Petite Maison with just 33 seats inside and 40 outside is truly a “petit” restaurant with a quaint ambiance  that will bring back memories of your travels in southern France and remind you of the fabulous family run restaurants sprinkled throughout the region.

If you haven’t yet visited southern France, then your dining experience at Petite Maison will show you what you have been missing!

Nestled in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, Petite Maison is a country casual bistro specializing in traditional French cuisine prepared by Chef James Porter and Sous Chef David Bowman. The menus are printed daily and updated seasonally. Petite Maison is open for lunch, weekend brunch and dinner, their guests can dine in a cozy dining room and bar or outdoors in their elegant garden patio.

If you have any inclination to dine at Petite Maison, a word to the wise…..“Make a reservation!” We arrived with no reservation at 8:00 on a Tuesday evening, thinking, “Hey, it’s Tuesday night; why would we need one?”   But, I was wrong; they were booked solid!

Fortunately, there were a few seats open at the bar and “Ian”, our bartender took very attentive care of us!  With several interesting starters to choose from, we decided to try the Escargots en Croûte.  Now I haven’t had Escargot in many years because the last  time I had it, the dish was just okay and not worth writing about.  But, the Escargots en Croûte at Petite Maison is fabulous!” The Escargot is very soft with a creamy butter, garlic, herbs and pernot and is topped with a tiny puff crouton pastry… just spectacular!

For the principal course, I had the Steak Frites and again I was very impressed! (See example of full menu)

Often I have found that restaurants who  offer a version of Steak Frites on their menu tend to provide a narrow thickness of flavorless  steak. But again, Chef James Porter does it the traditional Provencal French way with a tastier, thicker cut of meat. Very flavorful!

At NELSON WADE, we are considering opening a store across the street for our brand of neckties, accessories and custom clothing that we provide for men and women.  But, one of the problems that we foresee in doing so,  is our daily food expenses will soar through the roof, and secondly you may not see us that often in the store, only because we will be having brunch or lunch and dinner at Petit Maison daily!

At NELSON WADE, we recommend the restaurant of Petite Maison in Scottsdale for casual French country cuisine.

Photos courtesy of Michael McNamara/The Arizona Republic.

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

Petite Maison, a dining experience not to be missed in Scottsdale!

Presenting a high-performance mid-engined concept sports car with ultra-efficient, low-emission drive technology, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is further increasing the Company’s competence in hybrid technology.

Click on images for enlarged view

The 918 Spyder prototype combines high-tech racing features and electro-mobility to offer a fascinating range of qualities: An emission level of just 70 grams CO2 per kilometer on fuel consumption of three litres/100 kilometers (equal to 94 mpg imp) truly outstanding even for an ultra-compact city car, on the one hand, combined with the performance of a super sports car and acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in just under 3.2 seconds, top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph) plus, and a lap time on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring in less than 7:30 minutes, faster than even the Porsche Carrera GT, on the other.

The 918 Spyder is one of three Porsche models with hybrid drive making their world debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. This trio – made up of Porsche’s new Cayenne S Hybrid SUV with parallel full-hybrid drive, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid racing car with electric drive on the front axle and a flywheel mass battery, and the two-seater high-performance 918 Spyder mid-engined sports car with plug-in hybrid – clearly demonstrates not only the great bandwidth of this new drive technology, but also the innovative power of Porsche as a genuine pioneer in hybrid drive.

The highly innovative 918 Spyder concept car combines Porsche’s Intelligent Performance technology, high-tech in motorsport, and classic but modern design to make a truly convincing statement.

The Porsche 918 Spyder with plug-in hybrid provides the performance of a thoroughbred super sports car on fuel consumption of just three litres/100 kilometres in the New European Driving Cycle, equal to a CO2 emission rating of 70 g/km.

This open two-seater is powered by a high-speed V8 developing more than 500 bhp and running at maximum speed engine of 9,200 rpm as well as electric motors on the front and rear axle with overall mechanical output of 218 bhp (160 kW).

The V8 combustion engine is a further development of the highly successful 3.4-litre power unit already featured in the RS Spyder racing car and positioned midship in front of the rear axle, giving the car the right set-up for supreme performance on the race track through its good balance.

Power is transmitted to the wheels by a seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplungs-getriebe also feeding the power of the electric drive system to the rear axle. The front-wheel electric drive powers the wheels through a firm transmission ratio.

The energy reservoir is a fluid-cooled lithium-ion battery positioned behind the passenger cell. The big advantage of a plug-in hybrid is that the battery can be charged on the regular electrical network. A further point is that the car’s kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy fed into the battery when applying the brakes, thus providing additional energy for fast and dynamic acceleration.

A button on the steering wheel allows the driver to choose among four different running modes: The E-Drive mode is for running the car under electric power alone, with a range of up to 25 km or 16 miles. In the Hybrid mode the 918 Spyder uses both the electric motors and the combustion engine as a function of driving conditions and requirements, offering a range from particularly fuel-efficient all the way to extra-powerful.

The Sport Hybrid mode uses both drive systems, but with the focus on performance. Most of the drive power goes to the rear wheels, with Torque Vectoring serving to additionally improve the car’s driving dynamics.

In the Race Hybrid mode the drive systems are focused on pure performance with the highest standard of driving dynamics on the track, running at the limit to their power and dynamic output. With the battery sufficiently charged, a push-to-pass button feeds in additional electrical power (E-Boost), for example when overtaking or for even better performance.

With the hybrid drive system offering this wide range of individual modes and applications, the 918 Spyder is able either to achieve lap times comparable to those of a thoroughbred racing car – such as less than 7:30 minutes on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring – or, focusing on a more economical style of motoring, with a reduction in emissions to just 70 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

Like the drivetrain, the lightweight body structure of the 918 Spyder also bears out the car’s DNA carried over directly from motorsport: The modular structure with its monocoque bodyshell made of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFP) and the appropriate use of magnesium and aluminum not only reduce weight to less than 1,490 kg or 3,285 lb, but also ensure supreme driving precision thanks to the very high level of torsional stiffness.

Reminiscent of highly successful, legendary racing cars such as the Porsche 917 Le Mans and the current Porsche RS Spyder, the 918 Spyder with its design concept so typical of Porsche arouses powerful emotions. The combination of racing car dimensions, clearly structured design with perfectly balanced surfaces, and innovative details all round creates an overall pattern of aesthetic, perfectly balanced harmony in design full of power and dynamics. This indeed is the ideal synthesis of form and function following Porsche’s design DNA.

The smooth balance of tradition and progress gives the car a powerful stance on the road in its combination of dimensions. Variable aerodynamics typical of Porsche ensure both visionary and traditional highlights especially around the rear spoiler. The striking rear hoods extending out of the headrests, in turn, not only fulfill an aerodynamic function on the 918 Spyder, but also accommodate retractable air intakes with a ram air function.

The driver and passenger are not only perfectly embedded in contoured sports bucket seats, but also form part of the cockpit with its synthesis of efficient function and ergonomic high-tech operation offering an outlook at the interior architecture we may possibly see in super sports cars of the future. The three free-standing circular dials for road speed (left), engine speed (middle) and energy management (right) would appear to come directly from a racing car in the ‘60s, bearing out that unique philosophy of driver orientation so characteristic of Porsche.

The center console rising up towards the front in the 918 Spyder houses a touch-sensitive surface for intuitive control of the car’s functions, serving consistently to reduce the number of visible controls and maintain the principle of direct operation.

The control units relevant to the driver are concentrated in particular on the three-spoke multifunction sports steering wheel, while the variable driving modes, again so typical of Porsche, are supplemented by a map switch enabling the driver to call up various drive programs and serving as the push-to-pass button for E-boosting, for example when overtaking. Instrument illumination, finally, varies from green for the consumption-oriented running modes to red for the performance-oriented driving programs.

The 918 Spyder also comes with further innovative functions such as the Range Manager. After being activated in the Center Display, the Range Manager uses the map in the navigation system to present the remaining range the car is able to cover, naturally allowing the driver to influence that range through the appropriate choice of power and performance. In cities with environmental alert areas the Range Manager also states whether the driver is able to reach a certain destination on electric power alone.

Applying this information and using further info on the availability and location of special energy filling stations, the driver is then able to choose his personal style of driving as well as the right battery charge and filling strategy.

Offering a unique combination of extremely low fuel consumption, supreme performance and long electric range, the Porsche 918 Spyder represents an essential milestone in Porsche’s strategy on the way to genuine electro-mobility.

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

PORSCHE has done it again! The NEW Presentation of the 918 Spyder High-Performance Concept Sports Car

Located 17km from Pulkovo International Airport and situated on the famous Nevsky Prospect, the 388-room hotel’s central location makes it an ideal base for a stay in St Petersburg, whether it is for business or pleasure.

The five star hotel consists of an award-winning combination of two majestic 19^th century buildings, opulent furnishings and striking architecture and is the only hotel in the city with a memorial museum as part of the building.

The Samoilov Museum, highlighting the history of Russian ballet & theatre, can be used as a unique event venue in addition to the hotel’s extensive range of conference and banqueting facilities that can accommodate up to 1000 delegates.

The hotel’s selection of three bars, cafes and restaurants are among the best in the city offering mouth-watering menu’s of local and international cuisine.

For more information or the hotel or to book please visit http://www.ghotw.com/corinthia-st-petersburg

Situated on the Nevskij Prospect, St Petersburg’s main avenue and perhaps the most famous street in Russia, the 388-room, five-star Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel St. Petersburg offers the best in modern comfort and amenities for both business and leisure travellers.

Behind its classical 19th century facade, the hotel offers guests fully renovated interiors, modern amenities and elegant, comfortable accommodation. Its central location makes it the ideal place from which to explore St. Petersburg.

The hotel also boasts the largest conference and meeting facilities in a five-star hotel in St. Petersburg with a capacity for up to 1430 guests.

The hotel’s restaurants are widely recognized as being among St. Peterburg’s finest. For a truly unique dining experience, the restaurants serve authentic dishes from all over the world.

• Imperial – a stylish, bright and spacious restaurant overlooking Nevsky Prospect, completely renovated in 2008, offering contemporary authentic Mediterranean Grill Menu (a la carte menu and Sunday Brunch)
• Cafe Vienna – coffee, pastries, desserts and light snacks in the best Viennese traditions
• Nevskij Bar and Lounge – the place to unwind and relax after a busy day with a wide range of drinks and snacks from the hotel chef
• Lobby Bar – the perfect place for an evening cocktail. Tea, coffee, and an excellent choice of drinks and light snacks

A catering service is available for cocktail parties, receptions and Gala dinners held at the hotel, as well as at any other location in the city, including famous Russian Palaces.

A few insider tips;

Which room number offers the best view?
737.

Best room and best suite on the property?
716 and 514.

Best choice from the menu?
Traditional Steak Tartar, Grilled Sea Bass and Chocolate Souffle.

Best kept secret around the hotel?
The Nevskij Bar is where the best Mojito and Tapas menu in town are served.

Top  Attractions in St Petersburg;

* Hermitage
* Peter and Paul’s Fortress
* Russian Museum
* Etnography Museum
* Church on the Spilt Blood
* Spit of Basils’ Island
* St.Isaac’s Cathedral
* Battleship Aurora
* Summer Gardens
* Mariinsky Ballet Theatre

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

Visiting the Five Star Hotel, Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg

Retensa, a leader in talent management and retention research and solutions, announces the launch of the first annual Retensa Green Grant. The free grant offers a total of $30,000 in services, delivered by Retensa, to companies providing green services, creating green energy, and developing green products or food to foster environmentally friendly practices. The service awards enable organizations to grow in the green industry by implementing talent management best practices and rewarding development programs throughout the Employee Life Cycle.

Green companies need great employees to implement their vision, mission, and causes. In high growth industries, recruiting and retaining top talent is still a challenge most organizations struggle to manage. Retensa will support green organizations nurture creativity, innovation, integrity, and impeccability to improve HR efficiency and create a highly engaged workforce. Research shows that actively engaged employees have 32-48% higher productivity. Having talented, high performing staff will provide green businesses with a competitive advantage. It will help them increase innovation, improve productivity, support their triple bottom line, and become an Employer of Choice with distinct brand recognition. These thought-leading firms will serve as employer role models for others in the industry.

Retensa recognizes that different sized companies have different sized needs. For that reason, the Retensa Green Grant offers three categories of service grants. Grants will be awarded to a small, medium, and large sized company who meet the eligibility criteria and demonstrate the greatest green impact. Eligible companies must be US-based, have at least ten employees, have been in operation for at least two years, and generate a majority of its revenue from green energy, products, or services. Companies must apply by April 30, 2010 to be considered for a grant. Complete details can be found on the Retensa Green Grant Website (http://www.greenbusinessgrant.com).

About Retensa:

Retensa is a leader and innovator of employee retention strategies. Their services help organizations improve employee engagement, increase productivity, and become an Employer of Choice. Retensa combines HR experience and web-based technology to develop, motivate, and retain your best employees. Retensa’s solutions and HR metrics reduce the cost of managing employees, increase Human Capital ROI, and create a high-performing workforce.

Retensa has values similar to those held by green organizations. Both demonstrate a commitment to making the world a better place by improving the environments in which we live and work. Retensa and its employees are passionate both about what we do and about the environment. For more information about Retensa, visit www.retensa.com or call 212.545.1280.

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Retensa Green Grant: Free Service Grants for Green Organizations

SF Vintners Market brings hundreds of winery tasting rooms to San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center for a weekend of wine tasting and buying. SFVM features a farmer’s market style shopping experience where attendees can taste and buy wines on the spot.

Tired of going to wine tasting events, discovering great new wines and then never being able to find them again? We were too. That’s why we created San Francisco Vintners Market at Fort Mason Center. This first of its kind wine tasting and buying event is a farmer’s market style shopping experience where wine enthusiasts can try and buy wines from over 200 wineries.

The San Francisco Vintners Market will feature top local wineries from Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Russian River Valley and other regional wineries plus imported wines from around the world. San Francisco Vintners Market features wine at all price points and styles including new releases, library collections and end-of-vintage selections–all available for immediate purchase.

What: San Francisco Vintners Market at Fort Mason Center
When: April 10th and 11th from Noon to 5 pm
Where: Fort Mason Center, Festival Pavilion, San Francisco, CA
Cost: General Admission: $15/$30 day of event, Reserve Admission: $50/$75 day of event

For more information and tickets go to: www.sfvintnersmarket.com

“San Francisco Vintners Market is the first farmer’s market style event where wine lovers can taste and buy wines on the spot from over 200 leading winemakers. The event features wineries from around the world and is a great way for wine lovers to stock up on wines for 2010.” said Cornelius Geary, Founder and CEO of San Francisco Vintners Market. “Our marketplace format gives wineries another sales channel for direct to consumer sales and brings them to where the action is, in San Francisco.”

San Francisco Vintners Market is an ideal opportunity for wine lovers to connect with leading winemakers from all over California and the world. The event will be offering direct access to winery owners, winemakers and their wines, on sale on the spot for the wine buyer to take home.

“San Francisco Vintner’s Market at Fort Mason Center will provide a new opportunity for visitors to taste wine, talk directly to vintners and purchase directly” said Amanda Gassaway, Senior Sales Manager, Fort Mason Center. “It is a great addition to the popular wine and food events for which we are so well known. We are looking forward to a very successful event.”

Wineries who have so far registered for the event include:
Ackerman Family Vineyards, Amapola Creek, Andrew Geoffrey, B Cellars, Barlow Vineyards, Be A Gourmet, Bedarra Vineyards, Berridge Wine Company, Bialla Vineyards, Bonneau, BRIGITTE by Bridget Raymond, Cameron Hughes Wine, Canihan Wines, Cannonball Wine Company, Carmel Road Winery, Cartograph, Clos Saron, Collier Falls, Comartin Cellars, Cougar’s Leap, Coup de Foudre Winery, COURTESAN, D & L Carinalli Vineyards, Darms Lane, De Novo Wines, Delgadillo Cellars, Demuth Kemos, Dominari, Dono dal Cielo Vineyards, Due Vigne, Dutcher Crossing Winery, Envy, Faustini Wines, Fontanella Family Winery, Free Flow Wines, Gamble Family Vineyards, Gourmet Blends, Grey Stack Cellars, Groom Wines, Hagafen Cellars, Hall Napa Valley, Heart O’ The Mountain, Hunnicutt, International Vineyards, JAQK Cellars, Jason Stephens Winery, JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset, JK Cellars, Kapcsandy Family Winery, Kendall-Jackson, Kent Rasmussen Winery, La Sirena, Lancaster Estate, Leto Cellars, MacLean Wines, MadoroM Vineyards, Meander Wines, Miller Wine Works, Modus Operandi, Montemaggiore Winery, Mounts Family Winery, Mueller Winery, Murphy Vineyards, Muscardini Cellars, Next Generation Winemakers, Oakville Ranch Vineyards, Old Bridge Cellars, OMERTA, PB Hein Vineyards, Pech Merle Winery, Pendleton Wines, Perry Creek Winery, Pietra Santa Winery, Pine Ridge, Pneu Wines, Prime Cellars, Provenance Vineyards, Radog Wines, Ramazzotti Wines, LLC, Respite, Reynolds Family Winery, Reynoso Family Vineyards, Rios Wine Company, Robert Oatley Vineyards, Rosenblum Cellars, Salvestrin Estate Winery, Schug Carneros Estate, Signorello Estate, Silver Wines, Skipstone, Skyhawk Lane, Tin Barn Vineyards, Tom Scott Vineyard, Truchard Vineyards, Tudor Wines, Venge Vineyards, Vina Robles, Vineyard 29, Wines Of Carmel, Y Rousseau Wines, Yates Family Vineyard, ZIATA

Major components of San Francisco Vintners Market include:
• 200 plus wineries showcasing and selling their wines direct to consumer
• Reserve Room featuring exclusive wineries and their top wines in a private tasting experience
• Celebrity Showcase featuring leading winemakers and wine industry stars
• Pre-event “Wine Buyers Only” Wine Trade tasting

About San Francisco Vintners Market – “Try it and Buy it!”

San Francisco Vintners Market is a farmer’s market style shopping experience where wine enthusiasts can taste and purchase hundreds of wines from over 200 wineries. Attending vintners will be pouring wines from around the world including new releases, library collections and end-of-vintage selections. International wines will also be available for tasting and purchase.
San Francisco Vintners Market has a limited number of sponsor and partnership opportunities available. For more information contact:
Cornelius Geary, CEO/Founder at Cornelius@sfvintnersmarket.com or via phone at (415) 596-1191

For more information on winery participation contact:
Bridget Raymond, Director of Sales & Marketing at Bridget@sfvintnersmarket.com or via phone at (415) 713-5331

About Fort Mason Center
Fort Mason Center is a dynamic waterfront destination for thought-provoking programs, events and organizations which support and reflect the evolving cultural fabric of San Francisco. Fort Mason Center embodies the essence of San Francisco – nearness to nature, combined with novel architecture, a nod to the past, and a dose of the different. Nine Mission Revival buildings with a total of 300,000 square feet of space offer 17 venues that host events of all types and sizes. This includes classrooms, galleries, meeting rooms, performance spaces, and a large conference center. Two of the Center’s piers are used for major events. The Herbst Pavilion accommodates 3,000 and the Festival Pavilion can hold 5,000. The 437-seat Cowell Theater provides state-of-the-art performance space.

For more information about Fort Mason Center please call 415-345-7500 or visit http://www.fortmason.org
You can also follow San Francisco Vintners Market on:
Facebook: http://bit.ly/PpFuQ
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sfvintners

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

San Francisco Vintners Market Brings Wine Country To The City…

Capetonians are literally spoilt for choice. How many pristine beaches does one city need? How many wine farms without appearing greedy? There’s even a choice of what to call the legislative capital ranging from The Cape of Good Hope to the Xhosa name iKapa.

So how many Italian restaurants does Cape Town require? After extensive culinary research the answer is most definitely, one – Col’Cacchio pizzeria. Someone once said “you can’t be everything to everyone” but when it comes to Italian dining in Cape Town, Col’Cacchio pizzeria comes pretty close. Dining at Col’Cacchio pizzeria’s Cape Town restaurant is like taking an intensive gastronomic tour of Italy without leaving your seat, with the added benefit of a waiter standing by to refill your wine glass every step of the way.

Situated on the foreshore it was the first Col’Cacchio pizzeria restaurant to open in Cape Town and brought a whole new perspective to Italian food in the Mother City. The Col’Cacchio pizzeria experience is based on two key principles: authentic Italian fare and unrivalled selection.

This is one Cape Town restaurant that does it right or not at all. This means following real Italian recipes and using the same ingredients that would be used by chefs in Italy. Their obsession with the Italian way is reflected in the names of the dishes and the way the pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven. Make no mistake this is Italian food, not Italian-style food. That means everything is prepared from scratch and this kind of passion cannot be rushed.

Their menu is expansive. There are over 50 different pizzas to choose from but if that isn’t enough, diners are given the option to design their own creation from dozens of ingredients. Beyond their signature pizzas the Cape Town restaurant offers a range of salads and pastas to suit every taste. Diners will be amazed to discover the difference organic ingredients make to a salad and how delicious fresh pasta tastes. The dessert menu is mouth-wateringly tempting and rivaled only by the enticing cocktail and wine list.

When dining in Cape Town where else will you have the choice between regular thin based pizza bases or gluten and wheat free options? There is also a wide selection of vegetarian dishes. The Heart & Stroke Foundation South Africa has endorsed these healthy options available on the menu.

Cape Town dining is considered some of the best in the world and after a visit to Col’Cacchio pizzeria’s Cape Town restaurant it’s not hard to see why. This pizza restaurant has been known to welcome back international tourists year after year who say that a visit to this Col’Cacchio pizzeria is as essential to the Cape Town experience as the view from Table Mountain or the trip out to Robben Island.

For locals, dining in Cape Town is almost a national pastime and the city offers such a wide range of options. So it is comforting to know that when you plan to go out for Italian or stay in and order a take-away pizza, Col’Cacchio pizzeria is the only choice.

Also view information regarding our Stellenbosch Restaurant or Camps Bay Restaurant.

Col’cacchio prepares all of its dishes lovingly while you are able to relax and enjoy your visit to the restaurant in comfort. It is best to arrive with an empty stomach because you will want to indulge in the range of Italian meals offered. Health conscious and vegetarian patrons will have difficulty in choosing from the array of healthy toppings offered for salads and pizzas. Italian food is about passion and enjoyment, Col’Cacchio has mastered both equally.

Website: http://www.colcacchio.co.za

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

Dining in Cape Town the Italian way – Col’cacchio

Boutique vintner Damian Rae Winery today announced that its 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is now available to the public. “There’s no question that 2007 was a great year for reds, and this handcrafted Cabernet, made exclusively from Napa Valley fruit – will excite even the most discriminating palates,” said John Tarabini, president of the award-winning winery.

Barrel-aged in 50% new oak, the Damian Rae 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is a sumptuous hand-crafted blend from fruit from Carrefour Vineyard (Coombsville) and Ink Grade Vineyard (Howell Mountain), two of California’s premier Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. It first tempts with an outstanding nose – rich and robust with dark fruit aromatics. The taste buds are then met with full-bodied blackberry and black currant flavors, and a hint of tasty oak. Balanced just right, this Cabernet is elegant and sophisticated, with a deep berry color, intense aroma, and a smooth but powerful flavor that finishes flawlessly.

The Damian Rae 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is delicious now with steaks, prime rib, and stews, but cellaring this vintage wine will make it even more spectacular upon maturity. With only 50 cases made, the wine is value-priced at $70 and available to members of the Damian Rae Wine Club as well as online at http://www.damianrae.com.

About Damian Rae Winery
Worlds away from the mass-produced wine products found on supermarket shelves, the boutique offerings that are Damian Rae are uniquely different, and perhaps reflective of the driving personalities of the winery’s founders, John and Sharol Tarabini. Veterans of the corporate world, the Tarabini’s have married the best practices of their business experiences with an uncompromising passion for quality winemaking. That powerful combination of complex forces has led to something very simple: first-class wines. For more information, visit www.damianrae.com.

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

Damian Rae Winery Launches 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine drinkers have a new resource for relevant wine news and trends at the newly-launched The new Web site, developed by glass packaging manufacturer Owens-Illinois, Inc. (NYSE: OI), aims to educate visitors about the benefits of wine in glass bottles and the important role packaging plays in protecting wine.

“Our goal in creating the site was to help those who are just learning about wine, especially the millennial generation, understand why wine is best in glass bottles, and why other packaging alternatives often fall short,” said Kelley Yoder, marketing manager of wine for O-I North America. “The site will also give wine drinkers a sense of how glass packaging impacts all facets of the wine drinking experiencing including its flavor preservation qualities, aesthetic appeal and social acceptance.”

Visitors to WineLovesGlass.com are also encouraged to share wine or packaging-related experiences, opinions or feedback through the comments section. Additionally, WineLovesGlass.com incorporates many social media tools, which allow site visitors to quickly and easily engage with the site. The site features a real-time Twitter feed on the homepage displaying the latest posts describing what “wine is…” to show what other people are currently thinking or saying about wine. Directly above the Twitter feed, a weekly wine “quiz” tests readers’ wine know-how and provides interesting wine facts.

The WineLovesGlass.com blog, also located on the homepage, is written by a team of wine packaging experts and sources relevant wine news. “We’ve invited some of our customers to contribute to the blog, so that the site provides as much comprehensive wine industry news as possible,” Yoder said. “The topics will also be influenced by readers’ suggestions and preferences, so we encourage visitors to comment and get involved.”

To provide easy and mobile viewing, the Web site uses a variety of services to appeal to on-the-go visitors. A WineLovesGlass Twitter page—easily accessed from a smartphone—is integrated with the site to alert followers to blog updates and wine news. The blog also features an RSS feed for online or mobile viewing.

About O-I
Millions of times a day, O-I glass containers deliver many of the world’s best-known consumer products to people all around the world. With the leading position in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America, O-I manufactures consumer-preferred, 100 percent recyclable glass containers that enable superior taste, purity, visual appeal and value benefits for our customers’ products. Established in 1903, the company employs more than 22,000 people with 78 manufacturing facilities in 21 countries. In 2009, net sales were $7.1 billion. For more information, visit http://www.o-i.com.

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

New WineLovesGlass.com Web Site Engages and Educates Wine-Drinking Consumers

Steer clear of March madness and escape to our Greens featuring three Pete Dye designed golf courses: Teeth of the Dog, Links and Dye Fore; new David Leadbetter Golf Academy and our just announced Gold Resort Award by Golf Magazine in its March 2010 issue.

Pete Dyes’ “Dye Fore” golf course at Casa de Campo

Golf magazine’s March issue reveals what its editors and subscribers deem the game’s finest properties ranked on four criteria: golf, lodging, food and drink, and service. Casa de Campo is one of only 25 properties cited in the 2010 Gold list.

To celebrate, Casa de Campo has announced its Go Green in March special. Guests reserving luxury room for a 5-night minimum stay for travel March 1 to April 4 receive an upgrade to our new chic Elite rooms, a $200 resort credit and a special $25.00 gift certificate for use in the Golf Pro-Shop too. This translates to a $525 savings on FREE room upgrade plus $200 resort credit and $25.00 gift certificate, for a total $750 value.

The Elite rooms each with a view of the golf green feature a 42” LCD flat screen with Blue-Ray Disc, dual docks for iPod and ITouch and L’Occitane bath amenities and more.

Green efforts beyond the golf courses include the new main area featuring new lobby, La Cana Restaurant & Lounge by Il Circo and more created using sustainable products. The eco-friendly Cygalle Healing Spa, also in the hotel’s main area, uses 100% natural products made daily in the Spa Pharmacy for each guest treatment.

The 7,000 acre Casa de Campo resort features world class facilities for its guests including hotel rooms and villa homes, golf, tennis, shooting, family programs, the private Minitas Beach, international dining, cultural experiences at Altos de Chavon and a world class Marina & Yacht Club, home to the 2010 Rolex Farr40 World Championships April 21 – 24, 2010.

This Go Green in March offer is subject to availability and restrictions apply. See your preferred travel agent, www.casadecampo.com.do or contact 1-800-877-3643.

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

Go Green in March at Casa de Campo

The Geneva Motor Show will also see the launch of three new exciting pen designs in the “Tibaldi for Bentley” range.

Tibaldi was Italy’s first ever manufacturer of fountain pens, founded in 1916. Phi – the concept known as the Divine Proportion – informs every aspect of the structure of all Tibaldi pens. For example, the proportion between the pen’s cap and the visible portion of the barrel when the pen is closed equals the phi ratio, 1.618.

Even the pen’s accompanying case is measured in multiples of the phi coefficient.

Phi has been used in art, architecture and music for centuries, often unintentionally. Aesthetically, phi is a symbol of perfect and natural beauty.

All Tibaldi pens have a patented filling mechanism. Revolving the cap to fill the barrel with ink produces the gentle sound and reassuring feeling experienced when manually winding the crown or bezel of a fine watch. The mechanism resists rotation slightly, avoiding brusque movements of the bottom of the pen and reducing the risk of leakage. The traditional tie-shaped clip is a signature of Tibaldi pens from the early 1900s. The Tibaldi clip’s sophisticated spring mechanism lifts it easily away from the cap and its polished rotary wheel lets it slide effortlessly when inserted into a pocket.

Tibalid is synonymous with special limited editions. Widely regarded as the finest technical writing instruments in the world, and serious collectors’ items, the attention to detail and craftsmansip inherent in Tibaldi pens is unrivalled.

All Tibaldi pens are available worldwide via Tibaldi distributors, high-end department stores such as Harrods, and specialist pen stores.

MULSANNE

The flagship pen! A Limited Edition fountain pen and roller ball (90 of each style and veneer). Designed in collaboration with Bentley’s own styling studio and drawing design cues from the new highly acclaimed Bentley Mulsanne.

Available in light, medium or dark veneers available to match perfectly the Mulsanne veneers. Finished in pure sterling silver.

Retail price range approx € 3,900 – € 4,500

SUPERSPORTS

Exciting, sexy, racing, innovative: the first “Tibaldi for Bentley” pen fashioned from smoked carbon fibre and presented in a quilted Alcantara case.

Drawing on design cues from Bentley Supersports – the ultimate ‘extreme’ Bentley – the pens reflect another successful collaboration between Bentley’s own design studio and Tibaldi.

Available as either fountain pen or roller ball, each pen is numbered 1 of only 630.

Retail Price approx. € 1,300 – € 1,700.

CONTINENTAL SLIMLINE

Tibaldi for Bentley introduce a slimmer version of the highly successful existing Continental pen series.

Produced as a Limited Edition range of fountain pen, roller ball, Bball Point and Pencil in exciting new hues, reflecting the Bentley Continental’s most popular exterior paint colours: Aquamarine, St. James Red (solid), Violette, Magenta Metallic & Silver Tempest.

Only 999 of each pen style will be produced.

RRP approx € 500 – € 850.

The Bentley ranges may be viewed on www.tibaldi.it

Post from: NELSON WADE Magazine

“Tibaldi for Bentley”