October, 2026

Life is just fabulous if …

one can mix business with passion on trips, and vice versa!

Wine Country

After meetings in the tech valley I immediately moved up to the wine country. This place has changed fundamentally in the last 15 years, but it’s not without its challenges.

In Napa I focussed on family run wineries such as Honig, Forman and Seavey, nicely covering every price point. What they have in common still after all is that volumes of estate wines remain small in comparison to the big players.

Besides more places further north in Sonoma and for the first time I also went to Lake County, which is yet another world. All in all, a few very cool days in hot Northern California in October!

What can not be overheard almost everywhere is the fact how much sales and wine tourism is down up to 30% this year thanks to The Big Kahuna in DC, apparently some will not make it into next year…

Northern California

After so much wine, I wanted to see the very different countryside in the north since I mostly stay in southern CA.

So I decided to drive up to Redding and make it my base to see local life and the magical volcanic countryside with Mt. Shasta and Lassen Volcanic N.P. Truly a deep dive into the agricultural heartland of CA including a drive down south stopping in Fresno and Bakersfield.

A short visit to Yosemite was yet another bonus.

September, 2026

Another guys wine trip was up, unfortunately with only two participants as a family situation prevented the 3rd core member to join.

Duoro Valley

So we took a rental and headed straight for the Duoro Valley with its iconic terraced vineyards and beautiful views over the river. We stopped at one of the best places/wineries overlooking the valley, had a first glass of local dry white and enjoyed the view.

Our hotel was on the other side of the river with fine sunsets followed by dinner at a very local restaurant in Pinhao, which was very quiet after all the daytime tourists left.

The next days included a beautiful drive along the river bank and a lunch with classic local food before reaching the city of Porto.

Porto

A city, including old town, built on steep hills while navigating hundreds of years of history with endless historic buildings, uncountable bars and tiny bars for pre dinner action.

We ate at an Italian-Portugese fusion restaurant, went for the mandatory Port tasting places and ended up with an unexpected encounter. Turned out that a member of Amicitia, our fraternity, got married in town days before and we joined the after wedding party from a very cool venue about the famous bridge to tapas style dinner thereafter at a local restaurant.

A truly fantastic experience! 

September, 2026

In the day and age of AI this is a story of real people and land.

Raices Ibericas

For those who follow my stories might recall that I was at BWW (Barcelona Wine World) again last February. This time I was determined to find out more about lesser known wine regions in Spain. And while walking through the halls I spotted a winery I never heard of, not a real surprise. Yet I quickly got engaged with a gentleman who turned out to be the owner. After a very nice conversation he invites me to the harvest festival of his winery in the fall.

Since I am a very curious and adventurous person I told myself to give it a go. So off I go to visit Calatayud where I have never been before and wines I hardly knew besides the ones I tasted at his stand in Barcelona which were very good.

What I got to experience over the next three days was just out of this world and filled with people who care for what the do.

Mark, the owner who had a successful career running a wine import company in Belgium, showed me around some impressive vineyards and of course, the winery he took over before the conglomerate was going bankrupt.

But his was only the beginning, on Friday evening he held a Riedel Glass tasting dinner complemented by his wines in a traditional local restaurant amongst another 70 or so of his business partners and employees.

Saturday was fully packed with visits to some of the highest wine growing plots in DO Calatayud, a briefing by a local geologist followed by a barrel tasting with lunch at a very spectacular site overlooking the scenery.

In the evening was the Fiesta de la Vendimia (harvest festival) back at the winery with hundreds of locals and a pop band on stage entertaining the crowd.

Last but not least was the auction of the best scoring barrel of the 2025 vintage for a good cause, Viu Autisme, an organization helping families with children who have autism, followed by another dinner. 

This is, what I believe the resurgence of Calatayud as a wine region, made possible by Mark and his team at Raices Ibericas. I would very much encourage you to give these wines a try or even better get deeper informed with the project which is multi-fascinated!

November, 2025

On the road again …

After visiting Mongolia and China just a few months ago I chose Vietnam for this year’s November dark days get away.

Now this nation is one of the uprising economic powerhouses in all of Asia. With over 100 million people and a booming economy producing everything the world wants from cloths, sneakers to electronics including iPhones. And of course tourism, with a coastline of over 1500 km, an ever changing climate and landscape from North to South, Vietnam has something to offer for most travellers.

Yet the best part of any visit are for sure the locals, always very polite, help and joyful, curious, one always feels welcome and safe in this country.

Hanoi

The capital has seen a huge transformation since the reunification. Yet old town and the French Quarter have still kept a lot of their flair. 

We hired a local guide who showed us around which I can really recommend, only like this does one get to see the hippen gems and great stories, thank you Mai.

Ha Long Bay

This bay is like a must in any itinerary and it does not fail. However it is important to stay a least two night on a ship to not only see the last formation but to experience the tranquility still to be found in certain bays.

Sa Pa & the mountains

Nested in the mountains of the Northwest at 1600m altitude, Sa Pa was already the go to place for the French when escaping the summer heat. The landscape is dominated by mountains and rolling hills covered with terraced rice fields. There still is a community of indigenous people living in the valley which is mostly self sufficient and it’s very interesting to see how it’s being done.

Nha Trang

One of the crown jewels along the coast with pristine beaches, ample entertaining and shopping facilities. These days dominated by Russian tourists who like a warm getaway and find Sochi not so safe anymore. The once beach town has grown into a mid-size city. The islands in front of the coast are much calmer and more exclusive with the exception of the main one connected by a cable car and boasting a huge entertainment park.

Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon, as everybody still calls it, is even more busier than the capital, traffic even more heavier, and the weather not so my taste, it’s mostly hot and humid. The city is growing on every corner but like everywhere the people are kind and friendly. Besides city life with countless rooftop bars the nearby Mekong-Delta offers ample possibilities to immerse into jungle life.

April, 2026

Now Madeira is hardly a secret gem anymore, with visitor numbers exploding in recent years, manly from Germany, the U.K. and also Switzerland. Interestingly I heard a lot of Russian the last days.

I wanted to go since years, not only because it’s one of the classic wine countries but but also for it’s diversity of landscape and recent vibe.

North Coast

The more rugged North Coast sees most of the weather systems coming towards the island, hence more clouds and precipitation, but also stunning cliffs and green landscapes. On this side of the island are also some of the best sites for growing grapes despite the fungal pressure due to humidity. All in all a very relaxed and fun area to explore by car.

South Coast

In order to reach the South Coast one can take some narrow back roads which feel like driving though a rain forrest, almost no traffic, only to dive into the sunny  (more often than the North Side) of the island. Life is still very relaxed but the many tunnels built over the last 20 plus years have made getting around so much  easier and faster, which shows in restarted small towns and a cool surf vibe.

And then is of course, Funchal, the capital. By any means a very grown up, touristic and hip destination these days. A very clean up city, with great infrastructure (thanks to EU funds) and a vibrant shopping and dining scene like anywhere else in Europe.

May, 2026

Finally, it’s officially happening…  

I proudly present:

ARS I Veneto Rosso 2023 IGP

For so many years I have been asked countless times why I don’t get involved in wine, especially after finishing my DipWSET. I never wanted to be another wine importer or opening a wine shop like so many others. And running my own winery including grape growing was never an option either, be it time wise or the time commitment, let alone the financial obligation.

Yet I have never given up the idea of making my own wine, something different my way.

So it turns out that I have access to a premium winery and its fruit through a wine store whose owner I became friends with. And as I said that I wanted to do something different: for me and the market. Over the years I have become a fan of wines with a high content of Cabernet Franc or even entirely. There are a few CF dominated wines on the markets such as Paleo but I wanted to try a blend which does not really exist in the market. A blend of CF with one of my other favorite grapes, Syrah.
Together with the winemaker from the winery in Veneto we had a blending exercise with blind tastings of various blends, and the result really convinced me to go for it.

For more information about the finished wine including background information and tasting notes please send me a note or download the document. 

Production was very small consisting of 240 regular size bottles (750ml) for CHF 103.50 and just a few magnums for CHF 225.– and double magnums for CHF 468.80. They all come in beautiful wooden crates/boxes. So if you are interested let me know, first come first served!

August, 2024

After the solo visit to Burgundy I drove straight south to meet my friends for our annual extended wine weekend.

I made a first stop in Ampuis at the beautiful showroom of mighty E.Guigal, truly impressive. Then on all the way along the Rhône further south to the town of Tain l’Hermitage, the center of the Northern Rhône wine region.

Once on site, one can not miss the impressive backdrop of the town with the famous terraces planted with vines, the heart of the famous Hermitage appellation. One thing which is really impressive that both premium white and red grapes are being grown here. As for whites it’s motstly Marsanne and Roussanne, for red Syrah is the only permitted grape variety for the appellation .

The weekend really stated to be launched once my friends arrived and we got a first taste of the local food and of course wines.

Over the weekend we toured the different appellations with our convertibles which makes is so much more enjoyable and fun. We also found a great restaurant towering over the river offering splendid views and Michelin level cuisine at very affordable prices.

Nightlife was also much better than expected and we actually met some (young) people working in the wine industry which were eager to show us and let us taste wines where they worked, including some incredible high quality bottles.

All in all, Tain l’Hermitage clicked all the boxes for an enjoyable and relaxing (wine) weekend, needless to day that most of my friends have never been here let alone know anything about the wide variety of wines the region has to of offer. If you are looking for a high quality, off-the-beaten-track wines region, then go visit this one.

August, 2024

What was supposed to be a reunion with friends from WSET wine school turned out to be a solo journey through mostly the Côte d’Or in Burgundy.

Instead of driving down South over Geneva I decided to give one of the most prized wine regions in the world a quick visit before going another group of wine friends in the Northern Rhône.

As this was a short notice decision I had no plan or made any inquiries at wineries for visits. It turned out not even necessary. I just took to the vineyards and ventured into small paths and dirts roads. It took very little time until I met somebody who was curious to find out what I was doing checking out micro sites, soils and vegetation status of the vines and grapes and in no time did I got invitations to see their winery and getting an insight tour. Being Dip WSET always helps to get some FaceTime with owners or winemakers.

So I started in the north of the Côte d’Or, visited the Clos Vougeot and it’s vineyards, always a great place to see. I then ventured down into the Côte de Beaune and its famous white wine appellations around Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. Surprisingly there were very few tourists around and I could also get some great drone footage on these very hot August days not to far away from harvest.

Last but not least I can really recommend staying close to the town of Beaune and eating out at reasonable prices in old town.