Category Archives: Food/Wine

Umbria Tourism Goes Tech with MultiMedia App Launch

Known as the “green heart of Italy,” Umbria is symbolized by food, wine, ceramics, history and culture. It’s also quite picturesque, as this central and landlocked region is noted for its scenic character with rolling green hills and historical towns like Assisi.

To better market its visual appeal, Umbria’s tourism board has taken a tech savvy approach that connects old-world traditions with modern-day applications. At a June 3 reception at Eataly in New York City, representatives unveiled English versions of UmbriaApp, a collection of roughly 20 apps using a multimedia storytelling approach to showcase the region’s offerings.

During the reception, officials described the process of creating the UmbriaApp line as a “imaginary bridge” between Umbria’s past and future innovation, in terms of shaping the direction in which tourism hopes to go.

As of this writing, the English apps will be released first for iPad, with versions for iPhone and Android to follow shortly. Italian versions are currently available. Developed by Sesinet Snc, an Italian company, all apps are free and can be downloaded through iTunes.

Varying by subject, apps cover art and history museums, festivals, bike tours and particularly food and wine.

One of the new apps that is quite appetizing is “Umbria Enogastronomia.” This culinary app is a virtual cookbook on Umbria’s authentic wines and cuisine, covering the region’s meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables. Users can also replicate a taste of this region in their kitchen by browsing through the app’s range of recipes, complete with photos, ingredients, and preparation notes.

The unveiling at Eataly kicked off “Umbria Week 2013,” a week-long roster of activities in Manhattan from June 3 through June 8 that serves as a precursor to a “Sensational Umbria,” a month-long celebration scheduled for November.

In highlighting Umbrian cuisine, samplings of traditional dishes such as lentil soup (with its recipe included in the culinary app) and pesce crudo were offered. Tastings provided by Goretti Winery in Perugia, Umbria’s capital, complimented the evening.

From Coastal Farming to Current Wineries: Exploring Stonington, CT

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Whether driving by via I-95 or following the northeastern part of Connecticut’s Wine Trail, Stonington is worth making a car stop. This town still reflects its agrarian days with lush green fields and colonial era houses lined with stonewalls, with its founding dating back to the mid-1600s as a trading post. With two lighthouses, Stonington encompasses a number of villages including Pawcatuck, Stonington Borough, Lords Point, Wequetequock, and the eastern halves of Mystic and Old Mystic.

Speaking of Connecticut’s Wine Trail, a few wineries are found in Stonington. With the right timing and planning, it’s possible to visit them all in a single day. Last Sunday, I trekked up to join an afternoon group meeting at just one of them: Saltwater Farm Vineyard.

Like its name, Saltwater Farm Vineyard has both unique surroundings and just as interesting back story. Upon arriving at its location, it’s understandable to think at first whether or not you’re at the right place or if your GPS led you astray. It’s fine and appropriately fitting. The 100-plus acre vineyard borders the tidal marshes of Wequetequock Cove, a saltwater field that provides a nice backdrop setting against an inlet.

The exterior also has a link to Stonington’s past, as a portion once used as farm land until the early 20^th century. Here’s also where the winery’s story gets neater. In the late 1930s, a small commuter airport opened on the grounds, with a hangar built there, and had operated until the U.S. entered World War II.

After the war ended, the airport became a flight school for a few years. Over time, the hanger turned into a restaurant, a warehouse, and a manufacturing facility, and then eventually became abandoned.

Its new life as a winery came in 2001, when the property was bought by a lawyer and converted. The former aluminum-sided hanger now houses an open-air tasting room/reception hall with large stainless steel tanks on the ground floor and a second level for bar service with a walkout terrace for overheard views of the vines and surrounding marshland. Here you can also picture what the sight was previously: the airfield.

Though its airport days are long gone, the venue still has a grassy landing strip. A server told me that it still is used on occasion. Perhaps for guests flying in?

The winery also hosts live music performances on Sundays with a vendor providing fresh-shucked oysters. During my time, tasting notes included a Manager’s Choice, with the selection of the day being a Rose; a 2011 Chardonnay aged in the steel tanks; a 2008 Merlot; and a 2010 Cabernet Franc/Merlot Blend. The later two wines are aged in French oak barrels. Also note: glasses are sold separately.

While in Stonington, definitely visit nearby wineries such as Stonington Vineyards, about 10 or 15 minutes from Salt Farms, and Jonathan Edwards Winery, which is in North Stonington and about a 20- to 30-minute ride.

Wine and Yoga in Washington Crossing, PA

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Washington Crossing is a historic town in Pennsylvania.

Day trips are fun and recently I went on a Saturday afternoon outing to Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania (a new place to visit) whose itinerary merged together two of my (long-time) likes: wine and yoga.

Heading to the Hells Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan – and a last minute shopping dash to and from a sporting goods store upon realizing I left my yoga mat at home – I boarded a bus with about 35 others for a day of stretching and sipping.

Roughly about a two-hour ride from New York City, our group reached Washington Crossing, a small village in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County. It’s a rural and quaint town with significance in U.S. history.

For our first stop, we arrived at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Upper Makefield Township for an outdoor yoga session. The park is a lovely outdoor venue, based on the banks of the Delaware River. There are opportunities for strolling, jogging, and yes, even yoga by the water.

Washington Crossing Historic Park has an important link to the American Revolutionary War.

Though my group’s time there just lasted an hour, I got to learn a bit more about this park. As you may have guessed, the park gets its name and fame as the site where General George Washington crossed the river around Christmas 1776 during the American Revolutionary War. He and his troop surprised Hessian troops stationed in what is now called Trenton, N.J.

On the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the park contains a number of buildings that give glimpses into Washington Crossing’s past: 18^th and 19^th-century homes, a former general store/post office (used when the town was known by its previous name, Taylorsville), and a replica of a boathouse used by Washington and his men. Also, find there an inn/tavern run during Washington’s time. Of course, our future first president ate and planned his military strategy there.

Crossing Vineyards and Winery, located on a 200-year-old estate, produces a number of whites, red and specialty wines.

Moving onward, the day’s part two led us to lengthen our taste buds at a winery less than a mile away.

Crossing Vineyards and Winery is located on a 200-year-old estate, where the current vintner grew up as a child, and operates on modern sustainable practices and with state of the art technology. For example, a computerized weather station records data on rainfall, temperature, dates of frost, and hours of sunshine to help with determining grapes that will grow best in the microclimate. Laser planting has been used in planting 10 acres of Vinifera winegrapes to help budding vines get a better and safer growth start. Today, grape varieties grown here include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc and Chambourcin.

With its focus on handcrafting subtle yet refined wines, Crossing Vineyards and Winery produces a variety of whites and reds as well as specialties including Sangria and Chocolate Cherry Truffle, a Port-style dessert wine. My group enjoyed a late afternoon tasting with 10 wines paired with various cheeses and chocolate. Samplings including Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Merlot and Sangria. A fan of Sangria and flavors of chocolate and cherry, I purchased two bottles to take home. Definitely make a day trip to Washington Crossing!

New York Travel Festival Breaks Consumer Show Mold

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Bohemian National Hall was the venue for Saturday’s portion of the New York Travel Festival.

I got involved in helping with the promotions for the New York Travel Festival, and I’m glad I did. The inaugural event, held last weekend (April 20 and 21), ushered in travel experts and explorers from New York City and beyond.

Produced by RW Social, this new festival was to redesign the concept of the consumer travel show with an innovative program. Focusing on tech-savvy travelers already seeing the world, the event catered to them by inviting travel media’s elite to share insights and perspectives on why we travel, and how we should.

Attendees came out for the festival’s first day at the Bohemian National Hall on the Upper East Side. Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s Digital Nomad, began the morning with his keynote, “Why Your Bucket List Sucks & I’m Gonna Tell You Why.”

Evans isn’t fond of the idea of bucket lists because they sound as though “we’re setting specific travel goals” and not leaving ourselves open to other potential opportunities.

“If we only travel on our bucket lists, we will never get out of our comfort zone,” he said.

Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s “Digital Nomad,” talks to a show attendee.

Evans had a similar scenario happen after having to stay in Tennessee when the plane he was on had an emergency landing. The next day, Evans decided to go see Graceland, a place he admitted he never wanted to see at first. After spending a few hours there, and seeing Elvis’ personal items like clothes and learning more about him, Evans said he “gained this deep appreciation for who Elvis was, and I started liking Elvis.”

Evans also changed up his talk to reflect on the recent tragedy in Boston, which fit in understandably, and how travel has been impacted by terror in many ways such as with TSA policies that bewilder us all.

Breakout sessions on niche travel along with local/regional topics highlight specific scenarios for women, families, LGBT, and those seeking other alternatives. Here are some highlights:

– A great talk on women’s travel, led by Go! Girl Guides Founder Kelly Lewis and Christine Maxfield, a former editor at Budget Travel magazine. The ladies offered common-sense safety measures all girls can take. Here’s one: buy a doorstop to securely lock your hotel door in place.

From left, Rainer Jenss, Charu Suri and Carol Cain share their advice and experiences on traveling with children.

– Yes, it’s possible to successfully navigate family travel. A session on this topic offered solid proof from speakers that were parents of children ranging in age from months old to teens. They were: Carol Cain, travel writer and blogger of GirlGoneTravel.com; Charu Suri of Butterfly Diary; and Rainer Jenss, founder of Smart Family Travel, Inc. and a 13-year veteran of National Geographic.

– Lee Abbamonte, the youngest American to have visited every country, was a contestant in a travel trivia “show,” and got stumped a bit by the audience. He was a good sport.

– Jason Cochrane, now the soon-to-be the editor of Frommers.com, warned his audience about current travel scams such someone “spilling” mustard on you and shared important tips on how to dodge them.

AnneLise Sorensen throws travel questions at Lee Abbamonte, and takes some from the audience.

It was also nice to see and listen to bloggers and experts whom I’ve met virtually, through social media, in person. Plus, as travel circles go, I got to catch up with friends and meet fellow writers that I already followed via Twitter or through Facebook Groups.

With a visit to the Mexico tourism area, I enjoyed samplings of authentic dishes provided by the restaurants, El Mitote and Café Frida. Translated as “drowned sandwiches,” tortas ahogadas are a Guadalajara favorite, in which a sandwich is submerged in a sauce made of a dried chili pepper or tomato sauce. Mini tortas and ceviche tostadas were also on the tasting menu.

Beverages were included, with agua fresca (watermelon water) and tastings of several kinds of Mezcal, a liquor made from the heart of the maguey plant, the piña. La comida Mexicana es deliciosa!

Guests savored flavors from Mexico and New York’s Hudson Valley Saturday afternoon.

With New York State, a “Taste of the Hudson Valley” showcased the culinary and cultural offerings in this attractive region. Taking up one of the show floors, the area hosted a restaurant grouping of The Artist’s Plate, Madava Farms, Gigi Hudson Valley, and Zitoune. Dishes of pasta, cheese and duck highlighted regional fare. Wine and spirits samplings from Millbrook Vineyards & Winery and soon-to-open Dutch’s Spirits were also offered. And on the first floor, a range of New York beers from Shmaltz Brewing were available to sip.

Sunday’s schedule focused on food with guided tours around NYC’s five boroughs. In all, the inaugural New York Travel Festival was off to a good start. See you next year!