Tag Archive for wine

Say Happy Mother’s Day With One-of-a-Kind Getaways!

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Ah, Mother’s Day. The time of year when we try just a little bit harder  to show how grateful we are for all the times she held our hand when we were sick, protected us from the monsters under our bed, turned simple pancakes into an iconic mouse, or magically made everything better with a kiss. Cards are wonderful (who doesn’t love letters?) and flowers are lovely, but is there really any better way to say thank you than with a memorable getaway you both will cherish for years to come. We think not.

With this in mind, we give you four escapes tailored to different styles that are sure to show your favorite lady just how much you care.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Spa Escape: Treat you mom to a relaxing and rejuvenating getaway—you know she deserves one. The Body Holiday LeSPORT in St. Lucia offers a tropical, all-inclusive stay that even comes with a 50-minute body treatment.

Wine & Dine: Toast to motherhood with a wine getaway. The Riverbend Inn and Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, boasts a cozy escape in the heart of wine country. The inn also produces and serves its own varietals, so you don’t even have to leave the property to sample the local wines.

Adventure: Take mom for the adventure of a lifetime. The Parador Resort & Spa in Costa Rica sits on a 12-acre rainforest near the Manuel Antonio National Park and white-sand beaches like Playa Biesanz, making it a luxurious home base for exploring the countryside.

Cultural Getaway: Talk history, art and politics with your mom during a trip to the nation’s capital. The George, a Kimpton Hotel, provides an eclectic and artistic escape, with a prime Capitol Hill location ideal for seeing city sights.

Chill Out with Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Trademark Ice Wine

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Niagara-on-the-Lake is famous for a lot of things – picturesque scenery, a charming British manner. But the town is best known for its ice wine, a dessert wine made from grapes that have been allowed to freeze on the vine.

The Niagara Icewine Festival takes place every January (hey, that’s now!). Guests at the Riverbend Inn and Vineyard can and should check it out, but if you can’t make it across the border so quickly, fear not: ice wine is readily available everywhere.

And you know what? It’s Monday, so how about a little ice wine cocktail recipe courtesy of Food and Wine.

Photo courtesy of Food and Wine magazine

Ice Wine Martini

  • 10 large seedless green grapes, plus 2 halved grapes for garnish
  • 2 ounces ice wine
  • 2 ounces vodka, preferably Ciroc
  • Ice

In a blender, puree the 10 whole grapes with the ice wine and vodka. Pour the puree through a tea strainer into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain again into a large chilled martini glass and garnish with the grape halves.

Cheers!

Wine and Ride

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The Hotel Les Mars, with its location in Sonoma County—and its complimentary afternoon wine and cheese reception—left us dreaming of a wine getaway. So we decided to see how one might get a true taste of Healdsburg and the surrounding area.

There are several wine-tasting rooms within walking distance of the hotel, as well as wine tours of the area by bus and bike. And then we stumbled upon a wine tasting tour via horse and carriage, and wine country became even more romantic (as if that was possible).

Photo Courtesy of Wine Carriage

The Wine Carriage includes a horse-drawn carriage ride through five miles of vineyards, tastings at three award-winning wineries, a wine cave tour, a barrel tasting and a gourmet lunch.

The tour definitely puts a different spin on wine tasting, but we’re pretty sure any wine tour (by foot or otherwise) is pretty hard to beat.