“Do we have room for any of the wine?” It was early evening on Aug. 18 when my husband and I received a mandatory evacuation order due to the LNU Lightning Complex Fire. The cars were packed with our most important belongings, the cat was in her carrier, and the fire was still burning many miles away. So, knowing we weren’t in immediate danger, my husband and I headed for the wine cellar, set in the back of our landlord’s garage.

From gas-station bathrooms to hiking in a national park and everything between, here’s what I can share, firsthand, about road trip safety during the pandemic.

Those were the words that jumped out at me in an email from the U.S. Embassy on April 2. Every day for three weeks, I anxiously awaited news of a potential repatriation flight home from South Africa, where my husband and I had been stranded amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A freak lightning storm in August ignited hundreds of fires across California. Then in September, a second outbreak of wildfires up the West Coast blanketed wine country regions throughout California, Oregon, and Washington with smoke that hovered around for days on end. This smoke can permeate the grapes, releasing volatile phenols that ultimately render the wine undrinkable.

Where farming traditions live on, hot springs bubble up from the ground, and the wine is bottled poetry... The most famous wine region in North America, Napa Valley produces wines that rival those from the Old World’s most revered regions—but that’s not all it has going for it. This 30-mile stretch of Northern California has also proven to be one of the most beautiful to visit, with year-round sunshine and pleasing temps.

Almost anyone of age can obtain, taste and enjoy wine in some capacity. When it comes to mastering what’s in the bottle, however? That isn’t always the case. Most traditional wine certifications require countless hours of rigorous study and hundreds to thousands of dollars, two big barriers that put the subject out of reach to many. That’s begun to change.

With roughly 1,000 wineries, a bounty of Michelin- starred restaurants and new luxury hotels popping up around every corner, Napa and Sonoma businesses are constantly being pushed to up the ante and diversify in order to stand out from the stiff competition. The local wine bars are no exception.

The Southern Hemisphere is world-renowned for its wines from Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. But Brazil—famous for Ipanema and Copacabana, not malbec and sauvignon blanc—remains a quiet underdog, despite the fact that it’s the fifth-largest wine producer in the Southern Hemisphere (ahead of New Zealand).

Better known as “Digger” from the Discovery Channel docu-series Moonshiners, Manes is wearing overalls with the top button on each side undone, and doesn’t look like someone of reality TV fame. But then again, Manes doesn’t exactly line up with my expectation of a real-life, backwoods moonshiner either.

Over the last couple of months, you may have noticed orange bulbs hanging from the rafters, kitchens, or bars of certain Bay Area restaurants. They’re not avant-garde Christmas decorations that have yet to be taken down. They’re hoshigaki — persimmons dried using the traditional Japanese method of hanging them from a string.

Tourists visit New Zealand for its incredible landscapes made famous by the Lord of the Rings and to seek out its grassy sauvignon blancs, not beer—but that’s about to change. A recent report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research states that New Zealand has more breweries (over 200) per capita than Britain, the US, and Australia.

These organizations are mobilizing to protect workers by offering education, resources, and health screenings that can, in turn, help pilot the industry through a harvest season like no other.

Eugene is to Portland as Oakland is to San Francisco. It’s less populated, less polished, but rapidly shedding its former bad-boy rap and gaining notoriety as the cooler little brother.

Biondi Santi said its Riserva Brunello di Montalcino 2012 would be released on 1 March 2020. It will carry a special label to commemorate Franco Biondi Santi, who died in 2013, and the recommended price will be £460 per bottle.

"From Gold Rush towns preserved in time to 140-year-old grapevines, the Sierra Foothills area keeps one foot in the 19th century. In this region, known as Gold Country and the Mother Lode, you will uncover rich history, best explored via raft or wine glass."

With roughly 1,000 wineries between Napa and Sonoma, the pressure to stand out and outdo one another is on. This is good news for visitors, for wineries are in turn building stunning, state-of-the-art hospitality centers that offer a host of unique and luxurious tasting experiences. Here are five new spots—from old wine country favourites—to get the all-star treatment on your next trip to Napa and Sonoma.