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CNN Live Saturday

Interview with Salma Abdelnour

Aired October 04, 2003 - 12:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: And speaking of tourists, fall is the perfect time for a tour of wine country. "Food & Wine" magazine lists five designations for good wine, great food and quaint lodging.
And Salma Adelnor (ph) -- excuse me Abdelnour is the travel editor for the magazine. She joins us live from New York. Thanks for being with us on this Saturday.

SALMA ABDELNOUR, "FOOD & WINE" MAGAZINE: Great to be here

STOUFFER: I'm sure a lot of people immediately think the obvious, Napa Valley.

What do you have for us there.

Well, Napa of course is heaven if you love eating and drinking. It's just a beautiful area with lots of amazing wineries. Some of the best wineries in the world, actually. And just really cute bed and breakfasts. It's just a great place to drive around and look at the beautiful scenery. And a great way to see Napa is to take the Silverado Trail, which is a very scenic road, that takes you through a lot of the best wineries, like Stag's Leap and Duckhorn. And definitely one thing to do when you're in Napa is to eat at some of the great restaurants. There's so much amazing food in that one area, it's almost not fair.

You should try to go to the French Laundry, a spectacular restaurant, which a lot of people consider the best restaurant in the world. But, of course, it's really hard to get a reservation. So, you have to plan way ahead. If you strike out with the French Laundry, there's tons of amazing restaurants in the area. There's the Mustard's Grill which is a great American restaurant. A very hip place called the Martini Bar, which is also in Napa.

And you can get amazing burgers and shakes, at Taylor's Refresher which is a Napa classic. Definitely one thing to do when you're in Napa is to swing by downtown Napa and check out Coppio (ph) which is a museum of wine and food that opened a couple years ago and have incredible exhibits on the history of wine and culture. And there's a fabulous restaurant called Agel (ph) too that you should stop in at. My favorite hotel is in downtown Napa and it's called the Millikan Creek Inn, which is a very stylish boutique hotel in Napa.

STOUFFER: OK. Well, lets get onto the next region because we have so much to talk about right now. What about Long Island.

What do you think of that sort of tour.

ABDELNOUR: Right. Well, Long Island -- the north (UNINTELLIGIBLE) part of Long Island is what a lot of people are now calling the Napa of the East. It's an up and coming winery (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It's much smaller than Napa. There are only about 30 wineries but a lot becoming nationally known, like Shinn and (UNINTELLIGIBLE). A bunch of wineries there getting national acclaim. And actually just few months ago, a wine club opened called the Tasting Room where you can go and sample a bunch of local wines. A bunch of wine makers get together and give you wine and cheese samples. And it's just really fun. And there's a cool hotel actually in the North (UNINTELLIGIBLE) called the Green Porter. And it's a restored 1950s motor lodge. It's very kind of retro and very stylish. And...

STOUFFER: Yes. Sounds wonderful. I was going to say, can you take us to Europe in the next stop?

What about Tuscany, what about Spain?

What do you have there.

Well, Tuscany, of course, is a fantasyland. If seen "Under the Tuscan Sun" or have read the book, it's just where you can go to kind of make a dream come true. It's just a gorgeous Mediterranean landscape of hills and olive groves, and vineyards and old castles. And a great way to Tuscany is to take a one day tour with Parker Company, which rents villas in the area. And they take you to bunch of wineries and give you a delicious lunch. A great way to spend the day. There's a bunch of good hotels there. There is Lacando Dell Amorosa which is an 14th century monastery filled with antiques and just beautiful and cozy. And there's a great restaurant at the hotel. And the whole area is full of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) food shops and wonderful Tuscan wineries.

And over in Spain, the Rioja Valley is Spain's biggest winery gin. And it's in the remote part of the country, where the landscape is little bit more plain than the rest of Spain, but it's just a fascinating mix of old and new that's going on in Rioja. You've got old midevil monasteries and castles, and you got really futuristic stuff happening like a winery that was built by a Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. And it's just a very kind of curvy futuristic building. Then you have a lot of cutting edge Spanish things happening, particularly a restaurant doing experimental Spanish cuisine, that's definitely worth checking out. And of course, all the amazing wineries producing all of the Rioja wines, too.

STOUFFER: I love how great food goes along with all these trips. But I wouldn't have thought about Australia being a designation for people looking for these kinds of tours.

What about Australia? ABDELNOUR: Well, Australia is just becoming much more well-known for its wines. And the Barossa Valley is actually Australia's biggest wine area. And it's just a gorgeous lush, green, fertile countryside, where you can just drive around and see these beautiful farms and wineries and taste local Australia (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And there are a lot of quaint bed and breakfasts in Barossa. And it's just a great area for road trips, actually. And then nearby, about half hour to hour away is Adelaide, which is about a medium sized town. And they have a new, actually wine and food museum there, which is also in a very, very futuristic, very cool architectural building. And some amazing restaurants in Adelaide as well including the a place called the 1918 Bistro & Grill. And very hip new hotel called the Embassy Hotel which attracts a lot fashion models and local wine makers. And -- a very, lively, lively place to eat well and discover great Australian wines

STOUFFER: Well, you've introduced us to so much. I pick Tuscany, though. Salma Abdelnour thanks so much for being us from "Food and Wine Magazine."

ABDELNOUR: Thank you.

STOUFFER: Good to hear from you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 4, 2003 - 12:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: And speaking of tourists, fall is the perfect time for a tour of wine country. "Food & Wine" magazine lists five designations for good wine, great food and quaint lodging.
And Salma Adelnor (ph) -- excuse me Abdelnour is the travel editor for the magazine. She joins us live from New York. Thanks for being with us on this Saturday.

SALMA ABDELNOUR, "FOOD & WINE" MAGAZINE: Great to be here

STOUFFER: I'm sure a lot of people immediately think the obvious, Napa Valley.

What do you have for us there.

Well, Napa of course is heaven if you love eating and drinking. It's just a beautiful area with lots of amazing wineries. Some of the best wineries in the world, actually. And just really cute bed and breakfasts. It's just a great place to drive around and look at the beautiful scenery. And a great way to see Napa is to take the Silverado Trail, which is a very scenic road, that takes you through a lot of the best wineries, like Stag's Leap and Duckhorn. And definitely one thing to do when you're in Napa is to eat at some of the great restaurants. There's so much amazing food in that one area, it's almost not fair.

You should try to go to the French Laundry, a spectacular restaurant, which a lot of people consider the best restaurant in the world. But, of course, it's really hard to get a reservation. So, you have to plan way ahead. If you strike out with the French Laundry, there's tons of amazing restaurants in the area. There's the Mustard's Grill which is a great American restaurant. A very hip place called the Martini Bar, which is also in Napa.

And you can get amazing burgers and shakes, at Taylor's Refresher which is a Napa classic. Definitely one thing to do when you're in Napa is to swing by downtown Napa and check out Coppio (ph) which is a museum of wine and food that opened a couple years ago and have incredible exhibits on the history of wine and culture. And there's a fabulous restaurant called Agel (ph) too that you should stop in at. My favorite hotel is in downtown Napa and it's called the Millikan Creek Inn, which is a very stylish boutique hotel in Napa.

STOUFFER: OK. Well, lets get onto the next region because we have so much to talk about right now. What about Long Island.

What do you think of that sort of tour.

ABDELNOUR: Right. Well, Long Island -- the north (UNINTELLIGIBLE) part of Long Island is what a lot of people are now calling the Napa of the East. It's an up and coming winery (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It's much smaller than Napa. There are only about 30 wineries but a lot becoming nationally known, like Shinn and (UNINTELLIGIBLE). A bunch of wineries there getting national acclaim. And actually just few months ago, a wine club opened called the Tasting Room where you can go and sample a bunch of local wines. A bunch of wine makers get together and give you wine and cheese samples. And it's just really fun. And there's a cool hotel actually in the North (UNINTELLIGIBLE) called the Green Porter. And it's a restored 1950s motor lodge. It's very kind of retro and very stylish. And...

STOUFFER: Yes. Sounds wonderful. I was going to say, can you take us to Europe in the next stop?

What about Tuscany, what about Spain?

What do you have there.

Well, Tuscany, of course, is a fantasyland. If seen "Under the Tuscan Sun" or have read the book, it's just where you can go to kind of make a dream come true. It's just a gorgeous Mediterranean landscape of hills and olive groves, and vineyards and old castles. And a great way to Tuscany is to take a one day tour with Parker Company, which rents villas in the area. And they take you to bunch of wineries and give you a delicious lunch. A great way to spend the day. There's a bunch of good hotels there. There is Lacando Dell Amorosa which is an 14th century monastery filled with antiques and just beautiful and cozy. And there's a great restaurant at the hotel. And the whole area is full of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) food shops and wonderful Tuscan wineries.

And over in Spain, the Rioja Valley is Spain's biggest winery gin. And it's in the remote part of the country, where the landscape is little bit more plain than the rest of Spain, but it's just a fascinating mix of old and new that's going on in Rioja. You've got old midevil monasteries and castles, and you got really futuristic stuff happening like a winery that was built by a Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. And it's just a very kind of curvy futuristic building. Then you have a lot of cutting edge Spanish things happening, particularly a restaurant doing experimental Spanish cuisine, that's definitely worth checking out. And of course, all the amazing wineries producing all of the Rioja wines, too.

STOUFFER: I love how great food goes along with all these trips. But I wouldn't have thought about Australia being a designation for people looking for these kinds of tours.

What about Australia? ABDELNOUR: Well, Australia is just becoming much more well-known for its wines. And the Barossa Valley is actually Australia's biggest wine area. And it's just a gorgeous lush, green, fertile countryside, where you can just drive around and see these beautiful farms and wineries and taste local Australia (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And there are a lot of quaint bed and breakfasts in Barossa. And it's just a great area for road trips, actually. And then nearby, about half hour to hour away is Adelaide, which is about a medium sized town. And they have a new, actually wine and food museum there, which is also in a very, very futuristic, very cool architectural building. And some amazing restaurants in Adelaide as well including the a place called the 1918 Bistro & Grill. And very hip new hotel called the Embassy Hotel which attracts a lot fashion models and local wine makers. And -- a very, lively, lively place to eat well and discover great Australian wines

STOUFFER: Well, you've introduced us to so much. I pick Tuscany, though. Salma Abdelnour thanks so much for being us from "Food and Wine Magazine."

ABDELNOUR: Thank you.

STOUFFER: Good to hear from you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com