The good brothers needed altar wine and a source of reliable drink. Wells and stored water had a habit of becoming contaminated. Whether by choice or necessity, they used a grape variety now known as Mission...

After close examination of the new guide to healthful eating, we were struck by the absence of two life-sustaining food groups: wine and chocolate.

Fortunately, the Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau in California has come up with a culinary program to address this obvious oversight.

What's that? You say you didn't know there was much of a wine culture in Ohio?

Read on...

It's an uphill battle, with the primary objection being that such additions would harm the rural nature of the winegrowing areas.

There have been no such concerns in the Southern California appellation of Temecula, however, where no fewer than seven wine estates are home to excellent restaurants.

About a third of the way to Barstow, you'll go through the mountain community of Tehachapi. The tendency, unless one is low on gas, is to just keep on driving.

But should you decide to meander, you'll encounter some of the activities that one normally associates with the Napa Valley.

• IMMINENT: The 6th annual Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival is set for this Saturday (June 18) on Weko Beach in Bridgman, Mich.

If that's any indication, culinary tourism could be back--and back big-time--in America. That's good news for foodies, many of whom had to cut back on their culinary adventures during the economic downturn.

If not, and particularly if you live in the Midwest, consider attending the 5th annual Music and International Wine and Beer Festival at Mackinaw Valley Vineyard in northern Illinois.

The event runs this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon to 6 p.m.

The Monterey Wine Country app will cull information from the MCVGA's online "Find Your Favorite" database...

Yes, that Napa.