Winemaker Dinners in the Northwest

Good food and great wine make a meal so much more enjoyable, especially when paired up by professionals. In the November/December 2007 issue of Northwest Travel, we'll tickle your appetite with the latest Tasteful Travel article about winemaker dinners.

Writer Judy Fleagle visited the Cellar on 10th for a winemaker dinner that was prepared by Astoria's Silver Salmon Grille and the wine was provided by shop owner Mike Wallis. Some of the mouth-watering courses included a tropical jerk chicken wonton as an appetizer, tomato soup served in a scooped out acorn squash, and palate-cleanser lemon ginger papaya sorbet. One pairing included a 2004 Merlot with a large veal chop prepared with a separate sun-dried cherry and cornbread stuffing with Portabella mushroom demi-glaze. To round off the presentation was a green tomato carved into a basket that contained lightly cooked vegetables. Talk about mouth watering.

The article also features information about British Columbia's Okanagan wine region's winemaker dinners, the Columbia River Gorge area, as well as a handy guide of wine associations and source guides for Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Idaho and Montana.

Winemaker dinners have become increasing popular. I suggest you make reservations as early as possible for these epicurean experiences. Such regions as the Columbia River Gorge host their dinners after the harvest season. If you plan to be in Big Sky Country next year in May or June, the Triple Creek Ranch, near Darby, Montana, will host three vintner dinners.

The next time you visit Astoria, a beautiful city by the way, check out the extensive wine selection at The Cellar on 10th. With more than 4000 bottles of wine, its a one-stop shop to fill your own wine cellar.

Lights on the Water Holiday Celebrations

Many years ago, I traveled to Beaverton, Oregon, to visit my then husband's parents for the Christmas holidays. On a chilly evening, we bundled up and drove the twenty or so miles to witness Portland's Christmas Ship Parade. I will never forget the wonder I felt watching fishing boats, yachts, and vessels of various sizes decked out with lights and carrying passengers dressed in red . My young son watched the outlines of geese, Christmas trees, reindeer, and the Three Wise Men floated across the dark waters of the Willamette and Columbia rivers.

In the December 2008 issue of Northwest Travel magazine, learn about eight holiday light shows on and off the water. Check out these water-based events that stretch from Newport, on the Oregon Coast, to Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, to Bainbridge Island, Bellingham, Blaine and Tri-Cities in Washington, and Chemainus in British Columbia. Celebrate your holidays this year with Northwest Travel as your guide.

Some of the options singing carols while cruising the waters off of Vancouver Island on the Christmas Carol Ship. Or perhaps you'd like to visit Santa at his North Pole Shop by boat on Lake Coeur d'Alene. Witness the 120-year-old grand fir festooned in 30,000 lights that is billed as the world's tallest living Christmas tree.

If you're looking for a little exercise this holiday season, how about some short day hikes in metro Vancouver. On the 1000 acres that was once home to the Musqueam and Squamish First Nations people, there is much to see and do at Stanley Park. Some of those activities include hiking, swimming, kayaking, scuba diving, playing tennis or playing pitch-and-putt golf. Or visit the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre or the seawall past Lions Gate Bridge. In West Vancouver, spend the day at Lighthouse Park where there is a conifer forest with some trees dating back 500 years.

Northwest Travel is your guide to exploring the Pacific Northwest. Pick up the magazine at newsstands in Barnes & Noble, Borders, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and now, at Metropolitan Markets in the Seattle/Tacoma area, as well as Market of Choice stores in Eugene and Ashland.

Sex, drugs, racism and kidnapping in a travel magazine?

It's true. All this and more in the November/December issue of Northwest Travel magazine. Learn of little-known secrets of the old Northwest where brothels and opium dens lay hidden beneath the streets of such towns a Portland, Seattle, Pendleton, and even Havre, Montana.

Told by colorful tour guides who don't mince words about the past, this issue features five intriguing underground tours of cities that had respectable histories above ground.

Talk about tours. Also in the November/December issue, is an article about three loop tours in Southern Oregon. Included are such well-known places as Crater Lake, the Oregon Coast, and the Rogue River.

Plan your next vacation with helpful information about wineries, lighthouses, the redwoods, waterfalls, and golf in Southern Oregon. Drive three-, five-, or seven-day loops that take you from the mountains, Pacific Ocean and back again.

Northwest Travel can be found at newsstands in Barnes & Noble, Borders, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and now, at Metropolitan Markets in the Seattle/Tacoma area, as well as Market of Choice stores in Eugene and Ashland.

On the Set of 'Grey's Anatomy'

Recently Northwest Travel magazine received an exciting request from none other than a 'Grey's Anatomy' producer. You will soon be able to catch a glimpse of Northwest Travel resting on coffee tables during scenes set in their hospital waiting rooms. As fans of Mark, Izzie, and Callie, we are thrilled to be associated with Grey's Anatomy.

As soon as new issues hit the news stands at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and now, at Metropolitan Markets in the Seattle/Tacoma area, as well as Market of Choice stores in Eugene and Ashland, we will send Grey's Anatomy copies.

Northwest Travel is packed with intriguing articles that describe the beauty of the Northwest and exciting urban culture that makes it a premier travel destination. Pick one up the next time you're in one of the stores listed above.