It was just a sidebar, taking up about a third of a page, in the May issue of Food and Wine magazine. But the headline caught my attention: “Wineries Worth a Pilgrimage.”

The author recommended four estates on two continents: Movia in western Slovenia, Chateau Musar in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, Tasca D’Almerita in Sicily, and Chateau Cos D’Estournel in Bordeaux. The attractions range from “a mad genius winemaker” to “one of Bordeaux’s greatest Cabernet-based reds.”

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You’re in Denver.

It’s snowing.

Or raining.

Not a good day to be out and about. Much better to be inside where it’s warm and cozy.

For a special treat, head to Corridor 44, a Champagne bar offering 20 selections by the glass and six times as many by the bottle.

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Vast, magnificent and inarguably beautiful, the Grand Canyon is easily Arizona’s most distinguishable landmark. It’s a natural wonder that you simply have to see to believe.

And in recent years, that natural beauty has been complemented by another sight for sore eyes: vineyards.

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Change is among the inevitable aspects of life, and in Paris, traditional cafés have gradually been disappearing from the cityscape.

Thankfully, a handful of worth-seeking-out wine bars remain, and Food and Wine magazine recently published a list of five of the best.

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It is not yet a trend in the United States, but it’s becoming more common to see wineries “married” with inns, providing wine-loving guests with a complete “escape” on a single piece of property.

In the state of Washington, there’s a wine estate that’s setting the standard for total guest “immersion”—combining wine, food, a place to stay and even music. It’s the perfect romantic getaway for Valentine’s Day, an anniversary or any special occasion, and this is its story...

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Santa Barbara has long been a weekend destination of the stars — mostly an older generation of film and television personalities who aren’t interested in Hollywood’s paparazzi scene.

It also has become a fine-dining destination, home to several outstanding restaurants in the downtown area. You also can eat and drink well just feet from the Pacific Ocean.

I’ve found that restaurants which offer great views — whether they’re high up in a big city skyscraper or alongside a scenic waterway — can sometimes be long on vistas but short on culinary quality.

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At last count, there were 34 wineries in Southern California’s Temecula Valley, not far from San Diego.

That means one can enjoy just about any type of “wine country” experience they can imagine, from guided cellar tours to fabulous concerts during the summer months.

The approaches to winemaking also are quite diverse. Take Foot Path Winery and Maurice Car’rie Vineyard & Winery as examples of the two “extremes.”

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My first taste of international travel, other than a couple of long weekends in western Canada, came on a trip to Portugal’s capital city of Lisbon.

I loved how a centuries-old downtown area had been preserved by designating most of the new construction to Lisbon’s outskirts and along the riverfront.

I have two vivid memories of that trip. Both have to do with food.

The first involved finishing a wonderful meal — some kind of fresh seafood, accompanied by a bottle of Vinho Verde — at a riverfront restaurant around 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night. We had arrived at 8, and dined in near-privacy the entire two hours. But just as we were leaving, the “dinner crowd” arrived en masse.

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One of the great gifts that the Native Americans gave to the early settlers of the United States was the art of maple sugaring.

No trip to Vermont is complete without some contact with maple syrup — whether it takes the form of a small puddle atop a stack of pancakes at a small-town cafe, or a visit to a maple-focused museum.

Many people visit Vermont for two specific purposes: to see the leaves on trees turn into beautiful shades of red and orange, and to experience the wonders of maple syrup at its most famous source.

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There’s no better time to get acquainted with the wineries of the Texas town of Grapevine than during the holidays — when the Grapevine Christmas Trains chug along over three consecutive Thursdays.

Grapevine is a great place for a wine lover to visit any time of the year. Within the downtown area, there are several tasting rooms within easy walking distance of one another, ranging from basic tasting bars to full-blown visitor centers with gift shops.

But in December, visitors can give their feet a rest and enjoy the gift of the grape while riding in vintage coach cars.

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