Argentina wine is booming, Evita’s busting, the gaucho is all but gone and the tango’s making another comeback. MENDOZA, Argentina—Once a year this laid-back city at the foot of the Andes sets aside the siesta, cerveza and empanada and rolls out the red carpet for its Masters of Food and Wine festival.

This award-winning dish is even tastier than it is attractive! It was among the featured goodies at celebrity-chef Camille Manella Johnston’s annual Mardi Gras Party. If you like oysters, cheese, bacon and all good ingredients, you’ll love Oysters Camille. Here’s the prized recipe:

I travel for a variety of reasons. But when I have a true quest, my trip becomes a mission, and the whole damn thing takes on a totally different dimension. That long flight becomes the crusade, the hotel takes on the feel of base camp and every bus or taxi becomes an intrepid conveyance pushing me further to the Holy Grail. Sound a bit Indiana Jones? Well, maybe.

In Auckland, Mark took a ‘favorite five’ tour with Dr Maya, checking out the Mt. Eden lookout, the Parnell French Market, Mt. Eden shopping village, Piha Beach and finally fish and chips at Mission Bay.

The Pacific was not pacified. Between the strong wind and the deafening sound of rushing waves there was no place for a peaceful stroll on a beach or a picnic under a rock. I had to scramble the initial plan and resort to just standing there, tightly draped in my pea coat, on an otherwise warm sunny day.

Gracious greens, softly undulating fairways, tranquil waters… it’s no secret that Sarasota’s resorts boast some of the lushest links in the country. Longboat Key Club and Resort, The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota and The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort offer gorgeous championship courses that challenge golfers from novice to pro.

Little did I expect my e-saver ticket to Frankfurt would lead to Wiesbaden. I was looking for a historic city with impressive architecture, parks, culture, good food and wine. Also, spas and some shopping would be nice. Of course, I only had three full days.

Do you like surprises? I do. When driving past the golf course at night, I am pleasantly surprised when dark, humped shadows turn into elk cows and calves grazing peacefully.

I like the unpredictably of our Arizona sunsets. Would we so admire the hot reds, fuchsias and purples if they were visible from our Munds Park decks at every setting of the sun?

Just the thought of a surprise birthday party terrifies me. But I love being blown away by the complexity of the first taste of an unpretentiously-priced wine.

I like surprises and so I am liking Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country. I didn’t do much research before coming, but I did look at a map. I envisioned Temecula as a flat expanse of dull, plowed agricultural lands. From all my travels to grape-growing regions, I should have known better. Grapes are best grown on rolling hills that provide drainage and optimal sunlight. But on the two-dimensional, beige-colored map flattened on my Munds Park dining room table, the area looked … well, frankly it looked … beige and flat.

Now in Temecula, I am first surprised by tall, rolling hills striated by grapevines and back dropped by dramatic granite-bespeckled mountains. Here horses, golfers and grapes live in harmony. Lush green hills around golf courses and horse properties are dotted with squat olive trees and spires of Olympic cedars. Rose gardens spilling with ample blossoms and parcels of thick forests skirt the edges of golfers’ and riders’ views.

Outside the door of my room at Temecula Creek Inn — home base for my southern California stay — I am pleasantly surprised as the “flower” near which a hummingbird hovers is shifted by my perspective and turns into a nest. She hops in and finds a quiet respite.

Dinner at the Thornton Winery amazes with simple, gourmet cuisine. “Over the years I’ve learned to get back to the simple things … three or four ingredients so you can taste what you are supposed to taste,” says Chef Steve Pickell, schooled in DC in the 1980s and working in New York City, Chicago and LA before returning to southern California.

The pan-roasted Pacific Sea Bass with lemon, olives and bay leaves from Chef’s on-site herb garden was laid on Mediterranean Cous Cous. Four ingredients, and to die for! “Lobster used to be my favorite sea food,” reveals fellow foodie and travel writer Marilyn Hill. “But now I prefer sea bass. The chef can do so much with it to make it his own using local ingredients.”

Local foods are an integral part of Temecula’s dining scene. Southwest Riverside County has the highest number of boutique farms per capita than any other in California. Chef Pickell celebrates his relationship with local growers by presenting the freshest tastes to his guests.

Wine maker Don Reha has paired Thornton’s 2008 Viognier with the course that we are enjoying out of doors. I remind myself that it snowed last week in Munds Park. “It’s one of the best that I’ve made,” says the young, unpretentious wine maker who has twenty-six harvests under his belt. “I am learning every day. My philosophy [on wine making] is always changing.”

And so I get my third surprise: Thornton’s 2008 Viognier. It is a complex, multi-layered wine: peach in the nose, tangerine in the mouth, and fire in the belly. Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country, an unexpectedly satisfying destination, is so close to home. One hour north of San Diego, one hour south of Orange County and one hour west of Palm Springs. An easy fly or drive from Phoenix or Munds Park.

When You Go:
Temecula Creek Inn – spacious guest rooms over-looking a championship golf course rated Four Stars by Gold Digest Places to Play.

Thornton Winery – tastings, tours, food, wine, and jazz concerts from April through October.

Stacey “Vagabonding Lulu” Wittig is a freelance travel writer based in Munds Park, AZ. Find more travel tips at www.vagabondinglulu.com and book your travel at www.travelwriter.rovia.com.

Reprinted from Pinewood News, Munds Park, AZ, May 24, 2010

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I know, it sounds too good to be true. But, Patrick and I were privileged to be among the guests of last night’s Amici Club dinner and here’s what we discovered.

For starters, it’s kinda like being at Cheers. Everybody knows your name. At least, the names of the regulars we had the honor of spending time with while savoring our meal. Did I say, “meal”?  There were several main courses for all of us to sample, beginning with fried zucchini and tender calamari. Next came three pasta courses, all unique and all perfectly prepared. Dessert was a shot glass lined with chocolate brownie, filled with chocolate mousse and topped with coconut shavings. Wine was free-flowing, as was the conversation – and laughter – among strangers, who, by the end of the evening, became friends.

Membership is free. I’m signing up. “Wine not”? Learn more at www.carrabbas.com.