Last night, Katie and myself had the opportunity to attend the premiere in Los Angeles of “Mexico: The Royal Tour” at the Regal LA Live cinemas in downtown LA.

The event was not only special because of the amazing production Emmy Award-winner Peter Greenberg achieved with this travel documentary, but also because of the honorable company of the President of México himself, Felipe Calderón, the First Lady Margarita Zavala, and other distinguished diplomats and special guests.

“Mexico: The Royal Tour” is a very unique travel documentary starring President Felipe Calderón as your tour guide as he takes you through some of the most fascinating places Mexico has to offer.

In the film you see President Calderón like you have never seen him before. He’s not only an amazing tour guide – he knows the country extremely well – but he has a very adventurous spirit and a great sense of humor.

The film begins as Peter Greenberg (see photo) is welcomed by President Calderón at Los Pinos, the official presidential residence in Mexico City.

He then takes you on his helicopter to discover a wealth of touristic possibilities around the country.

Some of the places and activities featured are the Mayan ruins of Palenque in Chiapas and Chichen-Itza in Yucatán, the President’s hometown of Morelia, Puerto Vallarta, rappelling the Cave of Swallows in San Luis Potosí, Tequila tasting in Jalisco, whale watching in Baja California, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, and a fantastic ride on a hot-air balloon over the archaeological site of Teotihuacan.

The film is very well done and throughout it you can see how well both President Calderón and Peter Greenberg got along. You could almost think they’ve been friends forever.

“Mexico: The Royal Tour” is a very enjoyable film that also represents an incredible opportunity to learn about one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Tonight is the TV premiere at 7pm PST on PBS. Please see the trailer below and don’t miss the show!

Want to win a Sony Cyber-shot WX9? Here’s how:

1. Leave a comment and give us the name of your favorite travel destination!

2. Double Your Chances! Leave another comment dishing about your favorite international cuisine.

***Contest ends at 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, May 18, 2011. One winner will be randomly selected. Maximum 2 comments per person, please! We can only ship in the USA. Be sure to comment on the blog post for consideration.***

Read the TravelPlusWine Sony Cyber-shot WX9 review.

Twilight Setting!

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These last couple of days I had an opportunity to play with the new Sony Cyber-shot WX9 digital camera which will be available in the next couple of weeks.

Let me first tell you that I’ve gone through many different brands when it comes to point-and-shoot digital cameras and I was extremely pleased to get my hands on this impressive Sony product.

As a travel and wine blogger, I’m constantly sharing pictures of my travels around the world as well as my favorite bottles of wine. Because of this, I need a camera that is easy to carry while helping me capture professional-looking photos in different environments.

So, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, landscapes or a close-up of food or wine, and even the occasional video, it’s important for me to have a camera I can rely on anytime and anywhere. And because I prefer to travel light, a bulky DSLR with various lenses is not an option.

While I recommend you check the specifics of this camera on the Sony site, I will tell you a bit about what I think about the Cyber-shot WX9 in regards to traveling.

The size & feel

I love the slim, minimalist, and elegant look of this well-built camera. Thankfully, it’s so small and light it can fit in your pocket. As travelers, you know that’s a big deal when you’re on the road and have to be mindful of weight and space.

However, don’t be fooled by the size, this 16.2 megapixel camera is powerful and has a huge amount of very useful and extremely cool functions.

The 3.0” LCD screen is a beauty and the menu options are so easy to navigate you’ll easily figure out how the camera works without much need for an instruction manual.

Gourmet

One of my favorite scene selections is Gourmet which is the equivalent of the Macro setting on other cameras.

I use extreme close-ups very frequently to capture the rich texture of food or to shoot the crisp image of a wine label.

Capturing these close-ups with the Sony Cyber-shot WX9 Gourmet setting turned out to be easier than expected. The pictures were sharp even in low light and without a tripod.

Anti Motion Blur / High Sensitivity

Speaking of low light, another very useful travel setting on this camera is the Anti Motion Blur which reduces blur when shooting in a low light setting.

Also try experimenting with the High Sensitivity feature to shoot without flash in low-light reducing blur. Both could be useful options for historical landmarks or museums when flash isn’t allowed, yet you want to capture that Mona Lisa smile.

Burst

Or, maybe you’re off to England to watch Prince William marry Kate Middleton and don’t want to miss her wave as the carriage quickly passes? That’s easy with the Sony Cyber-shot WX9. Use the Burst Setting which takes continuous photos (about 10, I think) and shows up on your camera view finder much like a flipbook. Later, you can pick the prize winning Princess Kate wave and discard the rest.

Face recognition timer

Have you ever set the camera timer only to find yourself mid-jump in a photo because the timer beat you to your position? The Cyber-shot WX9 has face recognition for one or two people to ensure this will never happen again.

After you set the timer, it won’t start counting the seconds until after it recognizes your face. No more take after take after take… a traveler’s dream!

Panoramic

I have always found panoramic pictures more of a pain than they are worth, which probably explains why I don’t have very many in my photo albums. However, for the first time ever, I am thoroughly enjoying the Panoramic feature on this Sony camera. With a simple push of a button Cyber-shot WX9 helps the user take a beautiful, easy panoramic shot in one easy swoop (see photo below).

It also takes vertical panoramic shots making this the camera I want to have handy when I’m standing in front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

Background Defocus

Another setting I love for traveling is the Background Defocus. This allows you to specifically track and focus on an object while anything in the background is slightly off-focus. This is another useful setting for museums, zoos, specific objects, people, specific features on buildings, and so much more.

Soft Skin

For the ladies and gentlemen who have less-than-perfect skin like me… it’s important to mention the Sony Cyber-shot WX9 has a Soft Skin setting. Yes, even on those rough, makeup-free days in 90 degree heat with 100 percent humidity in Thailand, you can look like an Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Cover Girl. I won’t blind you with the non-Soft-Skin-makeup-free-close-ups from the test shots, but believe me when I say the Soft Skin feature fixed about 80 percent of the flaws on my face. It’s cover-up without the cover-up.

HD Video

Another fantastic Sony Cyber-shot WX9 feature is the Full HD video capabilities on AVCHD format. While the video itself looks fine, the sound leaves a lot to be desired, specifically if you’re in a crowded place. I also wish the camera came with a more robust image stabilizer for video. However, most people carrying around a point-and-shoot camera such as the WX9 aren’t looking for superb sound quality; they simply want something quick and easy. In that case, it serves its purpose (see video sample below).

Conclusion

Last but not least, a big THANK YOU to Sony for finally getting rid of the Memory Stick Pro Duo capturing format and for welcoming the more universal SDHC card to record video and capture images!  We’ve been waiting…

In conclusion, the Sony Cyber-shot WX9 is a fresh, easy-to-use digital camera packed with lots of great features for traveling. The camera retails for $220 making it worth every penny for all the amazing features, quality photos, and memories that will last a lifetime.

* Disclaimer: This was part of a media event hosted by Sony Electronics and the camera has been provided courtesy of the company. #sonyfoodie

This sounds like the ultimate TravelPlusWine adventure! Fortunately, for those of us who can’t be in wine country at the moment, there’s a way to live vicariously through others.

The Three Thieves is a new hour-long television show featuring three wine entrepreneurs on a quest to discover exciting new wines. It debuts tonight at 8pm on the Cooking Channel.

Winemaker and Three Thieves star Joel Gott ensures this isn’t your average sip-and-swirl television show. Joel and the other two thieves, Roger Scommenga and Charles Bieler, worked hard with the Food Network to create a show that mixes in what’s exciting like scenery, food, people, and wine.

The first episode of Three Thieves takes viewers to Chile. The idea, Gott explains, is to visit and explore, so people see and experience what’s out there in wine regions around the world.

Three Thieves sounds like a great show for travel and wine lovers, so check it out!

Quiet, relaxing, luxurious, and intimate.

Vine & Roses Bed & Breakfast owners Tim and Kathy Sinclair have created an amazing, first-class romantic getaway in Walla Walla, the heart of Washington Wine Country.

The moment you check into Vine & Roses Bed & Breakfast, you’ll quickly checkout from the rest of the world and pure relaxation will take over the minute Kathy leads you to luxury of your very own private suite.

Your only worry will be how long it’ll take until you can fire up the chimney (flip a switch) and slip into the heavenly, bubbly 2-person Jacuzzi tub in your room.

Or maybe, you’ll want to grab one of your local winery finds that has been carefully stored in the temperature-controlled wine cellar. Relaxing on the B&B patio furniture while sipping a local Washington wine and listening to the sound of a babbling brook… does it get any better than this?

At the end of a busy wine tasting day in Walla Walla, sleep like a royalty in a king size bed, uninterrupted by top quality soundproofing.

Total silence.

Just when you think Vine & Roses can’t get any better… the most amazing breakfast awaits first thing in the morning: fresh fruit, quiche, scones, delicious coffee, and juice.

Stay a few nights to enjoy Vine & Roses Bed & Breakfast and to sufficiently explore Walla Walla vineyards and the inviting downtown.

The Wine – Sinclair Estate Vineyards

Stop by the Sinclair Estate Vineyards tasting room in downtown Walla Walla, also owned by Tim & Kathy Sinclair.

Alert your tastebuds because you won’t want to miss the 2007 Pentatonic, their flagship wine. Only 3 barrels were produced of this dynamite blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, & Syrah. Buy a few bottles because the structure and elements are in place for graceful aging.

The Sinclair Estate Vineyards 2007 Syrah is an intense, diverse wine. Sip and you’re ‘buds will experience an array of flavors and sensations: berry, that toasty-toffee goodness, and a hint of spice. Each flavor is uniquely balanced and flows so well with the others.

And I’ll leave you to ask Kathy all about her very own 2007 Vixen blend…

Disclosure: TravelPlusWine was invited to stay free of charge.