Snowy mountains and ski vacations.

Here are your pictures from gorgeous snow destinations around the world. Where’s your favorite place to ski or play in the snow?

Whistler Gals. Sonia and Melanie take a break from snowboarding at Whistler Blackcomb to smile for the camera in Whistler, Canada.

Professional photographer Lee Trujillo sent us this beautiful landscape shot that he accurately titled “Frozen Tranquility”. It was taken on the top of a snowy peak popular with snowmobilers near Grand Lake, Colorado. Lee’s amazing photography work can be viewed at Reflection and Light Photography.

Kristine, @SpecialkSD on Twitter, sent us this great shot from Julian, California. She used the Instagram filter app to enhance the photo. She says:

“During a rare snowstorm in San Diego county, my family and I headed to a spot just outside the quaint town of Julian, CA. There was something so pure and simple about seeing everything dusted in white. Julian is a beautiful place any time of year and besides being known for its old-fashioned shops and the best apples around, it offers beautiful scenery.”

Snow isn’t just for adults. Little Isabella enjoys the fun in Edmonton, Canada.

Bird. A very artistic creation of bird feet and hands in the snow, @eat_smart sent us this picture she took in Switzerland.

Vanessa confronts the blizzard in Boston with courage and great fashion.

There’s nothing new about the wines of Livermore Valley. The region has a fascinating, wine-producing history since the 1760s, when Spanish missionaries planted the first grapes.

Then, in 1889 at the Paris Exposition, Livermore Valley put California on the world wine map when it won America’s first international gold medal for wine.

Today, the wine region is set apart from freeway traffic and commerce. For San Francisco locals and visitors alike, it’s an easy and welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Development dissipates as the scenic hills gradually give way to the Livermore Valley vines and, of course, tasting rooms.

Getting There

If you’re staying in San Francisco, Livermore Valley Wine Country is an easy day trip. Within an hour of the city center or several area airports, you can be sipping tasty wine and walking the vines.

Of course, we do recommend spending the night in Livermore to take full advantage of this San Francisco wine retreat and all it has to offer.

The Experience

With over 40 wineries ranging from boutique to sizeable, there’s a place for nearly every taste, experience, and budget. Whether you’d like to sip with the winemakers among the barrels or prefer a swanky tasting space with an entertaining wine educator, Livermore Valley Wine Country provides.

If the day is gorgeous and you feel like spending time in the great outdoors, we’d highly recommend packing a picnic lunch or snack. Many of the wineries we visited have quiet picnic areas.

Keep in mind the majority of wineries in Livermore Valley are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from around 11am-5pm. As always, it’s a good idea to confirm opening hours before you visit.

Wineries to Visit:

When taking on wine country for the day, you can either play it by ear or plan ahead. Either way, we’d suggest visiting the Livermore Valley Wine Country website and picking up an area winery map.

Here’s an overview of what we did:

Fenestra Winery

You won’t regret stopping by this rustic, friendly barn-like tasting room. At Fenestra Winery, you’ll encounter an astounding number of wines (around 20) poured by the owners who take joy in their creations and interacting with guests.

Whether you’re looking for a Verdelho to pair with curry, a Malbec for roasted duck breast, or a Port to pair with your late night chocolate habit, Fenestra makes a wide variety of wines that are likely to please a range of palates. As a bonus, their wines are reasonably priced at $10 to $32 a bottle.

Keep your palate clear for:

• True Red, Lot 25: This blend is a sophisticated and amazingly beautiful medium-bodied wine. Blackberry aromas play on the nose while plum and black cherry linger on the tongue long after you’ve sipped. It’s Fenestra’s most popular wine.

Bent Creek

This winery is all about location, location, location. The vineyards, combined with a hiker-friendly ridge and tall oak trees make for a picturesque afternoon in wine country. After you’re done tasting, buy your favorite Bent Creek bottle and hike past the vines to the gazebo and unwind while you enjoy a picnic lunch.

Keep your palate clear for:

• 2007 Zinfandel Port: A truly memorable dessert wine. I have never tried a Port-style wine that tastes like grapefruit. It allows you, on a more philosophical note, to marvel at how Mother Nature works. Grapefruit with caramelized pecans? It’s a pleasant combination.

Murrieta’s Well

In the 1850’s Joaquin Murrieta discovered an artesian well bubbling from the floor of the Livermore Valley. A well-traveled adventurer, he declared this water the best in the West and today it’s home to a nice winery owned by Wente.

While our last couple of wineries featured ‘mom-n-pop’ style tasting rooms, Murrieta’s Well boasts classy elegance and wine educators.

Keep your palate clear for:

• 2008 Zarzuela: With so many flavors going on here, like lavender, it’s an intellectual wine that makes you contemplate. Vanilla, leather, and spice transport you back in time. Perhaps even Joaquin Murrieta would have approved.

Concannon

Concannon Vineyard is an ideal last-stop on your Livermore Valley wine tasting itinerary. You can enjoy a final tasting and grab a bite to eat at the swanky Underdog Wine Bar before heading back to your hotel (I recommend the Campton Place Taj San Francisco if you’re staying in the city) or local accommodations (the Double Tree Hotel in Livermore is comfortable and quiet).

In 1883, James Concannon planted his first vineyard and built the winery. Today, the original structure is still in place, but the winery has expanded significantly and the tasting room is chic, spacious, and inviting.

Next door, in the same building, is the urban-themed Underdog Wine Bar featuring wines from Livermore and around the world as well as delectable tapas-style dishes. Whether you go for the tasty soup and salad, an Ahi Tuna Tartar Tower, a Farmstead Cheese Board, or decide to sample several items, the menu is diverse, presentation lovely, and flavors mouth-watering.

We were impressed by the knowledgeable restaurant staff, all eager to make our food and wine experience memorable. If you can’t decide which wine you’d like to sip with your meal, ask your server to recommend a wine flight.

Keep your palate clear for:

• 2007 Reserve Syrah: Our personal favorite at Concannon. This full-bodied, 100 percent Syrah has traces of mocha and chocolate to arouse the palate along with aromas of blackberry and dark cherry. We found it to be a tasty, memorable wine to sip as we sat back and reflected upon our day in Livermore.

Mark your calendar

Livermore Valley’s 3^rd Annual Barrel Tasting Weekend is happening Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20 from 12pm- 4:30pm. This is a great opportunity to meet winemakers while tasting their wine right out of the barrel. Each participating winery offers a unique experience, so be sure to grab your tickets soon.

Ricardo and Katie with Amelia Ceja

Thanks to the power of social media we got in touch with Amelia Ceja, a very fun and energetic woman entrepreneur and one of the founders and President of Ceja Vineyards, a boutique winery in Napa.

It didn’t take more than a couple of tweets to quickly connect with Amelia and schedule a visit to their tasting room located right in beautiful downtown Napa.

The colorful story of Ceja Vineyards, a Mexican-American winery, goes back several decades and its successful growth is due to their true love for the land and the great values of family bonding they share.

And I must say that when Amelia welcomed Katie and me to their tasting room, it felt as if we had known each other for years making us feel like we were part of the family.

Their tasting room is beautifully decorated and welcoming. There is a colorful mural that shares some of the history of Ceja Vineyards. Above the bar, you will see the iconic bell logo with the Latin phrase Vinum, Cantus, Amor meaning Wine, Song, and Love. The only thing I would add to the list is Travel (wink, wink).

When it comes to the wines, Ceja Vineyards feature 13 varieties all of superior quality. I was really impressed because typically, when I visit wineries, I identify one or two bottles that stand out from the rest, but in this case all the wines from Ceja Vineyards were of exceptional value.

And before I move on to talk about some of the wines, I want to acknowledge Amelia’s love of cooking Mexican food and how this is directly related to their winemaking. As she says, they make wine to compliment food their own way.

We started with the two Sparkling wines they produce: the 2009 Ceja Brut and the 2009 Blanc de Noir. Both are from Carneros in Napa Valley and made using the traditional methods from Champagne, France.

The Ceja Brut, made with 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir grapes, is fresh with dominant flavors of citrus and apple. I love how Amelia describes the surface of the wine when you hold the glass up almost like contemplating liquid stars.

If you are having a “quesadillas & bubbles” night, this is your wine!

The Blanc de Noir (see photo) has a gorgeous copper color and it’s made out of 88% Pinot Noir and 12% Chardonnay grapes. With hints of fruity berries, it has a very elegant dry lingering finish, perfect to celebrate any special occasion.

Moving on to the whites, Ceja’s single-vineyard Sonoma Coast 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp and dry gem of a wine. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in French oak (but not malolactic), it has intense citrus aromas and delicious tropical fruit flavors with hints of guava and peaches.

It can pair tremendously well with Mexican dishes containing green tomatillo salsa. Shall I suggest chicken enchiladas?

Their 2007 Napa Carneros Chardonnay is simply one of the best Chardonnays I have tried. With a radiant color, rich aromas of pear and marzipan, and a clean zesty palate (no malolactic fermentation), this wine has a perfect harmonious balance that will make people Chardonnay lovers again.

The next jewel to bow in respect is the 2008 Bella Flor Rosé (see photo). Katie has been on a serious mission to bring Rosé back and she was definitely blown away by this wine.

With a shiny ruby color and pleasant aromas of berries and vanilla, this 100% Rosé of Syrah is enjoyably tart and refreshing on the palate.

It is very well balanced across the board and in Katie’s words: “this is what a Rosé is supposed to be.”

The 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was presented together with the Ceja Vineyards Cabernet Chocolate Sauce. Have a sip of the Cabernet followed by a sip of the chocolate sauce and your quality of life immediately increases by 1,000 points; what an incredible combination!

You can actually have the Cabernet by itself, but it also makes a great food wine. With smoky aromas and rich fruit on the palate, it has a silky smooth finish. Overall a superb Cab!

Next comes my absolute favorite wine from Ceja: the 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir (see photo). Katie actually liked the 2006 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir better.

In my opinion, both are excellent full-bodied wines, very similar in complexity, structure, and balance. However I felt the Carneros floral aromas and bright fruit brought a greater elegance to the composition of the wine compared to the Sonoma Coast which was a bit more earthy and mineral.

Last but not least, there’s dessert magic with the 2006 Napa Valley Dulce Beso. The name Dulce Beso translates into Sweet Kiss and it is a late-harvest wine made from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc which Amelia accurately describes as liquid gold.

The opulent and fresh flavors of apricot, vanilla, honey and citrus will awaken your palate for a big fiesta. The right viscosity and sweetness of this wine perfectly matches creamy cheeses or desserts with vanilla ice-cream.

Other great wines in the Ceja repertoire include a Syrah, a Merlot, a white blend, and a red blend.

The best thing about Ceja Vineyards is that Amelia and everyone else at Ceja love talking to people and they do an amazing job in making you feel at home. There’s no need to feel intimidated if you do not know a lot about wine; they will make sure you leave with a memorable experience.

I definitely recommend giving yourself plenty of time when visiting Ceja Vineyards. And don’t forget to follow them on facebook, twitter, and check their YouTube channel.

I know I can’t wait to visit Ceja Vineyards again!

Bistro Sabor

If you are looking for the best Ceja wine and food pairing experience, then head over to Bistro Sabor, just one block down from their tasting room.

Bistro Sabor is operated by Ariel Ceja (Amelia’s son) and it offers gourmet Mexican street food.

As paradoxical as it may sound, Bistro Sabor will impress you with their contemporary concept and eclectic cuisine.

You can view their menu here, but I strongly recommend the Dungeness crab quesadilla, the shitake mushroom & braised green onion quesadilla with Oaxaca cheese, the Cornish game hen, or the fire-roasted poblano chile relleno.

There’s something for everyone including great options for vegetarians, colorful salads, traditional pozole with the Ceja touch, and fantastic desserts.

And if you are wondering which of the Ceja wines pairs best with your selection, just ask Ariel; he’s very friendly and helpful.

But wait! The party is not over until you first head to Bistro Sabor on Saturday nights for a fun evening of Salsa Dancing!

Due to their fantastic wines and great atmosphere, Ceja Vineyards is a top TravelPlusWine.com wine destination!

Everyone has a favorite, and my favorite winery in Temecula is Doffo Winery.

Yes, there are a few wineries in Temecula that produce excellent wines, but I believe Doffo’s great quality is simply apart from the rest.

I don’t know if they have a secret or not when making wine, but I am convinced their success is mainly due to their traditional way of making wine combined with the love and passion they put into the art of winemaking.

When you visit Doffo Winery don’t expect a souvenir shop, a Spa, or a restaurant attached to their business.

Doffo is all about wine and as a wine lover, that’s all I care. Since it is a small family owned winery, you will be welcomed by family members.

That to me is one of the most valuable aspects at Doffo Winery, the fact that you can actually have a great conversation with the family about their wines. You’ll soon feel like you’re talking to an old friend.

But let’s talk about their wines because this summer they released a few gems worth noting.

Let’s start with the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc.

This is the second year they’ve produce this white and if last year’s vintage was excellent, this year promises to be even better!

The nose is bright and fruity with hints of peaches. However, on the palate it delivers an unexpected but delicious taste of roasted almonds.

It is elegant and very smooth with tones of fresh grapefruit.

Let’s move on to the 2008 Syrah.

Ever since their 2005 Syrah, I have fallen in love with this fine wine from Doffo. Their Syrah was a huge success in 2006 and 2007 because of its superb quality and taste.

The 2008 vintage is no exception. Despite being young (just bottled in June), it is a very developed wine with a respectful character; the sign of a great winemaker. Nonetheless, it will improve considerably if stored for a few years.

This Syrah has vibrant tones of currants and berries. It is not heavy on the tannins, but silky and so smooth to drink, with a nice oaky finish.

Another great wine that is becoming a classic at Doffo is their 2008 Mistura, Portuguese for blend. This wine is 60% Cabernet and 40% Syrah.

The Mistura is a big medium-bodied wine with nice tones of blackberries and delightfully peppery. In a year or two you can better enjoy the wine as it will have developed its character.

The newest wine varietal at Doffo is their 2008 Zinfandel.

I can already foresee this wine becoming one of the stars at Doffo (see photo).

With peppery traits and fruity, this Zinfandel is well balanced. Interestingly, this Zinfandel is a bit sweet but without sacrificing the integrity of its zippy personality.

On the contrary, this quality makes it a bit more flexible allowing you to enjoy it with a meal or on its own.

Among Doffo’s repertoire, don’t miss their Malbec and their Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. And for those who love dessert wines, try their Late-Harvest Syrah and Port.

If you’re visiting Temecula wine country, make sure you stop at Doffo Winery. They are definitely putting Temecula on the world map of wines.

PS: Once there, ask Don Marcelo or Damian to show you their impressive Ducati motorcycle collection. It will blow you away!

Have you been to Temecula? Tell about your experience and favorite winery.

One of the most surprising towns you’ll ever visit in the United States is Solvang, California, especially if you don’t know what to expect.

It almost seems like this beautiful, picturesque town was ripped apart from Denmark by a giant and gently dropped in the middle-of-nowhere California.

It’s like visiting a Danish showcase in EPCOT Center, but this town is real.

Solvang was founded in 1911 by Danish-American educators who traveled west in search of land to build a Danish colony (and also to escape the cold winters in the Midwest).

They bought 9,000 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley, just northwest of Santa Barbara, and built the town in traditional Danish style.

Some famous Danish icons you can find in Solvang are a replica of the Rundetårn observatory tower, windmills, and even a reproduction of the “Little Mermaid”, which welcomes visitors at the intersection of Mission Drive and Alisal Road, just across the Hans Christian Andersen Museum.

If you are planning to visit Solvang in 2011, plan ahead because they will be celebrating their Centennial and the year will be filled with events and activities.

Check the Solvang Centennial calendar here.

Since its architecture is so unique and European, Solvang is a great town to walk around.

You’ll find many shops and art galleries, as well as coffee shops, world-class restaurants, and authentic bakeries (yep, they’ve got Danish pastries).

For wine lovers, Solvang is a great destination. Located in the Santa Ynez Valley, there are over 70 wineries and tasting rooms you can visit.

But if you are only in Solvang for a short trip, the town offers over a dozen of wine tasting rooms. There are two we recommend you shouldn’t miss:

Carivintas Winery

Located on First Street across from Solvang Park, they have one white (Sauvignon Blanc) and 4 red wines which are of exceptional quality.

I particularly loved their 2006 Syrah/Tempranillo, their 2006 Malbec, and their 2007 Zinfandel. All with great character and elegant flavor.

What’s also admirable about Carivintas Winery is that they blend wines with philanthropy.

You’ll notice their artistic wine labels include colorful scenes of wildlife and animals. These beautifully designed illustrations represent rescued animals or endangered habitats.

For them, giving something back to the community is important, so they have affiliated with non-profit groups and a portion of their profits are donated to these groups.

Sort This Out Cellars

Right on Copenhagen Drive, Sort This Out Cellars is a boutique winery offering limited production wines inspired by vintage Vegas.

The decoration of the place takes you back in time and the wine labels will definitely catch your eye.

But don’t be fooled by the playful and sexy women on their labels, their wines are truly spectacular.

I loved the wines from their “Black Label” and “Legacy” collections.

The Cardiff Giant (Legacy Collection) is a remarkable Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Oh My Gosh Grenache is silky smooth and fruity with nice notes of strawberry and cherry flavors. The ending is quite unique with hints of cotton candy and caramel.