Eat Dink Fun
Blog
Eat Drink Fun® (EDF) helps you live your best life with world-class food, drinks, and travel.
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Recent Articles
Skip the same five Christmas ski towns. A sommelier's firsthand picks: Corvara, Mayrhofen, and Méribel — why each earns its place, and how to choose.
The insider guide to German Spring Beer Festivals - Frühlingsfest in Munich and Stuttgart. Beer tents, Tracht, & what to eat and drink at the end of a ski trip in the Alps.
Alps snow reliability beats the Rockies on elevation, infrastructure, and season length. Vail's CEO confirmed it. Here's what the data shows — and where to ski instead.
Most skiers arrive in the Italian Dolomites thinking about vertical, not the dinner reservation. That's a mistake. At La Stüa de Michil — the Michelin-starred restaurant inside Hotel La Perla in Corvara, Alta Badia — Chef Simone Cantafio has built one of the most distinctive kitchens in the Alps: locally sourced, seasonally driven, and shaped by eleven years alongside the Bras family in France and a deep reverence for Japanese culinary philosophy. I sat down with Chef Cantafio to talk craft, mentorship, and the Incö table — a daily farm-to-table experience where the menu is written each morning by whatever the land produces. If you're planning a ski trip to Alta Badia and fine dining isn't already on your itinerary, it should be.
Discover why Alta Badia is Europe’s ultimate ski-and-dine destination, where Michelin-starred chefs and Dolomite slopes create an unforgettable winter experience.
Corvara, Selva or San Cassiano? Discover the best luxury ski base in the Dolomites for maximum terrain access, Michelin dining and five-star hotels. Plan smarter and request a Ski Sommelier consultation to optimize your alpine holiday.
Discover how a Ski Sommelier transforms European ski trips through expert planning, insider access, and cultural immersion- saving you time, money, and stress.
Explore Arlberg Weinberg in Lech am Arlberg: early December skiing, quiet slopes, luxury wine tastings, and insider alpine travel tips for skiers now
This e-mail Funletter is free, short, and will go out periodically - let’s start with monthly. In short, I’ll highlight three things I think you should consider tasting or experiencing in the next few weeks.
Eat Drink Fun and Inspired Italy share a passion for skiing in the Dolomites. Book your ski safari today!
Luxury at Oktoberfest: Discover VIP beer tents, gourmet dining, insider tips, and exclusive experiences for a stylish Munich Wiesn adventure.
Discover Kitzbühel’s luxury ski hotels offering world-class service, Alpine charm, and value that outshines overpriced American resorts.
Discover Europe’s best-kept cycling secret: experience car-free Dolomite mountain passes, Alpine hospitality, and septuagenarian Italians who outpace everyone.
Stuck on whether to ski Zermatt or the Dolomites? This article compares terrain, après-ski, food, lifts, cost & access to help you decide!
Élite guests want to experience local flavors. This article arms you with the knowledge to savor the best regional Alpine drinks like a pro.
Select the best ski lodging in Europe like a local pro at a fraction of North American prices.
Skiing in Europe can be confusing for first timers. This is your essential life-hack guide to enjoy the Alps in style.
Thanksgiving is the ultimate food lover's holiday, but it can be hard to select the right. This guide is your key to choosing wisely.
European lift scrum chaos? Or the pinnacle of ordered liberty? This guide shows you how to manipulate a ski line in the Alps.
Skiing as a family can be expensive. But a week in Europe may cost 1/3 of the North American price tag. This is your Ski Somm® guide to cost, convenience, and culture in the Alps.
This guide explains 5 reasons why skiing in Europe beats North America: terrain; food & drinks; après; lodging; and value.
This article focuses on some recent highlights from the 2024 Olympic Games - specifically, a few of my favorite places to eat, drink and have fun.
Shopping at the holidays can be challenging, especially for people who seem to have everything. Here are three gifts I personally own, use, and recommend.
EDF will take up residency this ski season in the famed Italian Dolomites. In 2009, UNESCO awarded the Dolomite region in the Italian Alps official status as a World Heritage Site. It is one of the most stunningly beautiful places to ski. The Dolomites is also one of the best places to eat and drink in the world.
Which are the best ski resorts in the European Alps when it comes to eating, drinking, and having fun, while also optimizing for luxury and value? Eat Drink Fun (EDF) has the answer. Our analysis is based on over 40 years of personal experience and insider knowledge. We’ve skied the best resorts. This guide will help you shred the best lines, eat the best food, and drink like the locals.
Many exceptional red wines are meant to be enjoyed at a cooler serving temperature. This article recommends which red wines you should enjoy chilled.
What is the largest, funnest, and best spring festival in Europe? It happens to be the Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) in Stuttgart, Germany. Do you love big beers and a welcoming, jubilant atmosphere that is also family friendly? Then the Frühlingsfest is for you. This massive party flies under the radar for many international tourists, which makes it feel even more special and exclusive.
Want to embrace the warming sun with a smile and a glass of wine? Spring is a season of rejuvenation and renewal. It’s a time to shake off the winter blues and embrace the warmer weather and longer days. What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than with a glass of wine? Here are our recommendations for the top 5 (actually, the top 9) best wines to drink as the weather warms up.
Videos




Eat Drink Fun Podcast
Interviews with top performers in the beverage and hospitality industries, as well as some fun and spirited discussions with fellow travelers.
A Michelin star kitchen in the Italian Dolomites — Chef Simone Cantafio of La Stüa de Michil in Alta Badia brings an international vision to Alpine ingredients.
Tim Hudson is the founder of Inspired Italy, a ski guiding service that offers guests a mind-blowing week-long ski safari adventure in the Italian Dolomites.
The White Ring Race (Der Weiße Ring, Das Rennen) is a thrilling amateur ski race scheduled each January in Lech am Arlberg, Austria. If you ski or ride, add it to your bucket list. Lech has a long tradition of offering exceptional hospitality and luxury. With Andrea Ruckendorfer, Head of Event Management at Lech-Zürs Tourism, we dive into the White Ring and other fun and delicious events in Lech.
The Göckelesmaier, known by some affectionately as the “chicken tent,” is an institution in Stuttgart, Germany. Stuttgart is home to two enormous beer festivals, one in the spring and one in the fall. Since 1998, Karl Maier and his wife Daniella have led their family business, which launched in the 1950s. Our conversation, which was recorded in 2021, covers the history of the Göckelesmaier, its evolution, and some of the unique and delicious aspects of German harvest festival culture. So go grab a liter of beer and listen up. Prost, zum Wohl, Cheers. I hope you enjoy.
Elegant, precise, crisp, saline, refined, complex, and sophisticated. These are not adjectives many have traditionally associated with Sicilian wine, but they are accurate descriptors for the exceptional class of wines grown on the volcanic slopes of Mt. Etna. This episode focuses on a top Mt. Etna producer - Benanti Viticoltori. We learn about the Benanti family history and its innovations, we walk the vineyards, and we taste and chat with Salvino Benanti, who, along with his twin brother Antonio, is putting Sician fine wines on the map.
From the steep, slate cliffs of the Mosel River, Erni Loosen led the charge to restore Riesling's reputation as a world class grape variety. More work remains to be done, but Erni has succeeded at making Riesling famous and loved again. His knowledge of wine history and the unique characteristics of the Mosel make this conversation one I cherish and will return to again in the future.
Austria has the best aprés ski culture. The Mooserwirt in St. Anton, Tirol, Austria is the legendary aprés ski bar beloved by professional skiers, vacationers, and celebrities. Eugen Scalet and his wife Anna Maria are legendary trailblazers. Looking for the best party, nightlife, and bar for aprés on your ski holiday? In one of the best ski resorts on Earth, the Mooserwirt has you covered.
Does size matter? Does shape matter? Does thickness matter?
We’re talking about wine glasses, of course. How important are they?
I begin with a conversation I had with Maximilian Riedel at ProWein in Dusseldorf. Maximilian is the 11th generation of his family to make fine glass products, and since 2014 he has been the President and CEO of Riedel Crystal and Tiroler Glashütte GmbH.
If you’ve never heard of a wine ski safari, welcome to heaven on Earth. Ski or ride between four Italian alpine huts in the heart of northern Italy’s Dolomite mountains and sip over 60 regional wines. I speak with local producers, restaurant owners, and the brand manager of the Alta Badia region in Südtirol/Alto-Adige. EDF offers Custom Adventures and sommelier ski services if you ever want to go.
Are you interested in delicious adult beverages? Great food? How about world-class travel to beautiful places? Listen to the Eat Drink Fun Podcast and let Certified Sommelier, attorney, consultant, entrepreneur, and peripatetic nomad Kris Miller introduce you to top performers in the beverage and hospitality industries, as well as some fun and spirited discussions with fellow travelers.
Eat Drink Fun
Beverage Study Podcast
The EDF Beverage Study Podcast is a short-form show for anyone seeking accurate, fundamental knowledge about wine, spirits, beer, and other drinks. It’s a great study tool for industry certification examinations, but these topics are also perfect for anyone who is curious and wants to improve their beverage competence.
Grenache 101: Origins, terroirs, flavors, food pairings & winemaking styles in this Eat Drink Fun luxury travel & wine podcast episode.
Chenin Blanc is a highly versatile white grape variety that can produce dry, off-dry, sweet, and sparkling wines. It is a star in the Loire and in South Africa.
Gamay is a fun, playful, and delicious grape variety that is a fantastic food wine, especially when grilling or assembling a smorgasbord of diverse flavors.
Chardonnay is the world’s most popular international white grape variety. Chardonnay is also a chameleon because it expresses itself differently depending on climate, terrain, and skilled manipulation during vinification.
If grape varieties had passports, then Cabernet Sauvignon would need extension pages. Originally from Bordeaux, this grape traveled the globe, from France to the US, Australia, South Africa, Italy, and Chile. Cabernet is famous as the base for some of the richest, most complex wines in the world. Its elevated acidity, tannins, and alcohol offer excellent aging potential.
Albariño is a delicious, fresh white wine to pair with seafood, herb pesto, and salty semi-soft cheeses. An indigenous grape variety from Galicia in Spain and Vinho Verde in Portugal, Albariño is a great summer wine and a favorite of sommeliers and foodies. It is usually consumed young and fresh, but it can be aged a short time given exceptional vineyards and great vintages.
Are you wine curious? Do you want to become more knowledgeable about your favorite beverages? Are you pursuing a professional beverage industry certification? This podcast is for anyone interested in gaining fundamental knowledge about grape varieties, regions, producers, food and beverage pairing, proper service, and history. And it’s more than just wine - we’ll cover beer and spirits as well.


Greek wines are stunning, just like the landscapes and the sunsets. We should all be drinking more of them. This is your guide to enjoying Greek wines.