WINING ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS - With the holidays rapidly approaching, gifts to buy and wrap... visits with family, one thought comes screaming to my mind. I need a drink! Since fine alcohol also makes a great gift, my wife and our friends Caroline and Gordon of Culpeper, VA, decided to make a day of touring the vineyards of Northern Virginia and enjoying the splendor of the early winter countryside.

MINNESOTA IS FOR WINE LOVERS- Hastings, Minn. The setting is a romantic's dream - Alexis Bailly Vineyard, locked in the embrace of the lush Hiawatha Valley of the Upper Mississipi, exudes a welcoming charm towards visitors.

MORGAN CREEK VINEYARDS - A FAMILY AFFAIR- Cambria, Minn. Once upon a time, more than a hundred years ago, August Schell became a pioneer winemaker in Minnesota high above the Cottonwood River. If this were a fairytale, Georg Marti would say it has come true.

NINE WAYS TO SAY CHEERS ON THE SHAWANGUNK WINE TRAIL - Kerkhonkson, N.Y. If colors matter, red or white, then you're talking wine of course ...at nine premier wineries in the Hudson Valley.

Just Say Yass to Wine - Australia's Yass wineries are a must-see and sample for wine connoisseursb