Beverages – Before I Kick it Travel

17 January 2022

Virginia Bucket List Wineries – Stone Tower Winery

My bucket list journey to visit all of the wineries in Virginia has just begun. But, I believe I have found my favorite winery…at least for now. Stone Tower Winery, a family-owned winery located just about an hour west of DC. It is beautiful and inviting has some of the best wine in Northern Virginia. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences when it comes to wine, but I think Stone Tower has good options for everyone.

I always enjoy a nice glass of wine or bubbly. I stumbled across this gem during COVID-19. Staying in the house was no longer an option and I needed to do something besides a hike. Wineries were a good option and spring was just around the corner. I did not have any real expectations about Stone Towar vineyard and at the time I did not care. It turns out, the wines are so good that I have been back multiple times and I am now a member.

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There is a large variety of wine at Stone Tower! I do not like most Virginia wine but they have some of the best wine I have had in the state. Virginia is really a difficult place to grow good grapes for red wine. Somehow, they have figured out how to combat the terroir to do just that. Usually, I exclusively drink red wine. But, I have tasted pretty much everything they produce. My favorites are the rosé and rosé brut, petit verdot, and the merlot. I even like the chardonnay, and like I said–I do not care much for white wine. [/penci_fancy_heading]

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My first time at Stone Town Winery was lovely. Its beauty was a surprise. It is super inviting and the atmosphere is great, even when it is crowded (and it is usually very crowded). The barn-style buildings with a backdrop of rolling hills and vines are picturesque and exactly what you would expect to see at a winery. There are so many reasons to visit; after a stressful week at work, a day out with friends, or even a solo day. I always exhale when I pull up to the winery.

Stone Tower Winery has a great ambiance to include its cozy indoor spaces. I have done a few tastings, eaten lunch, or and t hung out with friends in several of Stone Tower’s buildings. There has never been a time when I wanted to leave when I had to. [/penci_fancy_heading]

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One of the best things about Stone Tower Winery is that they have several events and wine experiences every month. And, if you can not catch something the first time around, they almost always run the same events time and again. My first introduction to Stone Tower Winery was at one of these events. I went to the wine barrel tasting of its 2019 red wine wines. Usually, wine tastings are of only maybe 3-6 wines. But I was shocked to see that the winery had placed 10 nearly full glasses at my table. The tasting included a food parring of cheese, charcuterie, and other small treats.

My second experience at the winery was the Executive Experience, which included a tour of the property, lunch, and wine tasting of about 8 wines and port. This was a good chance to taste most of the wines the winery produces, and the tour guides are fun and lively. Beware, if you are a lightweight, this tour may be a tad much for you. The pours are generous and there are plenty of them. I loved our tour guide, Joe. He is very knowledgeable and is clearly enjoying his retirement working at Stone Tower.

Besides the wine events, you can visit the property any time for a wine tasting or enjoy their menu. My favorite things on the menu are the wood brick pizzas and the parmesan truffle French fries, especially when they are fresh out of the fryer!

If you are a wine lover or just want to have a good experience, I highly encourage you to spend an afternoon or day at Stone Tower Winery![/penci_fancy_heading]

10 May 20207 August 2020

Coffee in Vietnam: My Favorite Cafes

Coffee in Vietnam! I know it may be strange to have coffee in Vietnam listed on my bucket list. Let me first start by saying that I love a nice, hot cup of coffee almost every morning. Black! No sugar, no milk. I will admit that from time to time I enjoy coffee iced, frozen, or with milk as a treat. There is something so fulfilling and relaxing about opening a bag of coffee beans and breathing in the aroma. To then grind those beans and make a perfect cup of coffee can be even more satisfying. No matter what I am doing, a cup of coffee makes me feel relaxed and I love it.

After doing a couple of food tours in Vietnam, I was so happy to discover that coffee in Vietnam is huge. The coffee culture is so strong that it is hard to walk down any busy street without coming across several cafes. I guess I should not have been so surprised since the French left their mark and its cafe culture in Vietnam after 100 years of occupation. As part of my bucket list food adventures, I had planned to do a coffee tour in Vietnam. However, due to the coronavirus, my tour was canceled. I was grateful that the tour company provided me a list of cafe shops we would have visited, told me what to order, and gave me insights on the coffee.

Traveling to Asia During Coronavirus

Coffee in Vietnam is definitely a treat. The cafes all over the country serve so many different types of coffee. The most traditional coffee in Vietnam is strong, made with Robusta beans, and served with condensed milk. However, even with condensed milk, the coffee still has a very strong flavor.

The coffee is unique because of the technique the Vietnamese use to make it. A small stainless steel filter makes all the difference. They are relatively cheap and if you purchase coffee beans in Vietnam, I highly recommend that you grab a filter at the same time. If cheap kitchenware is not your style, you can also buy colorful ceramic filters too. With so many cafes sprinkled throughout the country, here are a few of my favorites where I think you can find some of the best coffee in the country.

Coffee with condensed milk

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Cafe Dinh is in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and has some of the best egg coffee in the city. The cafe is in a hole in the wall and it is impossible for tourists to find unless they already know what they are looking for. You have to enter a dark alley and climb a flight of stairs before you reach the cafe. You may at first be frightened, but push past that fear because you will be rewarded with one of the best cups of coffee in the city.

Some will say that this cafe is a tourist trap and no local would ever visit. But, I found that to not be true. I went to this cafe a few times and I did not see a single tourist in sight. The cafe itself is dark and the atmosphere feels old world. I just imagine that it was once a place packed with artistic or hip people of the day. I will warn you that smoking is allowed, which is the only downside to this place.

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Egg Coffee

As for the most important part, the egg coffee, it is simply delicious. This specialty coffee originates in Hanoi and is the best city to try it. You may be wondering what in the world is egg coffee? The Vietnamese prepare it with robusta coffee beans, egg yolk, condensed milk and sugar. They beat the egg yolk with sugar and coffee until it makes a sort of fluffy custard. Many people serve it in a bowl of warm water to maintain the temperature of the coffee, but Cafe Dinh does not use that method. I was nervous to try it, but it is the most unique and yummy type of coffee I have ever tasted.

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My second favorite cafe for egg coffee in Vietnam was at Hanoi Egg Coffee. While the name of the cafe may not be original, they serve one of the best egg coffees in the city. This tiny cafe also serves several types of rice wine and snacks like bahn mi. The reason why this cup of egg coffee was beat out by Cafe Dinh, is because I think it’s a tad too sweet for my liking. The Vietnamese use A LOT of sugar in their cuisine and there is no exception for coffee.

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Egg Coffee

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Loading T Cafe in Hanoi is a cute French inspired cafe in the middle of the Old Quarter. While I enjoyed drinking egg coffee a several cafes in the city, I definitely loved the coffee at Loading T the most. They roast their coffee beans with cinnamon sticks, which makes for a very unique and delicious flavor. I tried their regular iced coffee with condensed milk and a frozen coconut coffee. I have never said yum so many times while sipping coffee. If I had spent any significant amount of time in Hanoi, I would have visited this cafe time and time again. Definitely some of the best coffee in Vietnam.

The ambiance of the cafe adds to the entire experience of having a delicious cup of coffee in Vietnam. Loading T is on a small side street in Hanoi. The yellow building looks like something out of an old century story. The cafe is on the top floor and is cute and quaint. French music is softly playing in the background. There are a few cozy tables spread throughout the space. It is inviting and relaxing.

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Frozen Coconut Coffee

Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk

Coffee in Vietnam comes a variety of styles. If what I have mentioned does not sound appealing, then you can also try Vietnamese drip coffee without condensed milk, black iced coffee, fruity coffee, and yogurt coffee. Of these choices, I tried yogurt coffee. It was not horrible, but not my favorite type of coffee in Vietnam. The creamy constancy of yogurt in iced coffee was not that appealing. But, it is worth trying. If you are up for being adventurous, then you should also try weasel coffee. What is weasel coffee? Essentially, it is when weasels have digested and pooped out coffee beans. They sell it throughout Vietnam.

Coffee with yogurt

21 April 201910 May 2020

A Day Trip to Champagne Region

Avenue de Champagne, Épernay

A last minute trip to Paris, gave me the opportunity to visit a part of France I had never been to before and to check one more item off of my bucket list…the Champagne region. I wanted to visit several of the oldest champagne houses in Reims and Épernay, France, such as Moët & Chandon, Taittinger, and Ruinart.

However to taste the delicious bubbly from the larger houses, you usually have to book weeks to months in advance. In addition, renting a car to make your way around the region or booking a tour through companies like Viator.com give you the best opportunity to see visit as many houses as possible. I did not have time for either during this trip, and considering I usually plan my trips months to a year in advance, I was tempted to put off going to the region until I could do it the way I wanted to. Instead, I booked a last minute trip to Épernay, also know as Faubourg de la Folie (“crazy suburb”), which is only a little more than an hour train ride outside of Paris. I chose Épernay because the Avenue de Champagne provides an array of champagne houses, large and small, where you can taste without a reservation.

When you first arrive at the Avenue, it does not look like much more than a quiet street, but it is really charming. Of note, several of the champagne houses are open seasonally and many are closed between 1130-1400. Not to worry though, you can arrive in Épernay at 1000, do several tastings, eat lunch, and head back to Paris by late afternoon.

My two favorite houses were Collard-Picard and Paul Etienne Saint Germaine. Both houses are small and quant and can only fit a hand full of people at a time. Lucky for me, I was there slightly off seasons and did not have to fight the normal crowds. Both houses offer two different tastings of three types of champagne, to include a Rosé that turned out to be my favorite tastings of the day of the day. I bought a bottle at both spots to enjoy this summer!!