On Sunday morning I was thumbing through the April 2020 Travel Catalog US/Canada version from Virtuoso Life Magazine (okay it is digital so it was more like clicking through the pages…). I saw so many fun articles about food, wine, cooking classes and other Culinary Experiences you can have when traveling. This edition totally supports my opinion of why we should travel to eat. I decided to share some of the really fun things I saw with you all.

This is a fun article on food tours, excursions and kitchen skills for all types of travelers. Here is what Elaine Glusac has to say: “Food is sustenance, pleasure, and from a traveler’s perspective, a key to local cultures. Whether it’s foraging for wild asparagus in Norway, learning to make ravioli in an Italian enoteca, tasting 100-point wines on a winery road trip in California, or taking a tuk-tuk to dinner in Cambodia, gastronomic outings satisfy both curiosity and appetite.” I absolutely agree with Elaine. I recently experienced a cooking class in Tuscany learning to make pasta, ravioli, gnocchi and pesto. It was a fantastic day! One of the highlights of my time in Italy. Let’s explore together some suggestions from a few Virtuoso hotels, tour companies, cruise lines and destinations of fresh ideas on how to eat your way around the globe.

California Wineries

“For the forested north to the desert south, California is home to more than 4,000 wineries. String together visits to some of the 475 located in coastal Mendocino and Sonoma counties between Michelin-starred meals, food-centric villages, and calorie-burning hikes.” Wine lovers that are ready to travel, but not quite ready to travel the world in search of their favorite new wine, pack your bags for California. This photo was taken in Napa Valley right in the heart of the Napa and Sonoma wine region. I can attest that there are some fantastic vineyards and wines here. Having been fortunate enough over the years to visit Santa Rosa many times, I always put aside a day or two for wine tasting. #delicious

Napa Valley is ready to welcome you back. Hotels like Meadowood offer fantastic packages that include accommodations and wine tasting. Restaurants, wineries and shop are bubbling with anticipation to see visitors, and have complied with the current social distancing protocols. For a more adventurous way to see select vineyards, consider a biking tour. For more information CLICK HERE

Many of our favorite tour operators offer fun and tasty foodie experiences all over the world. Witness a public fish auction in Kyoto, take a cooking class in a 16th century farmhouse in Tuscany, attend a rooftop dinner party in Athens, savor Hungarian pastries in Budapest, go Adriatic oyster farming or take a tasty tour with a local guide in his home town, like Prague. LEARN MORE

Auckland, New Zealand showcases island wineries, urban markets and Maori cuisine. Jewish food tours to natural wine bars and Paris-channeling patisseries can be found in Montreal, Quebec. Melbourne, Australia offers the chance to explore rooftop bars and master classes with visiting culinary royalty.  Enjoy a hot pot communal dining experience in Hong Kong. Experience Belgian chocolate in the home of Callebaut, outside of Brussels. EXPLORE MORE

Here are some really unique and fun things to do. Make milk-to-table goat cheese, shop for Peruvian produce at Lima’s Surquillo Market, take lessons in Creole cooking in Saint Lucia, catch your dinner high tech style in Los Cabos, or consider a mystery dine-around via tuk-tuk in Siem Reap. Get more IDEAS HERE.

There is so much more in this edition of Virtuoso Life. These are only a few of the many tidbits from our preferred cruise lines, hotels and tour operators. To enjoy the full digital copy CLICK HERE. This is a great opportunity to dream about where you want to go wine tasting, eat some amazing food, or cook up farm-to-table dishes. There is a lot of information on gourmet dining aboard our favorite ocean and river ship. Fantastic hotels in dreamy destinations whisk you away to foreign lands near and far. Keep the dream of travel alive. Bon Appetit! Salud!