Wine Diva Lifestyle: Moving

I’m moving Wine Diva Lifestyle over to Blogger. You can find me at www.WineDivaLifestyle.com

Lets Pour: Global Network of Wine Lovers

I spent an afternoon with Raghav Kher, CEO & Chief Decanter at Lets Pour. Raghav is also the founder of Seventymm which is India’s largest movie rental company, co-founder of Live Mocha which is the world’s largest language learning community, founder of Rendition Networks, and he also spent about nine years at Microsoft. He made the leap over to wine after wanting to talk with other people who liked the same wines as he did. Raghav favors Bordeaux, Cabernet  and Dry Riesling.

Lets Pour is a global network of wine lovers sharing what they are drinking and thinking about other wine lovers pourings. This is for all levels of wine drinkers from newbies to conniseurs. You can see what is being poured Nearby in your area at

Wine Bloggers Conference: Portland 2012

The 2011 Wine Blogger Conference wrapped up this morning in Charlottesville, North Carolina. It was announced that the 2012 Wine Blogger Conference will be in Portland, Oregon next year on August 17-19. They also mentioned that the 2013 location will probably be Penticton, British Columbia. I’m planning on attending both events #WBC12 #WBC13.

The Food Lovers’ Guide to Seattle is Out!

Food Lovers’ Guide to Seattle

Best Local Specialties, Markets, Recipes, Restaurants, & Events

By Keren Brown

The Seattle food scene is a way of life.  Fish mongers and farmers take pride in their ingredients, and artisan cheese makers, butchers, chefs, chocolatiers, baristas, and roasters push the boundaries of the city’s playful palate.

In Food Lovers’ Guide to Seattle, seasoned food writer Keren Brown shares the inside scoop on the best places to find, enjoy, and celebrate these culinary treasures. A bounty of mouthwatering delights awaits you in this engagingly written guide, as well as a rich array of other, indispensable food-related information including:

• Favorite restaurants and landmark eateries
• Specialty food stores and markets

Swiftwater Cellars: Destination Washington Winery

I spent a beautiful sunny Washington day up at Swiftwater Cellars recently. They are located just over the pass at CleElum in the Suncadia Resort  property. Swiftwater Cellars was founded by Don and Lori Watts who also founded Watts Brothers, a frozen food company in 1977. After the company was sold to Con Agra Don realized that he could not retire at 51 and so he thought he would start a winery for something to keep him busy. They only opend their doors almost a year ago and has a 360 degree bar, a two story stone fireplace, and the Hoist House restaurant overlooking the Rope Rider golf course. Swiftwater Cellars was founded by Don and Lori Watts who also founded Watts Brothers, a frozen food company in 1977. After the company was sold to Con Agra Don realized that he could not retire at 51 and so he thought he would start a winery for something to keep him busy. The downstairs contains their production area, as well as the Swiftwater Room that can hold 250 people for private & corporate events. Off of the production area  is the Black Diamond Club Room, which has large dining table. There are also wine lockers that are made available for rent.

San Juan Islands: San Juan Vineyards

I spent four wonderful days up in the San Juan Islands a few weeks ago. I’m convinced that once I get on the Anacortes ferry my blood pressure drops about 10 points. It is a step into the very slow lane where you causally stroll across the street without having to really watch out for cars. You frequently come upon two cars that have stopped so the occupants can just chat. It’s all about whale spotting, wine tasting and watching eagles soar above at Roche Harbor.

One of my favorite things to do is to make the three mile drive from Friday Harbor up to San Juan Vineyards. The property was purchased in 1996 and the

Dish It Up: Spirits and Cheese Pairing

I attended a wine and spirits pairing at Dish It Up, located in Ballard, WA,  a few weeks ago. They were hosting a cheese and spirits tasting. It certainly made a big change of cheese and wine tasting that I frequent. Running the show was Barrie Lynn, also known as The Cheese Impresario and she can be seen on her Cheese Rules show on Small Screen Network. My favorite comment from Barrie on this evening was “Play with your cheese and drink.” This was a great experience to see that you can move your cheese and do some more unusual pairings that you might  be skeptical of at first.

Wine in the Pines: Swiftwater Cellars

GET INTO THE SWING OF SWIFTWATER CELLARS AT THE FOURTH ANNUAL WINE IN THE PINES CELEBRATION Celebrity hosts Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier and Leslie Sbrocco, Head Thirsty Girl head up a tasty weekend of wine, food and fun

Wine in the Pines is a two-day food and wine celebration held on the grounds of Swiftwater Cellars within the mountainous Suncadia Resort, only 90 minutes from Seattle.  This year’s events will feature wine celebrity hosts Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier and Thirsty Girl Founder Leslie Sbrocco.  More than 40 wineries from Washington, Oregon and California will offer wine tasting throughout the weekend along with local and regional star chefs sampling decadent fare. The Wine in the Pines celebration begins its festivities on Friday, August 26th with the grand opening of the Rope Rider Golf Course and marked by a new tradition to the Wine in the Pines event, “Get Into the Swing of Swiftwater”.  The hosts of the evening will be the owners of Swiftwater Cellars, Don and Lori Watts along with its winemakers Tony Rynders and Linda Trotta.  Guests will delight in tasting the portfolio of Swiftwater Cellars wines and dining on self made dishes from tantalizing comfort food stations of mashed potato or “mac n’ cheese”.  Dress your favorite comfort food with gourmet flavors such as truffle oil or prosciutto to make your “mac n’ cheese” experience an envy of the foodie gods! Chef Paul Cotta of Swiftwater Cellars’, The Hoist House Restaurant, will create the palate of food for you to paint your culinary picture.  Celebrity food and wine writers, Leslie Sbrocco and Evan Goldstein, MS will also share in this evening- a perfect combination to get into the swing of Wine in the Pines. Saturday August 27th is undoubtedly a full day of events and guests are welcome to attend any single event or all events throughout the day.  A new addition to the Wine in the Pines line up this year is

Greek Wine Cruise: Cruising Wine Diva Style

If you truly want to embrace the Wine Diva Lifestyle here is a great opportunity. Wine, travel, great food, and sun, on a Greek Isles and Adriatic cruise. There is a focus on wine tasting and a chance to visit a winery.

11 Night Greek Isles & Adriatic Voyage  Wine Cruise Aboard the Azamara Quest August 1 – 12, 2012   Why Should You Take a Closer Look at this Particular Trip??? Do you have a burning desire to visit quaint Croatia, Greece, Turkey….? Are you and your friends looking for a girls adventure? Do you have a special birthday (40th, 50th, 60th, 70th) in 2012? Have you always dreamed of a Greek Adventure? Do you love the luxury of cruising without the high end expense? Book by June 15, 2011, receive $100 Onboard Credit/Cabin Join Wine Diva Deb on the Azamara Quest to the Eastern Mediterranean. The Azamara Journey is a smaller ship, sailing to out-of the ordinary destinations, providing exceptional service and unmatched amenities along the way. We will visit Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey and Italy all in one trip and you only have to unpack once!

Benchmark Hospitality Acquires: MTM Luxury Lodging

Benchmark Hospitality International Acquires MTM Luxury Lodging
Launches Personal Luxury Collection^SM with 13 Properties

The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, June 1 2011 … Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading US-based independent hospitality management company, announces the acquisition of MTM Luxury Lodging. Based in Kirkland (Seattle), Washington, MTM Luxury Lodging is a hotel and asset management company specializing in full service luxury hotels. The acquisition brings four existing managed properties into Benchmark Hospitality’s portfolio and an additional property soon to begin construction. These five hotels will join eight other properties operated by Benchmark to form a new brand within luxury hospitality — the Personal Luxury Collection^SM (PLC), also announced today.