Unique Travel Opportunities for the Local Food and Wine Enthusiasts

The Savory Affair, New England’s premier event planning and design firm, today announced two extraordinary food and wine travel experiences for 2014.  Combining the unparalleled service of The Savory Affair with the vineyard connections and wine knowledge of sister-company, The Savory Grape, each trip offers a personalized, behind-the-scenes look at the epicurean worlds of Napa Valley, California and the Tuscany region of Italy.

The Napa Valley trip is August 1 – 6, 2014, a perfect time of year to escape the heat of the East Coast and enjoy the comfortable temperatures of Northern California.  In order to provide a more tailored, individualized experience, this trip will host only 10 guests and be personally guided by The Savory Affair and The Savory Grape proprietor, Jessica Granatiero.

“This will be an amazing opportunity to go behind the scenes to meet the families and vintners, while learning more about the intricate process of winemaking,” stated Granatiero.   “From the accommodations to the daily itineraries, we have designed a first-class experience and will show you Napa in a way few experience.”

Accommodations will be provided by Andaz, a luxury boutique hotel in downtown Napa and walking distance to many great shopping and restaurants.

The trip includes:

·         5 night, 6-day stay in the Andaz Napa

·         Breakfast daily in the Andaz Farmer’s Table Restaurant

·         Lunch daily, except travel days

·         2 organized group dinners—welcome dinner at Carpe Diem and closing dinner at the home of Rob & Kat MacDonald

·         Hands-on, interactive pesto-making demonstration and class with wine, at the Culinary Institute of America

·         Insider visits, tours and tastings at six different vineyards

·         Transport to and from all vineyard activities and dinner

Two months following the Napa experience, Granatiero is partnering with Chef Kaitlyn Roberts, founder & owner of Easy Entertaining Inc. for a “Savoring Italy” tour of Tuscany that promises to be an insider’s guide to the best vineyards and dining in Italy.  Guests will experience an epicurean education with cooking classes and wine tours lead by Chef Roberts and Granatiero.

The six night, six-city tour will start on October 5, 2014, with guests arriving at the Villa Daniella Grossi, a restored 17th century luxury villa located in the hills of Lucca, on the morning of October 6.  The trip includes an elaborate breakfast each morning prepared by Chef Roberts, followed by a tour and tasting at top Tuscan vineyard lead by Granatiero.  Each afternoon, guests will return to Villa Daniella Grossito enjoy hands-on cooking and wine pairing lessons from Chef Roberts and Granatiero.  At night, guests will dine on five gourmet dinners, including three at the villa with custom wine pairings, two off-site in the city of Lucca and one in the beautiful city of Florence.

The Savory Affair has been organizing and hosting unique local, national and international travel experiences for two years with great success and rave review. 

“We’ve had the pleasure of traveling with The Savory Affair on their Napa Valley trip last year,” stated Caroline Corrente.  “They blend their extensive relationships within the wine industry with first-class planning expertise to provide a one-of-a-kind trip you can get on your own or with a large travel agency.”

To view a downloadable brochure for either trip, please visit www.thesavoryaffair.com.  To book your reservations please contact Ann Petronio, at Annie’s Escapes Custom Travel Planning at 401-270-4834.