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Adventures of a Carry-on | Wine l Travel l  Food and Culture

  • Wine Travel
    • International
    • Napa Valley
    • Sonoma Valley
    • Willamette Valley
    • Tasting Rooms & Wineries
  • Cultural Exploration
    • Architectural Travel
    • Churches
    • Food and Drink
    • Museums
  • Destinations
    • England
    • Accommodations
    • France
      • Alsace
    • Italy
      • Rome
    • USA
      • California
      • Florida
      • New York
      • Texas
  • Photography
    • Postcards
    • Florida Photo Gallery
  • Style
    • Fashion
    • Carry-On
  • More
    • Just for fun
    • Memoirs
  • vineyards in the autumn at Bells Up Winery Oregon

    Wine And Music Create A Bells Up Moment In Willamette Valley

      Dave Specter, owner and winemaker at Bells Up Winery in Willamette Valley, Oregon, loves a challenge. A French horn player throughout middle school and high school, little did he…

    Read more
  • Devil's bridge Cividale del Friuli

    5 Places In Italy To Visit Instead Of Venice

    Italy Is fabulous and beautiful, and we all want to go there—except for one thing: It is very, very crowded…especially now, with all the revenge travelers. If you’ve dreamed of…

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  • Shoes on the Danube by Penny Sadler

    6 Fascinating Dark Tourism Sites In France You Shouldn’t Miss

    Have you ever considered traveling with the sole purpose of visiting places with dark and chilling histories? Dark tourism is nothing new but has recently seen a resurgence. In this…

    Read more
  • Where To Find The Best Dairy-Free Gelato In Dallas

    Americans love all things Italian, especially Italian food.  Living in an urban area like Dallas ensures there any many options for Italian cuisine including gelato, but how do you know…

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    Enjoy Wine Tasting in Sonoma County, California

    Sonoma is one of Northern California’s prettiest wine country destinations. With ancient redwood forests, miles of coastline, mountain trails, and quaint towns surrounded by vineyards, it’s no wonder Sonoma was…

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  • Ca d Or winery

    IGTV Chat: Discover Franciacorta Italian Sparkling Wine

    Ciao! Join me tomorrow for an informative chat with  Franciacorta Italian sparkling wine producer Stefano Rangoni of Ca’ d’ Or.  Franciacorta is an Italian sparkling wine produced in the classic…

    Read more
  • 5 Reasons To Visit Malibu Any Time Of Year

    Malibu is a beautiful stretch of coastline with accessible beaches and miles of hiking in the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains. You can also enjoy a nice glass of…

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  • Lava Cap Winerty vineyards

    El Dorado Wine Country: Rhône-Style Wines In California’s Sierra Foothills

    Located in the heart of the Sierra Foothills appellation ( an hour from bustling Lake Tahoe), El Dorado wine country represents a beautiful and untouched part of Northern California.  Here, large…

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Pretty light on a side street in Santa Barbara. My Pretty light on a side street in Santa Barbara. My be Ortega street, I’m not totally sure. The historic heart of Santa Barbara. Has so many pretty little alleys and archways and side streets, nooks and crannies. I love nothing more than wandering around and taking photos. What is one of your favorite things to do when you visit a new city or even in your own city is there a place you like to go and take photos?
I have some new followers lately, and so I’d lik I have some new followers lately, and so I’d like to introduce myself to everyone. If you know the story, please play along. 😁 

I began to write about travel and wine about 12 years ago, and in that time I’ve taken some detours, but it became more than I ever expected in spite of myself. 🍷 

I am a professional hair and make up artist, and I work with celebrities sometimes, sports figures, executives, and real people, too. But for fun, I started writing my own blog and it just took off. I detoured along the way and took a job at a winery in Napa Valley .
 
about 2015 I studied for the WSET certificate, got that, and then my wine traveling really took off. I’ve been to Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lombardy, Friuli, the Veneto, Alsace, France, Provence, Portugal and Spain. And in the USA Texas, California, and NY! 

For the past two years and even through the pandemic, my travel writing is increased, but I have found it difficult to monetize it. Mainly because there are a plethora of sites to write for but most do not pay or pay so little that it makes you wanna pull your hair out. Obviously I can’t write for free. 

I’ve been thinking of ways to write for myself again, because I feel like I can surely make as much money as I’m making writing for other people… It ain’t much. 😂 

The thing is bots an AI are really having an impact. But I believe that people still want to read about real experiences by real people, like me. They want a wine review or a wine recommendation, or a wine, travel destination review from a real person who’s been there, like me. Am I right?
This is the wine I shared with friends while watch This is the wine I shared with friends while watching the Oscars. It was a good choice as it’s fresh and fruity but dry. To be honest, I’ve had the bottle for a while and forgot why I was interested in it. 

As it turns out the wine maker has revived multiple awards and the founder of the company is responsible for producing the first Spumante wine in Italy! 

the winery and vineyards are in Piedmont so I’m not sure how they can call it Prosecco. I would guess for this wine they are growing some grapes in the Veneto or buying the grapes. 

In any case it’s a fascinating history.
I’m relieved that my photos are getting some rea I’m relieved that my photos are getting some reach now that IG is supposedly giving them as much weight as reels. I started IG for the photography angle and it’s still the way I most use the app. Reels are fun but I love a nice photograph. 

Thanks to #seeSB for the walk around the Harbour and to the weather gods for the one sunny day in my week long trip! 

In the coming weeks I will have a new article about all that I did in Santa Barbara. In the meantime if you’re planning a trip i made updates to content on my blog from past trips.I have been visiting SB for 30 years! 

Feel free to DM me with ? 

They don’t call it the American Riviera for nothing!
Oh Italy, you are such a seductress. #italianwin Oh Italy, you are such a seductress. 

#italianwinelovers #italianfoodbloggers #romefood #travelblogger #solotravels #womenwhotravel #friuliveneziagiulia #lombardia_bestphoto #balsamicvinegar #exploremoretoday #ladolcevitaly #italiophilia #italophile #ciaobella
The Santa Barbara county courthouse is one of the The Santa Barbara county courthouse is one of the true architectural gems of the city. Completed in 1929. This is a functioning courthouse built in a Spanish Moorish style and meant to resemble a castle. The clips for this reel were mainly created inside the mural room where you can get a visual history lesson of the city of Santa Barbara. If you go to the courthouse, be sure to check out the clock tower and climb to the top for a Birds Eye view of the city.
There’s a lot of content on the web and that mea There’s a lot of content on the web and that means a lot of competition. This reality has driven  publishers to demand their writers become SEO driven. 

Writing for SEO has become an obsession with publishers. SEO is search engine optimization. It means when a reader Googles a particular topic — if you’ve written your article in a way that it is optimized with keywords, H2 and H3 tags, titles, etc. You’ll rank higher in a Google search…hopefully. There are no guarantees. 

Anyway what that often looks like is a list article. Top 10 Best Things To Do in XYZ place. Those kind of articles are everywhere!  I write them too. 

The thing is, I don’t mind writing them, but I want to tell you a story  too, even if it’s a very short story. In my mind, the list should be written in a narrative way, it could be numbered, but it should still be narrative. What do you say? 

What kind of articles do you like to read? 

This photo is at the historic La Paloma in Santa Barbara. I sat in the corner by the windows, one year, having lunch after the fiesta Santa Barbara parade watching people on horseback, and one woman even rode into the restaurant on horseback. Many good memories in this restaurant. 

Fun fact, the barstools are original and they came from Sears! Of course the cowhide seats are new. The mural over the bar is also original although it’s a little hard to see in this photo. It’s a wonderful room with a lot of atmosphere and stories to tell. Now I could tell you that this restaurant serves good food and that I had a glazed chicken with cauliflower, some crispy brussels sprouts, and a chocolate tart dessert, But that doesn’t tell you the story of the place does it?
Riboli family wines and Dakotas steakhouse in Dall Riboli family wines and Dakotas steakhouse in Dallas, hosted a group of wine writers to share the story and wines of this historic family business. 

From a small winery in Los Angeles County, today the family owns vineyards in Paso Robles, Napa Valley and Monterey County. Plus the original winery is still open in downtown Los Angeles and they’ve added restaurants. 

this love for good food and wine pairing, which is part of the Italian lifestyle, was on display at Dakotas. 🥂 

We started with the 2021 San Simeon, Sauvignon Blanc. this wine is fermented in 100% stainless steel to preserve the varietal freshness and acidity. This was a crisp wine with flavors of citrus & pear. Paired with Hamachi Crudo. Divine. 

Then we were on to the 2020 Madalena, Monterey Chardonnay. This is barrel fermented and small American oak barrels so it does have a hint of oak and creamy buttery flavor. With some ripe tropical fruit notes. Paired with dayboat scallops one of my favorite dishes. 

2021 San Simeon Monterey Pinot noir is from their Monterey State vineyards cooler climate, which is perfect for the Pinot noir grapes black cherry raspberry and rhubarb. Paired with a decadent mushroom risotto. 

2020s Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon aged in a selection of 78% new French and American oak barrels and 28% neutral barrels. Tannins are balance with good acidity in aromas of baking spice and tobacco. 🍷finally there was the 2019 San Simeon Paso Robles reserve Cabernet Savignon. This Cabernet, the grapes are picked in permanent individually with minimal intervention to get a clean expression of the vintage. The wine is aged over 18 months and new French oak barrels and is a blend of Cabernet Savignon and petite verdot. You’ll be able to age this wine quite a long time it’s nicely balanced with a long persistent finish blue and black fruits very lush wine.  Paired with Australian waygu  Ribeye. 

It was an evening to remember with a man who is carrying forward the family legacy and securing that legacy by implementing sustainable wine practices. 
Salute! 
#ribolifamilywines #losangeleswinery #pasorobles #californiawine #winetravel #italianwines #montereycalifornia #cabernetsauvignon
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