There are so many wineries in California that your explorations can often result in the need for third party transportation. With California wine limo excursions, you can get around in comfort and luxury.

Most wine lovers know about the big northern California wine regions – Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. These areas produce some of the highest quality and most appreciated wines in the entire US. There are, however, other northern California wine regions; one of them is Anderson Valley. Home to some of the least known yet highly praised wineries in the state, California wine limo excursions of the Anderson Valley and Mendocino can be very rewarding – you will feel like you’re discovering a wine region few others have visited.

Mendocino wine country is home to some very fine vineyards and wineries, and the best way to see this region is with one of the California wine limo excursions. One company that offers luxury (in either a Lincoln Town Car or SUV stretch limousine) is Mendo Wine. Located in the town of Mendocino, this excursion company prides itself on creating excursions that are enjoyable and tailored to your tastes. Each excursion day starts at 10:00 am, and the limo excursion will stop at four to five wineries as time allows. There is a set list of wineries visited by Mendo Wine, and while visiting each one is not possible, you can make requests and they will be accommodated as possible.

The wine excursion limo will pick you up at any inn or hotel within Mendocino Village, or down to Navarro Bridge south. Driving to the wineries in the Mendocino area takes about 35 minutes from the village, and you will be able to see redwood forests along the coastline as you approach your destination. You can either join a group excursion, or reserve a private excursion for two in the Town Car or a private limo excursion for two. While enjoying the wineries of the Anderson Valley, you will be chauffeured from spot to spot, stopping for gourmet lunch at one of the wineries as well as enjoying bread and cheese along with your wine tastings.

Some of the wineries you’ll discover while taking California wine limo excursions in the Mendocino area include the Goldeneye Winery, famous for the best premium Pinot Noir in the region and Greenwood Ridge Vineyards which produces all of its varietals in small batches (less than 7000 cases produced per year). The wineries selected to be on the excursions led by Mendo Wine are seen as the best examples of each of the wine types produced in the region – from the white wines that are made in Philo to the deep reds produced in the ridges above Anderson Valley.

A different spot to consider for your next wine adventure, Mendocino is a perfect place to discover new wines as well as enjoy the beauty of northern California. California wine limo excursions add a bit of luxury to your wine trip as well.

Sandwiched between Austria and Hungary is a speck that juts most unobtrusively, almost apologetically on the world map. Most tourists heading towards ‘exotic’ countries like Italy treat the country, about half the size of Switzerland, as a drive-through. Perhaps just as well. Visitors who do stop by to do more than simply gawk at the amazing scenery cannot help marveling at the ease of travel they experience thanks to the absence of crowds. And the beauty of the place is that you can visit any time of year – all year – and find it refreshingly unsullied and lovely.

We do recommend, though, that those with a love for the sea visit in summer so that they can swim in the Adriatic without fear of their beach sandals walking off with someone else’s feet on them. You can also go around biking, or simply walking, around the countryside taking in the fabulous sights. But if you like wine and revelry we earnestly recommend a fall visit. That is when the ripened grapes in the Slovenian vineyards get picked and harvested preceded by festivities and merry-making lasting up to three weeks. The closing day of the harvesting season is marked by St. Martin’s Day.

You can drive around with ease in the country but do bear in mind that your vehicle would require a mandatory toll-sticker or ‘vignette’ easily purchased at a filling station. Please ensure that the vignette is well-displayed on your vehicle while plying toll roads if you wish to avoid hefty fines. In addition, there are quite a few trains connecting the capital Ljubljana with the main towns and cities. You may also get by on buses which are quite comfortable with frequent connections covering a wide network of routes. In most major towns and cities you would also get bicycles on hire.

Tucked between the Alps and the Mediterranean Slovenia’s topography is amazingly varied despite its pint size. Traveling into the country you might want to hit the capital, the rather diminutive Ljubljana with it breath-taking architecture and sights. In this region of fairy-tale lakes, waterfalls, and caves, the Preseren Square standing by the riverside and dedicated to freedom and love should not be missed. From here you can obtain the train to the Ljubljana castle, one of the city’s landmarks.

Not too far from the Slovenian capital is the equally lovely Skofja Loka where you simply cannot miss the Capuchin’s or the Stone Bridge constructed in the 14th century by Bishop Leopold.

Another place you can visit is Bled where you will get to behold the most beautiful island – the only one in the country – on the face of this earth. Its bracing air and mild climate make it amply visit-worthy.

Much further up is Maribor which represents the acme of hospitality and is home to lakes, mountains and wide roads. The best time to visit is during the month of July. Maribor’s medieval castle is a must-see. Now a museum, it showcases styles ranging from Gothic to Rocco.

The list is by no means exhaustive. So we suggest you make a visit to that beautiful petite country as soon as possible.

When people refer to a “Vintage Wine” they are actually describing a wine which was made from grapes that were grown for the most part in the same year. When a vintage wine is produced, vineyards will usually take great pains to label the bottle with the particular year associated with it. The rules as to what is considered a vintage wine vary slightly from country to country, however most locations will actually allow a certain amount of the wine to be made from grapes which are not of that wines particular vintage.

The point of vintage wine is that if you have a discerning palette, you will be able to enjoy the subtle differences in flavor, texture, body, and palate that wines from different years will have. These variations are compounded exponentially when you understand that different wines will age differently, and the taste of many higher quality wines will actually improve when properly stored over years.

In general, vintage wines are produced in a single production run; in order to keep various bottles from the same vintage all roughly the same in taste. There are so many factors that can affect the taste of a wine, the climate, the soil, the region, and even the amount of rain or sunlight which falls on the grapes while growing. The purpose of vintage wines, for many vineyards, is to produce a kind of showcase beverage that will set the standard for the rest of the line. This is a way both of keeping consistency in such an amorphous art form, and as a way of showing off the highest quality product that they can produce. There are some vintages which are only produced in years where the grapes are of a certain quality, increasing the demand by decreasing the supply of these beverages.

In the United States the highest quality vintage wines are given an AVA or American Viticultural Area label. This distinction means that the wine was bottled with at least 95% of grapes grown in a certain region during that specific year. If the wine does not require an AVA, than it can still be called vintage, provided that 85% of the beverage was made from grapes grown during the same annual time period.

Non vintage wines are composed of blends of grapes, or blends of vintage wines, from various years, allowing wine makers the flexibility to continue to produce even in bad growing years.

There is a growing debate as to the actual quality of vintage wines as opposed to blended bottles. Many people claim that low cost wines produced cheaply, from a blend of grapes, can be just as good as their high priced vintage companions. On the other side of this debate are the conservative connoisseurs, who claim that consistency of vintage is essential for a high quality wine to be produced. Wine tasting contests have given support to both claims.

If you have never been to Sonoma County, you may want to add it to your list. If you have you know all about the beauty and agricultural bounty of the region.

Sonoma County is replete with world class wineries, restaurants and wonderful Bed and Breakfast Inns and hotels. It is a world-renown grape growing and wine producing region located 30 miles north of San Francisco. The moderate weather is ideal for a wide variety of agricultural products, but vineyards, grape growing and wineries dominate Sonoma County’s agricultural and economy landscape.

The county seat rests in Santa Rosa which is about 65 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

There are over 200 award-winning wineries located in Sonoma County with twelve distinct grape growing regions, also known as appellations or designated AVAs (American Viticultural Area). These consist of Alexander Valley, Bennett Valley, Carneros-Sonoma, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek Valley, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Knights Valley, Rockpile, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Mountain and Sonoma Valley.

Future articles will focus on some of these specific regions.

This beautiful county in Northern California is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and has miles of roads along its majestic coastline. Other features of the region include the Russian River, majestic redwoods, over 20 golf courses, over 40 spas, diverse festivals, numerous local Farmers’ Markets and an incredible amount of top notch restaurants and eateries.

For these and many more reasons, Sonoma County is a very popular vacation destination point for people from all over the world. If you are planning a visit to Sonoma County be sure to check with the Chamber of Commerce in the particular area you will be visiting to see if there are any special events going on.

You may also want to contact any specific wineries you plan to visit and get a copy of their events calendar. Wineries are notorious for events throughout the year, many featuring food and wine pairing, music and holiday themes.

Even if you are not deeply involved in the wine world, you must be familiar with Napa Valley Vineyards. It is the primary center of wine production in not only California but for the rest of the country as well. The history of Napa Valley Vineyards dates back to the 19th century. Today it is famous for growing various high quality vine varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Chardonnay. The Napa Valley Vineyards is so popular that more than 5 million visitors come here each year.

The first inhabitants of the Napa region, the Native Americans, were aware of the natural resources of the region. They were surrounded by numerous wild animals like wildcats, elk, salmons and grizzlies. Moreover, there were plenty of wild grapes which were a source of food for the local people. Though the idea of making wine did not arrive yet, the early settlers were not the first ones to establish these vineyards.

George Calvert Yount, one of the first settlers of the region built a local homestead in 1836 and was the first to plant a vineyard in Napa Valley. He planted vineyards for the sole purpose of recreation and was not the only person responsible for Napa Valley Vineyards’ growth. There were other people who popularized the concept of commercial production like John Patchett, owner of the first vineyard for commercial production, Hamilton Walker Crabb, who experimented on more than 400 varieties of grapes and Dr. George Crane, who promoted grape vine plantations through his newspaper columns.

The establishment of Napa Valley Vineyard did not initially or immediately take off for wine making as grapes were put to other uses at the first. It was after Charles Krug who set up the first winery for commercial purpose in 1861. His making of wines was an idea whose time had come. More than 140 wineries were in operation by 1889 which included the famous Schramsberg and Beringer wineries. The initial stage was quite successful and exciting, but as the years passed rapid expansion meant more and more people opened vineyards in the Napa Valley, resulting in a cheap grape price meaning that grapes would be going southwards due to abundance of grapes. Later a phylloxera pest infested several vineyards which resulted in huge losses for the people hence changing the price back upwards due to a smaller supply as many went bankrupt because they based their operating estimations on the earlier higher price.

The passage of a Prohibition Act in 1920 was the biggest crisis for the wine industry in Napa Valley. The people in the wine industry were taken by surprise and several vineyards had to close down. The Prohibition was repealed in 1933 which was greeted with much joy among the people and it heralded in a new beginning for vineyards and wine makers. A 1933 bottle is a treasured item for a wine collector since little was not drunk immediately.

The 1940s saw a reorganization of the Napa Valley Vineyards when several winemaker decided to form a group where they shared advice and ideas. This formed the foundation of Napa Valley Winemakers whose main task thereafter was to promote wines produced in Napa Valley in the global market. Grape growers joined this group in 1975 to form the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association.

The year 1981 saw the beginning of a traditional event for Napa Valley Vineyards when Napa Valley Wine Auction was started with the sponsorship of Napa Valley winemakers. The Meadowood Resort was chosen for the occasion and the affair was highly successful. The wine makers did not look back since then and today it is one of the flourishing charity events in wine making and beyond. Over the years more than $85 million has been collected in donations which have been distributed for health care, youth and housing initiatives.

Today Napa Valley Vineyards have won medals of all sorts. Winemakers and growers are constantly endeavoring to implement new techniques in wine making. Moreover a lot of research is going on to refine the wine making and growing process. This thrust towards making better quality wines will make sure that the valley remains at the center stage of winemaking for some time to come.

The fact that Rhode Island is home to several wineries and vineyards producing fine wines is testament to the secret of successful grape cultivation called “terroir” based on climate, soil, geography, and topography. The Big Four have impact on the grape growing environment which translates directly to bottled wine.

Climate-regions found in the middle of the 30th and 50th degree latitude are best for growing grapes. Little Rhody’s latitude of 41° N with influential coastal breezes gives it the ripe altitude.

Soil-grapes prefer deep, well-drained, sandy, or gravelly loam soils. Any gardeners from the area will attest to tools bent out of shape from encountering rocks along the rites of passage.

Geography/Topography– since grapes can grow on sloping land, The Ocean State has rolling hills in the north and west with lowlands in the south and east which benefit by warmer ocean breezes. Let the virtual vineyard tour for wine tasting begin by blazing a trail on the mainland beginning in Cumberland to our north, then veering along the scenic coastal route wine-ing south and east.

Diamond Hill Vineyards (3145 Diamond Hill Rd., Cumberland): a tasting room and gift shop on the premises, Diamond Hill has been growing grapes since 1976. Products include– Estate Pinot Noir, Estate Pinot Noir Rose, River Valley White, Blackstone Blush, Cranberry Apple, Spiced Apple, Blackberry and Blueberry.

Shelalara Vineyards & Winery (Coventry): a small winery, Shelalara hosts events at their locale. Their product line consists of California wines, glacier(dessert wines), and fruit essence wines low in sulfites.

Sakonnet Vineyards (162 West Main Rd.,Little Compton): founded in 1975, fifty acres produce viniferous varieties including Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc as well as Vidal Blanc– one of the French-American hybrids. Wine production has climbed to over 30,000 cases annually with many wines receiving awards in domestic and international competitions. One such award among several is the “2009 Edible Communities Local Hero Beverage Artisan Award.” The Hospitality Center is open every day through all seasons for tours as well as for hosting events and functions.

Greenvale Vineyard (582 Wapping Rd. Portsmouth): listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, Greenvale is a farm that has been run by the same family since 1863. They produce about 3500 cases of wine annually from 24 acres of grapes. Open for tours and tastings, there’s jazz every Saturday from Memorial Day through October with a year long schedule of concerts and open houses.

Newport Vineyards & Winery (909 E. Main Rd -Rte. 138): 60 vineyard acres were originally planted in 1977 on a hill overlooking RI Sound with the goal of producing fine wines while preserving agricultural land from rapid development. Recipient of several awards, one is “Riesling Best of Show” out of 458 entries in 2008. One may shop in the store for vino and other unique gifts, schedule a group tour, or attend one of their publicized events.

Langworthy Farm Winery (308 Shore Rd., Rte. 1A, Westerly): the farm was built in 1875 on the historical homesite of Governor Samuel Ward. One can relax on one of the porches surrounding their Bed &Breakfast while sipping a glass of their vinery finery. Having planted Vinifera grape vines in the spring of 2002, the first stainless steel barrel of Chardonnay was produced that same year. Since then, several have fermented with intriguing names influenced by the locale-Rhody Riesling, Westerly White, Napatree Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery is open to the public.

Location, location, location has afforded the smallest state an impressive yield of fine wines rivaling those from the north of France. The grapevine trail offers natives and out-of-town tasters many flavorful opportunities to sample what grapes have wrought when favorable “terroir” prevails.

Bunch rot is the bane of the winegrower’s existence. However, one fungus, Botrytis cinerea or noble rot, is required to make some of the world’s most delicious and expensive dessert wines. Botrytis bunch rot is responsible for annual crop losses of 1-10% in California. However, proper climatic conditions transform this lowly bunch rot into “noble rot”. Noble rot dehydrates and shrivels the healthy grapes, providing the raw materials for the decadently sweet Sauternes of France and Germany’s exotic Trockenbeerenauslese and Berenauslese, as well as others. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are thick-skinned, loose-clustered varieties and are therefore less prone to rot.

The fungi are a fascinating group of living organisms. 100,000 species have already been identified and twice that number may exist.

One fungus, Penicillium roqueforti, was first found in caves near the French village of Roquefort and, as the story goes, cheese left in a cave a few weeks was later found to have acquired a tart, pungently fragrant character from the fungus infection. Today, only cheeses from around these caves can use the name Roquefort. Similarly, the fungus Penicillium camemberti gives Camembert cheese its unique flavor.

What’s this got to do with wine?

There’s a group of over 50 different parasitic fungi that grow on grapes, producing what is called bunch rot. Growers spray to avoid bunch rot, and moldy grapes account for considerable crop loss each year. Bunch rot organisms emit unpleasant odors. Sour rot, a bacterial/bunch rot complex, produces acetic acid imparting a vinegary smell. Aspergillis growth gives off a “smelly sock” odor, while Penicillium smells just plain rotten, making these grapes unsuitable for winemaking. These three common bunch rots are secondary pathogens, growing due to damage where grapes split naturally, or from growing too closely together in a cluster.

Perfect conditions

The Botrytis spores are present in the vineyards throughout the year, remaining dormant until proper weather conditions of cool temperatures and high humidity prevail. Not only must specific weather conditions prevail, but they must do so at the right time of the season. The rain must arrive when the grapes are at full maturity of 22-25% sugar. Below 20%, there is too much acidity in the grape. The morning fog from a nearby body of water can settle on the grape surface initiating an “infection”. The fungus pokes minute holes in the berries’ skin allowing water to evaporate, causing shriveling. Hot weather (above 90 degrees F.) will dry up the infection and cause raisining. However, continued wet weather or high humidity following the initial onset of Botrytis results in a variety of fungal infections without the dehydration of the fruit. After this cycle of morning sun and afternoon fog continues for 3-10 days, grapes dry and shrivel into what resemble fuzzy raisins. Clusters or even single berries infected with noble rot are harvested individually, hence the term “special select late harvest”.

Favorable temperature and humidity make further noble rot occur and successive harvests are made. The selection process is perhaps the most important step because when the conditions are right for Botrytis they are also right for undesirable bunch rots. The infection must be clean Botrytis because other bunch rots have a mustiness or moldiness like stinky cheese. Botrytis (noble rot) flavors are best when they are in harmony with ripe fruit flavors.

Noble rot produces the “Nectar of the Gods”.

An attribute of these late harvest wines is their dark color. Botrytis mold (noble rot) produces an enzyme that causes browning, giving the wines their yellow color, which intensifies to a golden hue as they age. Dessert wines made from botrytized grapes have considerably greater aging potential than table wines. Like Madeira and Port, the high sugar concentration preserves the wine against microbial growth as it ages in the bottle or after it is opened. From the seductive aromas alone the taster can derive pleasure from simply smelling the rich apricot and honeysuckle perfume of a late harvest wine. Intense sweetness followed by the scintillating jolt of acidity can make the wine drinker’s mouth enjoy a unique pleasure. Why else have these wines been given the accolade “nectar of the Gods”?

California’s San Francisco Bay provides both the cool temperatures and high humidity necessary for Botrytis. While California is dry in terms of rainfall, certain locations in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties get fog and cloud cover until noon due to the marine influence. This fog, thick enough to be mist, rests on the grapes stimulating Botrytis growth and the “noblest of rots”.

Although most people look to the West Coast for the top wineries in the United States, New York has a lot to offer the wine enthusiast. Exploring wineries in Ithaca, New York, is a good way to verify this.

Ithaca, a small town located in western New York, may not seem like the place to go for great wine. A closer look, however, shows that Ithaca is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, a region that is known for producing some of the United States’ best wines. New York wines are gaining in popularity – due to the different varieties of wines and blends that are produced here. The climate and soil is excellent for growing grapes, and Ithaca winery excursions are becoming a large part of many tourists’ vacations in the area.

One of the most popular winery exploration packages in the Ithaca area is offered by Finger Lakes Winery (315-828-6289), based out of nearby Geneva, New York. Finger Lakes Winery offers many different forms of transportation for your experience; including stretch limousines, cars, buses, and trolleys. The company is willing to pick you up from any spot in New York State (although most people choose to stay in the Finger Lakes region). The company is also willing to create a custom private experience for you and your group, and can accommodate groups that are large or small in size.

When touring the wineries of western New York, you have a choice of several different “wine trails”. The Seneca Wine Trail is most often recommended to people who only have a short amount of time to see the area. There are over 30 different wineries that are located on this trail, and each of them is open and willing to do tastings for groups. Many different varieties of wines are produced on this trail, and you will be able to taste all of the different types from the region while visiting this area. The Cayuga Wine Trail is a bit more relaxed – here, you can take the time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Finger Lakes region as well as see the vineyards.

The Keuka Wine Trail includes eight wineries, but some of these are the most well known of the area. Your trip on this trail starts with a horse drawn hayride through a vineyard, and you will learn about the wine making process while riding. Additionally, you can enjoy the scenery of beautiful Keuka Lake (one of the few “Y” shaped lakes in the world) as well as stopping at world renowned wineries Bully Hill and Dr. Frank.

Experiencing all of the wineries in Ithaca, New York, can’t be done in a single day, so if you want to see all three of the wine trails, you will need to spend quite some time here. Of course, the beauty and surroundings of the Finger Lakes make a longer vacation here very enjoyable.

If you’re planning a holiday to Sussex one of the things that you’ll most want to pay attention to is a trip to the vineyards. There are many, both in and around Sussex, and they are all very beautiful. Chapel Down, Carr Taylor, and Biddenden are among the most popular vineyards that you’ll want to see while you’re there, and in order to be close to them you can stay at a quality accommodation like the Flackley Ash Hotel. If you choose not to stay there, there are many other options for you to be close to the vineyards. Other hotels in the area can help you, and there are also catered cottages, self catering cottages, and campsites to choose from.

There are some times of year when it’s better and more enjoyable to view the vineyards, so if that is your main reason for going to Sussex you’ll want to take that into account. If you go in the dead of winter it might be more likely that you’ll experience poor weather and you won’t have as much to see. You will, though, get cheaper rates for your accommodations and there won’t be as many crowds. These are all things worth considering, but the vineyards are best seen in warm, sunny weather.  

The vineyards span 20 to 30 acres apiece or more, and they often have not only several different kinds of grapes but apples and other fruits as well. They can also offer biscuits, cheeses, and various food items to enjoy. That’s important, because a lot of people who go to the vineyards don’t do it just to look at vines and grapes. They do it to buy bottles of fine wines, to taste those wines, and to have a snack and talk with others who appreciate wine. That’s hard to do if there isn’t anything beyond vines.

Vineyards that have been in operation for some time offer all kinds of other options to people who come to visit them, and the accommodations nearby often cater to wine lovers, as well. Hotels and restaurants in the local area generally feature wines that are from nearby vineyards, and you can get that kind of thing in Sussex. That’s important, since there are only so many different ways to find and try local wines. A lot of people miss out on great wines because they don’t know where to find them, but with all of the vineyards in and around Sussex, you won’t have that problem.       

The city of Mendoza is located at the foot of Andean Mountains, where is the highest summit of America, the Aconcagua, with more than 6900 meters of height. This mount is one of the main attractions of the zone for climbers from the entire world.

When Mendoza was discovered, the colonizers where surprised by the artificial channels created by the natives of the zone, who found out the way to improve the use of water in a very dry land. So Mendoza is an oasis city, with the same channels using the waters of Mendoza River, running across the streets and watering hundred of trees, also planted to avoid the water’s evaporation.

For this reason, there was created one of the symbols of this beautiful city, the San Martín General Park, with species brought from different places of the world. The trees have given their names to many streets and avenues at Mendoza, like Los Plátanos and Las Palmeras. Inside the town there are signalized Pedestrian Circuits, so the visitors can walk through them and discover the wonderful gardens, parks and squares.

Mendoza also has a great architecture and decorative elements brought from Europe, like the large doors from England and reproductions of the little horses of Champs Elysees in France. There is also a monument in honor of the Andean Army at the top of La Gloria hill, which has the best panoramic view of the city. In its slopes, there is a Zoo.

The city has a little downtown, full of beautiful coffee shops under the trees, where you can enjoy the exquisite gastronomy of the zone, with its sweets specialties. There are also artisan fairs and markets, to enjoy with local fruits, vegetables and meats of the best quality. Some of them are Central Market, Palmares Sidewalk, Godoy Cruz and Guaymallén fairs.

This city is close to Los Penitentes Ski Resort, where the visitors can enjoy of the ski and snowboard with the best quality of snow and different degrees of difficulty in its 17 slopes.

At the surroundings of the city, there are great valleys and wine caves. San Rafael is the most famous producer of wines in the zone, with drinks of excellent quality, cultivated in the perfect dry climate for them. There are many excursions to discover these wonderful places and enjoy tasting a sample of the most exquisites’ wines of the zone.

Close to San Rafael there is also Las Leñas Ski Resort, another ski center with excellent slopes and all the amenities the visitors need to enjoy the best snow for winter sports, with the beautiful sunny weather of Mendoza.

In Grande Valley there is Altue River and Altue Canyon. Here the visitors can enjoy of rafting and other nautical activities, such as swimming, windsurf, fishing and navigation.