Lexpert Magazine

LEXPERT MAGAZINE | APRIL 2016 69 TRAVEL Mini-Getaways: Remote and Boutique Skip the tourist traps at these luxurious faraway destinations the terraced vineyard without making arrangements through the Montmartre tourist office, but you can contemplate its history over a glass of wine across the steep, cobbled street at Au Lapin Agile, the oldest cabaret bar in Paris. e best view of the fenced-off plot is from the corner of rue des Saules and rue Saint Vincent, facing the Musée Montmartre. is isn't the only urban vineyard in Paris; in fact there are around 150 such initiatives in greater Paris, financed by a dedicated group of winemakers who call themselves Les Vignerons Franciliens. SAN FRANCISCO: e Neighbourhood Vineyards Project, the brainchild of winemakers Elly Harts- horn and Jenny Sargent, planted 230 vines of Pinot Noir in their urban vineyard in 2013. eir debut bottling, to be released this year, will be the first wine to be grown in the city in over a century. San Francisco was once ringed by vineyards, but the 1906 earthquake that burned 500 city blocks put paid to winegrowing in the city. THESSALONIKI: One of Greece's top winemakers, Evangelos Gerovassiliou, has teamed up with a local university to plant the country's first urban vineyard for educational purposes. e two-acre site between apartment towers and Kaanzoglio Stadium is home to native varieties only: white Robola and Malagousia and red Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro. VENICE: Among the chain of islands that dot the Venetian lagoon is Mazzorobo, linked to Burano by a wooden bridge and home to the walled Venissa Vineyard. e ancient white Dorona grape, enjoyed by the Doges in yesteryear, is grown here. e wine is bottled in Murano glass and decorated with gold leaf. VIENNA: e only world capital producing wine in commercial quantities within its city limits, Vienna boasts 1,700 acres of vineyard tended by 600 vint- ners. A short metro ride from the city centre will take you to the suburb of Grinzing, famous for its Heu- riger wine taverns. Here they serve the new Grüner Veltliner wines within days of fermentation — the Austrian equivalent of Beaujolais Nouveau. While there are five wineries in the Ottawa area and one across the river in Q uébec, there are no vineyards yet – to my knowledge – within the nation's capital. Although Rideau Hall would be a good place to start. Nor are there any vineyards in Toronto, although the south-facing slope outside Scaramouche Restaurant in Benvenuto Place might be an ideal site. All we need is a little more global warming. SOMETIMES WHAT YOU'RE craving isn't so much a vacation as a getaway — as in something that gets you away from crowded courtrooms and board- rooms. When less is more of what you're aer, small, boutique hotels in lesser- known spots may be exactly what the doctor ordered. > Piet Boon Bonaire (Kralendijk, Bonaire) – Bonaire is quiet all on its own, but with flamingos and sea turtles as your neighbours, the seafront setting of the island's capital feels sensual and secluded. Choose from one of nine villas created by Dutch designer Piet Boon (pictured above right) and spend your days exploring the underwater scenes of this world-class diving destination. Prefer to skim the waters? e island is developing a reputation as a windsurf- ing hub. Away from the water, a thriving art scene provides another facet to Bonaire's identity. www.designhotels.com/piet-boon > Casa Palopo (Guatemalan Highlands) – is hillside villa is located 145 kilometres from Guatemala City in the hills of Santa Catarina Palopo village. e former home turned Relais & Chateaux property is a first-class invitation into Central America's colourful culture. Choose from seven suites, each deco- rated with handcraed furnishings. Spend your days exploring the 12 neigh- bouring indigenous Mayan Villages, horseback riding or hiking the 10,000- foot San Pedro Volcano. When you're ready for quiet, find a spot to perch and take in sweeping views of Lake Atitlan and its three surrounding volcanoes. > Furnas Boutique Hotel ermal & Spa (São Miguel, Azores) – e Azores are one of those gis that just keep giving. Mainland Portugal already boasts incredible food and culture, and this island outpost in the middle of the Atlantic ups the ante. Here, Mother Nature isn't constrained by skyscrapers and highway traffic. You'll find the 54-room Furnas Boutique Hotel ermal & Spa on São Miguel (pictured above le) — one of the nine volcanic archi- pelago islands. Spend your days in thermal water springs and blue lagoons or at the on-site wellness centre before heading out for whale-watching, surfing and hiking across the islands. www.designhotels.com/furnas-boutique-hotel-spa | DETOURS | Heather Greenwood Davis is a lawyer and freelance travel writer. Reach her at www.globetrottingmama.com. Tony Aspler is the author of 17 books on wine, including his latest, Canadian Wineries. PHOTO COURTESY OF DESIGN HOTELS™

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