribbean: Flaws in Paradise
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” – James Michener Reality is Harsh There are at least two sides to the Caribbean tourism industry: the side travelers experience as they transit from airports in air-conditioned vans and limos to their hotels, and the locals’ […]
Hotels and Travel Reimagined. Better? Perhaps. Certainly Different!
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste” Rahm Emanuel (American politician: adviser to U.S. President Bill Clinton; U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Mayor of Chicago). If not better, hotels and travel reimagined are easily different. Not Same Same Dr. Eran Avraham, left, and Dr. Izaak Cohen from Bar-Ilan University walk through […]
WHO Has the Right Person for the Job
WHO Impacts My Life I developed a tiny cough over the weekend (although I have not wandered beyond the confines of my apartment elevator and laundry room). To be perfectly honest, there are occasions when I have had my windows open, and rather than have a butterfly land on my windowsill, or have a leaf […]
One Woman. Many Wines
Lia Tolaini Banville and her father, Pier Luigi Tolaini, started importing wines from Italy 16 years ago (2004), expanding the operation in 2016 to include wines from France, Germany and the UK. In 2011, Banville added Italian spirits to her portfolio, introduced a wholesale division and, a few years later, extended her reach to include Washington, DC […]
Retail: Here Today, Here Tomorrow
Would you travel nude or naked?
Face Forward. Please! Traveling sucks the moisture out of our skin! We may start the journey looking terrific and deplane looking a total wreck because of the anxiety of getting to and through airports and security, the questions on whether the flight will depart/land on-time without incident, the dismay caused by the dry air on […]
NY drinks NY wines: History and hybrids
New York Wines: Disaster in the Beginning Historians have documented the fact that grapes were first introduced to New York by the Dutch (1647-1664); sadly, the crops failed. A few years later, the French Huguenot settlers in Ulster County tried to plant European varietals (1667) and they too were unsuccessful. William Robert Prince (1795—1869) Finally, […]
All about Whiskey
The world of whiskey extends well beyond smelling, sipping and tasting. To learn about the brown liquid in your glass you should speak with Lew Bryson, one of the world’s leading authorities on whiskey. If you don’t have the time to take a whiskey course with Bryson, you can buy his book, “Tasting Whiskey. An […]
Unique hotels lead to successful guest experiences
The contemporary traveler sees a hotel more than just a place to sleep and take a shower. The hotel has become part of the travel experience and sometimes an important part of a traveler’s escapade. Hotel owners/managers and interior designers who understand the new role of the hotel (including rooms, public spaces, dining options, recreational […]