September 2009 News and Travel Trends

Lonely Planet’s News and Travel Trends
September 2009

Lonely Planet Insider
We asked our global community of staff and authors “What is your favorite wine region in the world?”

Here are the results:

#1   Napa and Sonoma, California USA
“The wines in this area are so full of life! The flavors are complex, refreshing, and oh so yummy!!! The region is not over developed yet, and the rolling hills are absolutely gorgeous. The wineries tend to be low-key still, are not over priced, and you are always guaranteed a beautiful relaxing day.” –Gerilyn Atterbery, Lonely Planet Staff

“My favorite hotel is The Sonoma Creek Inn, which is located a few miles from the plaza in Boyes Hot Springs.  Charming, affordable, adjacent to The Creekside Café (which has the best breakfasts), and around the corner from The Sonoma Mission Inn (which has heavenly massages).”–Karen Finlay, Lonely Planet Staff

#2   Barossa Valley, South Australia
“It produces the finest red wines in the world. The Barossa is a short drive from Adelaide, and is welcoming and low-key though very well established. The cuisine is world class using only local produce”. –Tom Spurling, Lonely Planet Author

“My favorite is the little-known Troll Creek vineyard”. –Jonathon Ryan, Lonely Planet Staff

#3   Marlborough, New Zealand
“As a visitor, you can base yourself in a beautiful region (Marlborough Sounds) and drive around all the tightly clustered wineries. Plus the sauvignon blanc is just gorgeous, especially on a scorching day. Cool, crisp and refreshing”.

“My favorite place to stay is Te Mahia Bay Resort, Kenepuru Sound. Favorite vineyard is Oyster Bay”.
-Averil Robertson, Lonely Planet Staff

Trailing close behind was Bordeaux, France. Other popular regions with our staff and authors were the Margaret River in Western Australia, the Mendoza region in Argentina, McLaren Vale in Southern Australia, the Rhone Valley in France and Tuscany, Italy. Spain, Hungary and Chile were also well-liked. 

Napa & Sonoma Encounter
Our Napa & Sonoma Encounter whittles down the 750 wineries in the region into a list of 100-plus vinters of distinctive artisan wines that are seldom seen outside California, yet generate a whole lot of buzz. We’ve sought out wineries that consistently produce outstanding wines, and those who also think outside the bottle in some areas--with sustainability high up on our list. In fact, we’d like think that this book is the greenest guide on the market to Napa & Sonoma, not only cherry picking the organic and bio-dynamic wineries but the locavore and farm-to-table restaurants that really define the region’s flavor. We even give high priority to the “eco-boutiques” in our shopping listings, when items in a shop are locally and sustainably produced.

“From Napa/Sonoma's worst disaster came an unlikely triumph”, says Napa & Sonoma Encounter author Alison Bing. “After 1990s phylloxera blights wiped out entire vineyards, pioneering Napa/Sonoma wineries completely rethought their approach to winemaking, and began painstakingly replanting with organic vines. Major winemaking concerns have gone solar and biodynamic, and reversed standard industry-wide practice of dumping artificial additives into wine. If you haven't been to Napa/Sonoma lately, come and see for yourself how local winemakers' inspired choices have literally changed the landscape - ground cover blooms everywhere, owls, sheep and ladybugs keep pests and weeds in check, and once-endangered steelhead trout are making a comeback in sparkling streams”.

Alison Bing is a notable wine, food and travel writer who is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has vast knowledge on the history and practices of the food and wine industries in Napa & Sonoma and is available for interviews.

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YouTube Contest
To commemorate Lonely Planet’s new pictorial, The USA Book: A Journey Through America, we have launched a travel video contest on YouTube™, in which Americans reveal what they think makes their part of the USA interesting. To enter, contestants can submit an original new video at www.youtube.com/lonelyplanet. Entries cannot exceed 3 minutes and only one entry per person per category is permitted. The Grand Prize is a video assignment for Lonely Planet in San Francisco valued at $10,000US. The contest ends on October 25, 2009.

Conventional Wisdom
Our US Travel Editor, Robert Reid, on what’s hot (and what’s not) in travel:

Martha’s Vineyard after Labor Day- Thumbs Up
Yes, summers in Martha Vineyard get all the press but prices drop, crowds empty out and private beaches open up in September. Now’s the time to vacation like a Kennedy (or Obama) without breaking the bank—and experience the locals taking back the island. Check out my picks on the Wall Street Journal Online.

Ha Long Bay- Neutral
Ha Long Bay is on every first-time traveler’s itinerary in Vietnam but it can get crowded and seasickness is par de course. Tam Coc may be a better choice. See the details on why I suggest this at Budget Travel Online.

Weekends in College Football Towns- Thumbs Up
Why not squeeze in some sightseeing when visiting the host cities during college football season. Take advantage of your locale by visiting the must-sees while still leaving plenty of time for the game. See my game day itinerary featuring Atlanta and Austin on ESPN.com.

For more information, please contact PressUSA@Lonelyplanet.com