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Upcoming Expertly Done Culinary & Wine TraVirtual Programs:

Check back for our next program.

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Past Expertly Done Culinary & Wine TraVirtual Programs:

A Taste for Travel to Argentina

March 22, 2021

Premier Tours & Travel partnered with The Vines Resort & Spa — repeatedly recognized as one of the leading hotels in the world — for our Expertly Done Culinary & Wine TraVirtual program dedicated to virtual travel + tasting experiences, featuring our 5-Star Bites of Argentina private, small-group tours in November 2021 and February 2022.

The Vines of Mendoza Wine Director, Mariana Onofri, guided our virtual wine tasting of 2019 Uco's Playground Rose from Uco's Playground. Ms. Onofri has been the Wine Director since 2009, overseeing all vineyard owner winemaking plans and customized wine design. This includes overseeing blending sessions and barrel tastings for the company’s 185 Private Vineyard owners, and over 330 fermentations in The Vines' 2016 harvest alone. She oversees all wine selection and wine experiences for the company’s Siete Fuegos restaurant and The Vines Tasting Room. She also provided us with a much-enjoyed overview of the history of The Vines Resort & Spa.  

Executive Chef Matias Mansilla joined Ms. Onofri to demonstrate the art of making quintessential Argentinian empanadas to enjoy with the wine. Chef Mansilla has travelled and cooked in various places throughout the world, returning to his roots in Mendoza. Since 2018, he serves as Chef of renowned Siete Fuegos at The Vines Resort & Spa and as acclaimed Chef Francis Mallmann's right-hand chef.

Please enjoy some snippets of the programming:

Mariana Onofri Discusses Wine and The Vines Resort & Spa

Chef Mansilla Makes the Empanada Filling

Chef Mansilla Creates & Bakes the Empanadas

Should you wish to make the recipe for the empanadas, it is available here.

December 13, 2020

A Taste for Travel to Tuscany, Italy  

Premier Tours & Travel hosted another exceptional virtual travel + tasting experience on Sunday, December 13, 2020 as part of our Expertly Done Culinary & Wine TraVirtual series. Sommelier Klajdi Belaj AIS, our hand-selected sommelier on our tours to Italy. Signore Belaj led us on a Tuscan tasting adventure. He is a recognized Italian wine expert and private Sommelier to the owner of Viandante del Cielo (Skywalker). He share with us his passion for all things Italian — the culture, history, food and, most importantly, the wine — during this one-hour program. He guided us into the wine world of Italy, sharing tips and tools for enjoying the following wines at home, in a restaurant, or — even better — while you are on one of our upcoming tours to Tuscany: Talosa Nobile di Montepulciano Alboreto 2017 Talosa Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2015 Talosa IGT Supertuscan Pietrose 2016 Full Program Recording: See what participants thought of the program: Learn about our tour to Tuscany, Italy here.

 

November 8, 2020 A Taste for Travel to Burgundy, France Culinary and Emmy award-winning Chef Bob Waggoner of In the Kitchen with Chef Bob Waggoner cooking school in Charleston and Monsieur Bernard Retornaz, President of Louis Latour Inc joined Premier Tours & Travel to cohost our virtual travel + cooking demonstration + tasting experience on November 8, 2020 as part of our Expertly Done Culinary & Wine TraVirtual series. We learned about Premier Tours & Travel's tour to Burgundy, France while learning about Chef Waggoner's star-studded history in the region and his personal love of Maison Louis Latour in Aloxe-Corton. Monsieur Retornaz shared the history of Maison Louis Latour and the Latour family, and guided us through a tasting of the magnificent Les Pierres Dorees Pinot Noir. View the full program below to learn how Chef Waggoner creates one of his favorite Burgundian dishes: Scallops in a Pinot Noir Butter Sauce using Maison Louis Latour's Les Pierres Dorees Pinot Noir. Full Program (36:13) Additional Segments: Cooking Scallops in a Pinot Noir Butter Sauce with Chef Bob Waggoner and Premier Tours & Travel (22:09) Tasting of Louis Latour Les Pierres Dorees and Overview of Burgundy Tour (13:57) Maison Louis Latour History with Louis Latour Inc President, Monsieur Retornaz (4:27) See what our guests had to say about the program: Learn about our Bountiful Burgundy tour with Chef Waggoner here.

October 22, 2020

A Taste for Travel to Northern Spain & DOCa Rioja

On October 22, 2020, participants learned first-hand from Rioja’s “wine maven," Ana Fabiano, DOCa Rioja Brand Ambassador and author, The Wine Region of Rioja, about the richness of Northern Spain:

“Northern Spain is without a doubt the final frontier in western Europe for the seasoned wine aficionado or curious traveler,” according to Ms. Fabiano. “Rioja is abundant in ancient relics, ruins, architecture, centurion vineyards, world-class wines, and Michelin-star cuisine. There is a quiet beauty in the land and an innate pride in its people that speaks to your heart and soul.”

We learned about one of the most celebrated regions of Spain and three Rioja wines hand-selected by Premier Tours & Travel and Ana Fabiano: Marqués de Riscal Reserva (2014 vintage preferred), Muga Rosado, and Vivanco 2016 Crianza. Here's some of the feedback from our guests:

Learn more about The Spirit of Northern Spain with Ana Fabiano tour with Premier Tours & Travel here.

Due to technical difficulties, we do not have a recording of this wonderful event. We will be offering another virtual program about Rioja with Ana Fabiano in early 2021. Please check back!