The Traveling Somm

Living the Dream in a Relais & Chateaux in Tuscany

Grape Pickin’ in Piedmont

Participating in the dolcetto grape harvest in the heart of Piedmont

Finding Balance in Life and Wine

Two Extremes Within Two Hours We’re a week in on our 30 Something Gap Year, and within a few hours of driving we went from the artificial lights of Las Vegas to the stark darkness of Death Valley. We went from the sounds of voices, slot machines and music to...

Living the Dream in a Relais & Chateaux in Tuscany

My first year as an International Active Tour Guide took me to a place where I had only dreamed of living: Tuscany! It seemed too good to be true: My company was paying me to go the land of vineyards, cypress trees and medieval villages where little ristorantes cook up fresh pasta...

Staff Trip to Tuscany: La Cucina Povera

One of the places I really wanted to take our staff to was the town Radda in Chianti. It’s one of the small, hilltop villages in the heart of Chianti Classico that looks like it’s straight out of a picture book, yet it is authentically alive with locals who live...

Staff Trip to Tuscany: Wine Tasting in a Thousand Year Old Abbey

Wine tasting can be one of the most helpful ways to improve your understanding of the nuances of wine. When you taste two or more wines side by side, it gives you the opportunity to compare and contrast while each wine is fresh on your mind. If you tune into...

Staff Trip to Tuscany: Is that a Church or a Winery?

A visit to Castello di Volpaia

The Traveling Somm Returns to Italy!

After having a baby, opening a restaurant and surviving a pandemic, The Traveling Somm made a trip back to Italy!

A Taste of History: The Old Fashioned

Tasting a bit of mining history through an historic whiskey cocktail: The Old Fashioned

A break from Traveling to Live High Up in the Mountains

Chef and Sommelier are holing up in the mountains!