The dog days of summer are officially upon us.  Graduations have come and gone, Memorial Day weekend parades and the fireworks of the 4th are a distant memory.  Now the hot humid weather settles upon us for at least the next two months.  The time has arrived for vacations, staycations, and daycations or whatever else they call time off these days.  I always feel that the month of June goes by in a flash, it seems like every weekend something is going on and they fly by in no time. Before you know it, July is here.  As I had written in the Wisconsin posting, this summer I will be spending most of my time close to home.  We have a few daytrips… I apologize, daycations, planned and maybe an overnight here or there.  But no major trips... »View More

Added Sunday, July 11, 2010 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Add a Comment

We had been gearing up for our Memorial Day weekend trip to Wisconsin through the last few weeks of May.  Being graduation season, we like many others were on our way to celebrate a college and high school graduation.  The last thing on our mind as we touched down in Minneapolis was wine. Well, let me correct that, the last thing on our mind was wineries.  We were definitely thinking about wine, we were trying to figure out where we would find a good wine in the land of bratwurst, cheese and miller beer.  Our trip involved a 4 hour drive from Minneapolis through Duluth and on to Ashland, Wisconsin. Ashland is a beautiful lakeside town located along Route 2 halfway from Duluth, Minnesota and halfway to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, otherwise... »View More

Added Sunday, June 6, 2010 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Add a Comment

Following our trip to Cambria, it was time to get back to business and the business at hand was wine.  The first winery opened at 10 and we had a whole day of wine tasting ahead of us, so it was off again over the San Marcos Pass Rd and on into the Santa Ynez Valley.  Our first stop of the day was the Bridlewood Estate Winery.  Once the home of an Arabian horse farm, today Bridlewood boasts on of the most beautiful estate winery properties in the Santa Ynez Valley.  The buildings are designed to be reminiscent of the Santa Ynez Mission, with a large bell tower over looking the front lawn.  To taste at Bridlewood Winery, the cost is $10.00 with a glass to keep or $5.00 without.   Below is partial list of wines we tasted while visiting Bridlewood... »View More

Added Saturday, May 8, 2010 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Comments Off

Day 2 found us on our way to Cambria, California.  We hopped on the 101 and headed north up the coast. Our first stop on the way to Cambria was the Laetitia Winery which was located right off the freeway between San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria.  The Laetitia website states that planting on the land began in 1982 by French viticulturists from the champagne house, Champagne Deutz.  The winery was named Maison Deutz and operated until 1997 when Jean-Claude Tardivat purchased the property and named it Laetitia after his daughter.  In 2001, Selim Zilkha, who had previously been a partner of Tardivat, assumed leadership of the winery and brand. Laetitia has a reputation in the area for sparking wines and exceptional Pinot Noirs.  A tasting at... »View More

Added Saturday, March 20, 2010 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Add a Comment

BEEP…BEEP…BEEP… slowly I opened one eye to look at my alarm clock, 3:30 am, time to get up and head for the airport.  An unfortunate side effect of a more secure flying world is the exorbitant amount of time we now spend at the airport when catching a flight and the public’s lack of understanding with the system.  This lack of understanding often leads to needless fights with airline personnel that basically ruins everyone’s day. Generally, I try and arrive at the airport an hour before the boarding time, not the departure time.  When you book an airline ticket you are presented with the wheels up or departure time.  What many people fail to realize is that boarding actually takes place at least 30-45 minutes prior to that... »View More

Added Sunday, March 14, 2010 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Add a Comment

Another New Years has come and gone; now replaced by old man winters icy grip and the doldrums of winter. The past few weeks have been down right miserable for many in the United States, especially those of us in the Northeast. We’ve suffered through 2 ½ weeks of miserable cold which finally broke this past Saturday and provided us with a much needed 40 degree heat wave. I for one was ready to throw on my shorts, set a lawn chair up outside and enjoy some frozen tropical drinks! When its cold like this, I look to look ahead to the warmer months of boating and BBQ’s and I also like reviewing my upcoming travel plans so I can figure out where I will be in the world this year. One of the trips I am really looking forward to is Santa Barbara,... »View More

Added Sunday, January 17, 2010 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Add a Comment

Pondering the week’s adventure ahead of me while crammed into my American Airlines economy seat, the last thing on my mind was wine. No, I was dreaming of white sand beaches, turquoise waters, warm tropical breezes and gently swaying palm trees. I had just under an hour to go until touch down in beautiful St. Lucia, West Indies.  The week prior, in fact I’d say the last 6 months prior to the trip had been a complete blur.  I was preparing for my wedding and this trip was our honeymoon.  As anyone who as ever planned a wedding can attest, the stress involved seems to peak around the last month and a half to month before the actual event.  That is when you realize that all the procrastinating you have done has finally caught up with you... »View More

Added Tuesday, November 10, 2009 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Add a Comment

Our second post with wining and dinning at 30,000ft and already I have decided to change it up a bit.  As I sit here writing this “currently cruising at 38,000ft with 3 hours and 20 minutes left, sunny skies and temperature of 80 at our destination” my thoughts drift back to the great week I just spent in San Antonio, Texas.  When you think of San Antonio or even Texas for that matter, wine is probably not what first comes to mind.  For me it was the Alamo, texmex and great BBQ.  We arrived in San Antonio late Friday night a few days ahead of a conference.  I always like to travel at least a day in advance so I can get settled and check out the local scenery, especially if I have not been to that particular area before.  I had Saturday... »View More

Added Thursday, September 24, 2009 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Add a Comment

Welcome to our new blog called Wining and Dining at 30,000 ft. In this blog we will take a look into the world of wine and food on commercial airlines. Each month (or sooner is I have time) we will cover a commercial airline and review what wine and dining options are available. Airlines generally offer different selections depending on their destination in the world. With that in mind, we will begin our review with North American domestic carriers. I may throw in an international carrier once in a while so readers can compare how different the services can be. With all that said, please sit back, place your tray tables down, your seats back, pour a glass of wine and let’s takeoff… If you travel a lot like I do, you know the misery involved... »View More

Added Friday, September 11, 2009 in Wining & Dining at 30,000ft Add a Comment