When it comes to vacations, the culinary adventure is just about as important as the accommodations and itinerary.  Think back on your best vacations; you’re bound to remember at least one or more great food experience or fabulous drink you enjoyed.  Dining is a focus of the experience at each DINE member inn. Whether it’s breakfast, afternoon tea or dinner, each food adventure is drafted with care.

Today, DINE innkeepers are encouraging guests to wine and dine affordably at home or at the inn.  Here are three great innkeepers’ picks for affordable wines to try this summer.

From Jane Howard at Deerfield Inn

“We are very fond of Dog Point, a lovely Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Founded by chief viticulturist and head winemaker at Cloudy Bay, their Sauvignon is a beautiful alternative to the more expensive Cloudy Bay brand wine. Both Dog Point and Cloudy Bay have that delicious flinty, citrus-y aroma, with something going on like kiwi and passion fruit, yet Dog Point is $33 on the Deerfield Inn’s wine list as opposed to $50 for Cloudy Bay. The Dog Point Chardonnay is a particularly blissful dream, if you can find it, and besides, the labels are super cute, although I gather that the area is called Dog Point because a pack of herding dogs gone feral used to hang out in the region and feast on stray livestock – not so cute!” 

And if you’re not in the mood for wine, choose one of the signature martinis from the Deerfield Inn’s extensive martini menu listing more than 100 choices.

From Judy Heuber at Chesterfield Inn:

“My current favorite is an Italian sparkling wine called Mionetto Prosecco, the perfect summer bubbly. It’s delicious, inexpensive, and very festive. It will turn Tuesday night dinner into a party!  We have it in full bottles and in splits at Chesterfield Inn for $26 for the full bottle, $10 for the split, and it can be purchased in both the Keene and West Chesterfield liquor stores to take home.” 

Check out the wine list at Chesterfield Inn here where you’ll find plenty of additional affordable options.

From Leslie Mulcahy at the Rabbit Hill Inn:

“Innkeeper, Brian Mulcahy, takes pride in offering guests an intriguing, yet affordable and unpretentious wine list. Although there are several to choose from, two of Brian’s recent affordable wine suggestions are – Layer Cake Shiraz 2009 ($32) and  Columbia Winery Cellarmaster’s Riesling 2007 ($27).  The Layer Cake Shiraz is a creamy dark red w/ aromas on bing cherry and black plums; a nice full finish with a fun hint of licorice and black pepper. For those who lean toward the white – The Columbia Riesling offers peach, lime, and floral aromas. A nicely balanced, not-too-sweet, not-too-dry Riesling.”    

 For a complete description of culinary vacations from Distinctive Inns of New England, click here.

According to EllenBarone.com, you need to give yourself permission to go on vacation. In her blog, travel expert Barone explains that vacations are not only good for the health they’re good for the soul too.   Barone says “Now, more than ever, you deserve a vacation” and offers a number of reasons why vacations are healthy and not just for the wealthy and wise.

Think back over the last year.  What stands out in your mind?  It probably isn’t the endless hours in the office. What you remember are the cooking schools at Gateways Inn or Manor on Golden Pond, the martinis at Deerfield Inn, or  the incredible moonrise over Camden Harbor when you stayed at Camden Maine Stay.  Perhaps it was the fabulous wine dinner at the Inn at Thorn Hill, delicious fireside breakfasts and tea at Rabbit Hill Inn or the simply falling asleep to flickering fire bedside at Chesterfield Inn or Captain’s House Inn. If you’re planning a vacation this fall or winter, you’ll be able to add memories of experiencing the newly renovated Cliffside Inn soon.

Ellen  Barone tells us that among the documented health benefits of leisure activities are a diminished risk of disease, an enhanced immune system, reduced obesity, and increased life expectancy.  According to the 2011 Annual Vacation Deprivation Survey conducted by Expedia.com, more than half of the professional adults maintained they came back from vacation feeling rested and rejuvenated, and more than one in three maintained that made them more productive at work.  Ahh, wouldn’t it be great to feel rested, rejuvenated and productive just about now?

Yet despite the fact that Americans have just about the least number of vacation days each year out of all the countries studied in the Vacation Deprivation survey, they still leave valuable vacation time on the table year after year.  Expedia.com’s vacation deprivation survey shows that on the average more than a third of Americans forfeit at least three days of their vacation time each year.

Summer is the ideal time to schedule a vacation.  From outdoor fun to spa packages and  culinary journeys,  summer offers the ideal time to get up and go.  Don’t let workplace or family pressure stop you from planning a vacation this year.  Remember, just like smiles, a vacation will add time to your life while offering the time of your life!

Madison County may have its bridges, but when it comes to DINE country it’s the porches, decks and patios that beckon guests in search of “a good rock” over and over again.  Nothing beats a relaxing rocking chair and a view of the world from the porch.  Somehow rocking in an old fashioned rocker is just a little more relaxing from a porch; and somehow the lemonade is just a little sweeter when enjoyed from the porch. 

Porch sitting goes way back according to Wikipedia.  According to the free online encyclopedia, porch sitting helps contribute to a lively atmosphere, for those sitting and also those passing by. This activity was once s a stable of community interaction in much of the United States, most common during good weather, especially on warm summer nights and weekends, says Wikipedia.

Porches, mostly prevalent in the South, were precursors to air conditioning.  Always the place to catch the cool breeze and shoot it too, porch sitting was once considered a status symbol.  As we’ve progressed and technology has proliferated we’ve seen a decline in the art of porch sitting. Air conditioning has replaced porch sitting as people were able to socialize in the comfort of their cooled homes.  Other contributors to the decline of porch sitting came with the advent of television and other electronic forms of entertainment.  Sadly, ask the younger generation today, and they’ll tell you rockers are people who pound drums and guitars instead of the ultimate way to relax and unwind.

DINE members challenge porch sitter wanna be’s to help resurrect the age old art of rocking on a lovely porch.  Nothing brings out the best in couples than a quiet tete-a-tete in rockers on the porch.  Ask guests at the Deerfield Inn who celebrated their engagement with dinner on the porch!  Ask me, who awoke in the Churchill Room at the Manor On Golden Pond to enjoy a gorgeous sunny morning view of Squam Lake on my own private porch deck after ten straight days of rain or those who still got to enjoy dinner on the porch even in rainy weather at the Gateway Inn’s enclosed porch dining room.  Drinks or a fine glass of wine are simply better when enjoyed on the porch at the Inn at Thorn Hill or on your own private deck or balcony in rooms like the Lydia Harding Suite at the Captain’s House Inn . Stay at the Camden Maine Stay’s Common Ground Room, and you’ll access your own private balcony porch overlooking extensive gardens below.  The newly rennovated Cliffside Inn will soon offer the ideal porch for enjoying morning coffee or afternoon tea and somehow the lemonade on the porch at the Rabbit Hill Inn simply tastes a little sweeter.

We challenge you to rejuvenate your porch sitting technique at any of the DINE properties this summer.  Escape from a rocky week in a rocker or quiet table on a porch, patio or deck at your favorite DINE property. After all, summer’s the season to come set a spell, no matter what rocks your world!

Umbrella tables and the Chesterfield Inn's patio overlooking meadows beyond make the peach margarittas here simply taste better. Jumping Rocks photo.

A view of the mountains, a quiet place to be and thee - three things that make porch dining at the Inn at Thorn Hill wonderful.

Rockers beckon to come set a spell at Deerfield Inn in Historic Deerfield.

This photo was taken last year, shortly after enjoying a "cuppa joe" on the porch at Cliffside Inn in Newport, RI. Marti Mayne photo. After extensive rennovations, Cliffside Inn is hoping to re-open sometime this month.

May was Mom’s month, and June celebrates Dads.  That means mancations rule this month. Ladies, don’t cringe; mancations don’t have to be dominated by 6-packs, sports bars and motorcycles.  Here are ten ideas for ways to create the perfect mancation that ladies will love too.  After all, when combined with a stay at any of the nine DINE properties, everyone wins!

10 ideas for the perfect mancation in DINE country

Stay at Deerfield Inn and:

Ok, well maybe one or two beers will are allowed on this mancataion! Visit the Berkshire Brewing Company in South Deerfield, MA and be sure to take in their Saturday 1pm tours.

Some of the best fly fishing in the Berkshires takes place on the Deerfield River. With advance notice, guide Brian is available to show you where the fish are biting.

Stay at Rabbit Hill Inn and:

Don’t miss the thrill of the white knuckle ziplining at Alpine Adventures, the highest, longest, fastest zip tour in the Northeast. Hands down – It’s the best legal high. See for yourself on the video and to make it easy, book a zip and stay package.

Stop climbing the walls. Get out do some real climbing in the Whites of NH, or in VT’s NE Kingdom. From first timers to seasoned climbers –this IS the place. Choose from three outstanding Rock Climbing Guide Services – Adventure Spirit Guides,  EMS Climbing School, and International Mountain Climbing School.     

For little boys that simply won’t grow up, how about some ‘dozer fun in a man-sized sandbox? Big Rig sandbox fun for boys who don’t want to grow up, play with the excavators, front loaders, and other earth moving rigs at nearby at Glenn’s NH’s Sandbox.

Stay at Captain’s House Inn and:

Be a true captain! Stay at the Captain’s house and play golf at the Captain’s Course, in nearby Brewster. Go left or right, and play the 18-hole Port or Starboard course.

Ride the rail trail. Bring bikes and ride along the 22-mile scenic and paved Cape Cod Rail Trail. Bike rentals available nearby.

Stay at Chesterfield Inn and:

Bring the hiking boots because this is hiker’s heaven.  Choose from Pisgah Park, a 14,000-acre park in Chesterfield and neighboring towns or Ann Stokes Loop and Chesterfield Gorge, both in right in Chesterfield.

Rent a canoe or kayak and take a paddle on the Connecticut or West Rivers in Brattleboro, Vermont, under ten minutes away.

Do absolutely nothing but relax, watch the game on TV and have dinner delivered to your private patio whenever you want it!