Hate Pretentious Wine Tastings? Visit This Country

Plus, Greek Island's New Luxury Hotel Is All About Its Insane Pool

Manage newsletters View in browser The entire world in your inbox. Hello all—   For the sommeliers reading this, please feel free to skip ahead! I'm sure the rest of you have no doubt felt the discomfort of being the one in the dinner party who has to taste the just-opened bottle of wine at a restaurant. Or, perhaps, you've clumsily scraped together an answer at the hoity-toity vineyard when asked to describe the wine you've just tasted. Well, Georgia expert Benjamin Kemper is here to rescue you and make the (convincing) case that you should immediately head to the tiny Caucasus country.    "Swirling cabernet in a tasting room is one thing; wolfing down soup dumplings in a winemaker's backyard to the backdrop of the Caucasus Mountains, your fingers still sticky with rkatsiteli juice, is another entirely," writes Kemper in this week's lead feature. "This is wine tourism returned to its roots: rustic, generous, and delicious in every sense." For our  October installment of our It's Still a Big World series, Liza Weisstuch lays out how The Hague is so much more than a place for war crime trials. In fact it's a tourist's dream: bike-friendly, full of great food and art, mindful of its storied past, and mad for murals.   Enjoy!   — William O'Connor, Travel Editor Hate Pretentious Wine Tastings? Visit This Country Love good wine but hate tasting rooms? Head to Georgia, where family winemakers invite you in for epic homemade feasts and an array of hands-on winemaking experiences. Greek Island's New Luxury Hotel Is All About Its Insane Pool The popular island of Corfu has a new five-star hotel, and its star attraction is perfect for the Instagram age. The Hague Is So Much More Than a Destination for War Criminals The densely populated Dutch city is a tourist's dream: bike-friendly, full of great food and art, mindful of its storied past, and mad for murals. The Ancient World's Secret Weapon? The Ejaculating Phallus If all of this seems a bit, well, adolescent, bear in mind the phallus served a valuable protective purpose. This Meteorologist-Made Umbrella Will Make You Hope for Rain Scouting Report: Invented by an actual meteorologist, the Weatherman Umbrella can withstand any weather you're willing to walk through.   Founded by famed meteorologist Rick Reichmuth, Weatherman Umbrella is not producing your typical run-of-the-mill, cheap umbrellas. The Brooklyn-based company has developed a line of well-made umbrellas with state-of-art materials, including industrial-strength fiberglass and quick-dry, water-repellent canopies, which save you and the floor from being soaked when you close the umbrella after a storm. The umbrellas are super lightweight as well. The Travel Umbrella, which I own in a fun neon pink, fits well in my oversized work bag and weighs less than a pound.   Easily opened and closed with the click of a button, the Weatherman Umbrella has become a commuting essential. I carry it with me everywhere I go, unafraid and always prepared for any surprise showers I may encounter throughout the day.   — Scouted by Layne Van Vranken BUY ON AMAZON >>> "It was also a symbol of all that is wrong with Italy, the complacency with ineptitude, the labyrinth of labor laws that keep businesses alive on life support long after the plug should be pulled, and corruption, which is often endemic in Italian failures." —Rome correspondent Barbie Latza Nadeau documents the final run of the once legendary Alitalia. OMG I Want to Rent This House!      St. Lucia (Vrbo): There was something about this summer that felt particularly fraught. First, there was the pressure to bounce back to regular life; then we endured the pendulum swing of the next COVID spike's "will she or won't she?" Through it all, we were forced to navigate the wildly varying safety protocols and personal preferences of our cities and acquaintances. It's no surprise that this fall seems to have brought about one massive case of collective burnout. But the good news is, we in the travel community like to call this situation the perfect excuse to plan the longest and most relaxing winter vacation of your life. Winter is the new summer when it comes to travel in 2021.   Jalousie Villa is also part of the luxe Viceroy Resort Sugar Beach, which means you have all the perks of your own private space, including the ocean-sized pool, but with access to all of the amenities that come with resort living.   Beaches and mountains, pools and oceans, indoor and outdoor kitchens. This home redefines having it all.   Book Your Stay: Jalousie Villa, St. Lucia $6,050/night via Vrbo   Don't miss previous OMG, I Want to Rent This House posts, which spotlight the most spectacular and unique homes that you can actually stay in.  Check out the full archives.  Travel to an 'Art Deco Dream Come to Life'   Fancy hotels come and go all the time in New York City. There are a handful, however, that not only stick around but come to represent something—an era, an ethos, a vibe. Few are as storied as Madison Avenue's The Carlyle—the Art Deco tower that rose to fame in the period after World War II and became a center of glamour in the Kennedy years—a position it has never relinquished. Thus our latest selection for Just Booked (our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books) is Assouline's new tome, The Carlyle.   The book beautifully encapsulates the hotel's history. There are original photos from the 1930s of Dorothy Draper's decor (oh, the light fixtures!), old advertisements for the hotel apartments ("English manor standards of service"), and dozens of shots of the stars who have performed, lived, or hung out here over the years.   As Lenny Kravitz writes in the book's introduction, "It was an Art Deco dream come true."   Check out our previous selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked. BUY ON AMAZON  >>               Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts or newsletters, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales. © Copyright 2021 The Daily Beast Company LLC  555 W. 18th Street, New York NY 10011  Privacy Policy If you are on a mobile device or cannot view the images in this message, click here to view this email in your browser. To ensure delivery of these emails, please add emails@thedailybeast.com to your address book. 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