Here are some great places to go if you’re looking for a haunted escape this Halloween or anytime of year.

• St. James Hotel, Cimarron, New Mexico: According to Food & Wine, “There are seven ghosts that are here all the time, and we get the good, the bad and the ugly.” Event coordinator Judy Kahlor knows the troublemakers when she senses them: “That’s when we get the parties in the bar, poker games in the high roller room, and people get pennies thrown at them in bed at four in the morning.” Room 18 in particular has become a haven for visiting spirits.
• Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado: A stay at this hotel near Rocky Mountain National Park inspired Stephen King to write The Shining. Food & Wine says resident paranormal investigator Callea Sherrill first encountered the hotel’s otherworldly inhabitants in Room 407, where she was staying one night with two friends. “I heard footsteps come down the hallway,” Sherrill recalls. “They stopped outside the door. I waited for a knock, but nobody knocked. Just then I felt someone sit down next to me on the bed—I even saw the mattress dip.” The next morning her friend Terry, whom Sherrill had thought was asleep, asked, “Who sat down on the bed with us last night?” Can you imagine???
• Hotel Roosevelt, Los Angeles, California: Marilyn Monroe is thought to haunt this LA hot spot.
• The Equinox Resort, Vermont: Dating back to 1769, this hotel was a favorite spot of Abe Lincoln’s family and is said to be haunted by his wife Mary Todd Lincoln.
• Queen Mary, Long Beach, California: This once famous ocean liner is now a docked hotel. Attractions at night on board include the Paranormal Spirit Box, Paranormal Spirit Walk and Dining with the Spirits.

Check out more details and options at Food & Wine and Travel Channel.

Boo!

That’s what Virginia’s Governor Robert McDonnell said at Thursday night’s Virginia Wine Month celebration hosted by the Virginia Tourism Office and Virginia Wine Board at Lincoln Restaurant in Washington, DC.

Unfortunately I was out of town so couldn’t attend but luckily Virginia Wine TV covered it so I was able to catch the highlights thanks to their great coverage!

The event featured four great wineries you can put on your list for this last weekend of Virginia Wine Month…

• Chatham Vineyards on the Eastern Shore (also the Virginia Wine of the Month Club feature this October)
• Barboursville Vineyards outside of Charlottesville on the Monticello Wine Trail
• Breaux Vineyards & Boxwood Winery both in Loudoun County

The Governor’s remarks also included…

• Virginia wine sales increased +13% last year and this year already up +11%.
• Virginia is taking it internationally not only with sales in the UK but shows in Europe last year, Asia this year and India coming up.
• The newest vines in Virginia are in his backyard with 10 Chambourcin vines.
• Even though Virginia is #5 in the country in wine production, look out #1 California here we come!

All in all a fun evening celebrating the continued growing success of Virginia wine now up to 200 wineries.

Virginia is for wine lovers. Cheers!

Very excited for tomorrow’s second-annual Champagne Day, Friday 28 October! What a great way to celebrate Friday!

Champagne Day started last year, by the Champagne Bureau, as a grassroots online effort to celebrate the sparkling wine that comes exclusively from the Champagne region of France. Tomorrow not only can you participate in the digital world, but there are a few events going on in Napa, DC, Boston, NYC and obviously France. Visit the Champagne Day Meetup site for more event info.

How to join the virtual tasting if you’re new…

1. Get yourself on Twitter…it’s the best way to participate and virtually join the fun.
2. Grab a bottle of Champagne…remember true Champagne ONLY comes from France.
3. Pop open the bottle on Thursday and get online…use the #ChampagneDay hash tag in your tweets (you can also do on Facebook, Tweetdeck, etc…) … post about what you’re tasting, where you’re tasting, who you’re with. And follow #ChampagneDay on Twitter, Tweetdeck, etc.

Cheers to Champagne Day!

In Seattle this week I’ve discovered two nice wines you might want to check out!

Pasek Cellars 2007 Syrah 

Pasek Cellars was started by Gene and Kathy Pasek in 1995. Located in Mount Vernon, Washington, their specialty is fruit wine but they ventured into Syrah.

• Grape Variety: 100% Syrah
• Aroma: Warm spice and berries.
• Taste: Extremely smooth and flavorful wine of blackberry and spice (from the oak aging) with a nice lingering finish.
• Price: $12
• My thoughts: My girlfriend picked up a bottle of this in Leavenworth, Washington at a tasting room. It was an extremely easy to drink red wine full of berry flavor and perfect for a cold Autumn night.

Came home to a surprise of this sitting on my desk! My husband ordered one for me.

Experience wine at the perfect temperature everytime. It’s a cork and chiller all in one for white and red wines. The User Guide says, “Too cold and it could mask the vintner’s uniquely crafted complexities. Too warm and the flavors may take a back seat to the alcohol.” Once open, leaving the bottle on the table too long can make the wine too hot, or leaving it in a bucket too long can make the wine too cold. Corkcicle is the answer.

All you have to do is put it in the freezer for about 2 hours, open a bottle of chilled white wine or room temperature red wine, pour the first glass then insert the frozen Corkcile. Wash, re-freeze and re-use.

Had any experiences with Corkcicle? Mine is prepping in the freezer.