Bad marketing: don’t use a horse to advertise a butcher shop

by Sean McLachlan on


I spotted this butcher shop sign near my new home in Santander in northern Spain. What’s wrong with this picture? Yeah, the “Equine butcher shop” is using a horse to advertise its product!

Now I’m going to give this hardworking small business owner the benefit of the doubt and assume horse was never sold at his shop. I can’t say for sure, though, since the place went out of business before I arrived. I wonder why?

Want to see more embarrassing adverts? Check out this Facebook page dedicated to bad marketing.

I’m curious, has anyone out there actually eaten horse? What does it taste like?

10 best wine hotels around the world

by Jessica Festa on

What’s better when you’re on vacation than a day at the vineyards? How about wineries that let you stay the night, as well? No more worrying about drinking and driving or figuring out transportation as these ten wine hotels offer guests vino tastings as well as a comfortable place to sleep.

Marqués de Riscal
Elciego, Spain

Situated in the middle of the Vinos de los Herederos de Marqués de Riscal’s vineyard, the hotel itself opened in September, 2006. The building was designed by world-renowned Frank O. Gehry and combines wine-growing traditions with 21st century avant-garde design. Guests can stay in one of forty-three luxury rooms and suites that include unconventional furniture, high-quality linens, and Wi-Fi internet. After the sun sets, visitors can move from the vineyards to the informal Wine Bar or a rooftop lounge with panoramic views. Another option is to snuggle up next to the fireplace and sample the myriad vinos from the hotel’s cellar.L’Andana
Tuscany, Italy

This wine hotel is situated in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma, in the 500 hectare La Badiola Estate. Along with natural beauty, the property also contains a rich history as it was once a Medici villa where Grand Duke Leopold II and his court stayed during the summers. Guests can try some of the best wines in Italy in the accommodation’s cellar, both through tastings and through the on-site restaurant’s cooking. For those who want to do more than just sample, cooking and wine classes are also offered to L’Andana guests.

Cavas Wine Lodge
Mendoza, Argentina

Located at the foot of the Andes Mountains and nestled in a 35 acre vineyard, this 14 room lodge offers peace and tranquility in nature. Guests can enjoy private pools, terraces to watch the sunset on, and an expansive wine cellar featuring 250 of the best wines Mendoza has to offer. Wine tastings and private dinners in the cellar are musts for wine enthusiasts, as is indulging in a Signature Wine therapy treatment at the hotel’s spa.

Alluvia Stellenbosch Wine Farm
Stellenbosch, South Africa

This wine farm is set on a working wine estate in the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands and is known for challenging traditional methods of wine making. Guests can sample some of the vineyards award-winning vinos, like their “ilka” Cabernet Sauvignon and their “lisa” Cabernet Franc, partake in wine tastings, or request to have a personal chef create the perfect gourmet South African meal and wine pairing in the privacy of their room. In terms of accommodation, there are 5 luxury suites, all named after soil types from the farm with color schemes to match, and 2 self-catering houses.

The Carneros Inn
Napa, California

Located in the famous Napa Valley, the property is nestled among 27 acres of grape vines and apple trees that seem to stretch on forever. The inn is a combination of country-style and resort-luxury, including barns, silos, and cottages with modern and comfortable interiors and amenities. Enjoy complimentary fitness runs/walks through the vineyard, peruse the wine-inspired specialty items at the on-site store, MARKET, and treat yourself to all-natural and vineyard-themed spa options, like the Chardonnay Anti-Oxidant Wine Therapy Facial or the Grape Seed and Guava Manicure and Pedicure.

L’Acadie Vineyard Cottages
Nova Scotia, Canada

Right on the side of the L’Acadie vineyards are 3 bedroom and self-catering cottages. Hand-crafted soaps, picnic tables, and private verandas give the accommodations a whimsical touch, while the surrounding landscape acts as a reminder that you are in wine country. All the wines produced at L’Acadie are certified-organic, so you can rest assured that while you enjoy the fine vinos of the winery you are not consuming chemicals. Along with touring the vineyards and sampling the products, guests should visit the property’s geothermal winery and tasting bar for a unique experience and magnificent views of the land.

Wine and Spa Resort Loisium Hotel
Langenlois, Austria

Located amongst the vineyards of Kamptal, this luxurious “floating” (it appears to be lifted off the ground) hotel offers rooms with courtyard and grape vine views. The vino immersion continues with lights in the shape of corks and hallways illuminated in shades of wine. Oenophiles will also enjoy wine and meal pairings, lounging near the fireplace in the wine library, or tastings from wine cellar. A range of spa treatments involving vineyard grapes can also be enjoyed, including an aromatic grape seed bath in a wine barrel, grape seed body peels, and grape extract facials.

Patios de Cafayate Hotel & Winespa
Cafayate, Argentina

This stunning hotel is located on 400 hectares of organic vineyard, allowing guests to completely immerse themselves in wine culture. What’s really unique about this vineyard is that they participate in “zero farming”, which consists of using organic material from the soil to farm the land and lessen the impact of harmful fertiziliers and chemicals. Visitors can participate in the hotel’s harvest program, witness the crushing of the grapes, visit the wine and barrel room, and be guided through tastings with professional winemakers. The luxury spa on site is also a must, as the treatments take advantage of the healthy polyphenols found in grapes and wine. When dining on the property, chefs pair “high-altitude” wines to match the flavors of the cuisine.

Château Les Carrasses
Langeudoc, France

This luxury self-catering estate, including 28 suites, apartments, and villas, is a 19th Century Wine Domaine in the South of France. Not only will guests enjoy private gardens, terraces with barbeques, and private heated pools, but also wine tastings, classes, and events. If you’re planning on going here in 2012, you will be able to sample the first vintage of their boutique “terroir” wines.

Owhanake Bay Estate
Aukland, New Zealand

This accommodation has a lot to offer in terms of nature, as it is not only situated on a boutique winery, but also an olive grove, berry garden, orchard, and among native trees. Guests can relax on a private deck in modern yet elegent suites while sipping from a complimentary bottle of “Melina” Flora Pinot Gris. Private tours of the vineyard and tastings are available, and there are an array of packages offered to wine-enthusiasts, such as the “Island of Wine Package”, which includes a selection of wines, tours and tastings, homemade bread and local olive oil, and dinner at a local vineyard restaurant with a Mercedes to transfer you to and from the venue.

Video of the day: a goaty guide to pronouncing foreign cheeses

by Laurel Miller on

The holidays are Cheese Season. At no other time of the year are cheese and specialty food shops as thronged by dairy-seeking customers. They’re hungry for a fix or searching for a gift, recipe ingredient, or the makings of a cheese plate. Cheese is love, and one of the easiest, most elegant ways to kick off a cocktail party or conclude (or make) a memorable meal.

With that in mind, the folks at Culture: the word on cheese magazine (full disclosure: I’m a contributing editor) have produced this clever (and utterly adorable) video to aid you in pronouncing some of those delectable but tricky foreign cheeses from France, Spain, and Switzerland. Happy Hoch Ybrig, everyone!


Volvo Ocean Race begins with a bang

by Grant Martin on

A few weeks back, Gadling Labs took a wander around Team Abu Dhabi’s VO70 ocean racer and one thing was apparent: weight is key. Non essential components are stripped from the ship, appointments are minimal and everything that can be made out of lightweight composite is incorporated — even the steering wheel.

Four hours into the race, the team learned a drawback to composite materials: when they fail, it’s usually catastrophic. Luckily, nobody on the boat was injured and there was a backup mast in Valencia. After a few days in port, the team briefly set out for Cape Town, but decided to withdraw in order to prepare for the next leg.

In the meantime, the four remaining teams are still headed towards the Cape of Good Hope. You can follow the race around the world for the next nine months at VolvoOceanRace.com.

Inca Kola: Peru’s tasty soda

by Sean McLachlan on

One fun aspect of travel is discovering cool local brands. When I visited Peru back in 1998 I first learned of Inca Kola, a neon-yellow soda produced there. I was curious so I ordered some at a cafe. The waiter was surprised and delighted that I chose his nation’s drink over Coca-Cola and told me proudly that it was the only local soda that had a bigger market share in its home country than Coke.

He brought me my Inca Kola and I took a sip. It was wonderful, an ultrasweet bubblegum flavor that my girlfriend couldn’t stand but I immediately fell in love with. I brought two liters back with me on the plane and served it to all my friends.

Peruvians are pretty proud of this soda, and that’s reflected by its advertising, with lines like La bebida del Perú (“The drink of Peru”) and ¡Es nuestra! (“It’s ours”). Sadly, the Coca-Cola corporation got its global tentacles wrapped around Inca Kola in 1999 and it’s no longer a completely independent company. Several Peruvian-owned rival brands have since taken up the banner.

I haven’t seen Inca Kola much outside of Peru. Some Latino shops in the U.S. stock it under the name Golden Kola, but it can be hard to find. Today I discovered it here in Santander, Spain, under its own name. The local long-distance phone bank, where people use Skype for a small fee rather than racking up huge phone bills to South America, had it for sale. Strangely, the shop is owned by Pakistanis. Santander is pretty cosmopolitan for such a small city!

After I bought some I went next door to a Chinese-owned convenience store, generally called Chinos here because most convenience stores are owned by the Chinese. As I picked up some beer the owner asked me how much I paid for my Inca Kola. Turns out he sells it for five centimos less. Live and learn.

In many ways the world is getting smaller, and that can be a good thing.