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The multisensory experience begins even before the train pulls out of the Napa depot, with an art show and a complimentary wine-tasting seminar. Then you climb onboard for the feast. As the train rolls at a peaceful pace past 27 wineries and manicured vineyards, passengers can sip local Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons, Pinot Noirs or other premium varietals as they dine in luxuriously refurbished Pullman cars, vintage 1915-70. Executive chef Patrick Finney's menu may include filet mignon marinated in red wine and herbs and served with Cabernet-Roquefort sauce. Those who are into food as much as wine are invited by Chef Finney to stroll down to the mahogany-paneled galley and look into the kitchen, where his crew does its thing. And of course there is the train's nucleus, the wine-tasting car, where you can learn more about the featured beverages and other Napa Valley attractions before you return to your starting point.
Brunch, lunch or dinner costs between $29.50 and $99; the wine is extra. Special onboard events include Sunday jazz concerts, vintners' luncheons with wines paired with each gourmet course, murder-mystery dinner theater, family-fun nights and holiday celebrations www.winetrain.com 800-427-4124). --A.N.
THE OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS GIVING NEW MEANING TO THE IDEA OF A BOOK TOUR
Ever since the Old Patagonian Express rose to fame from the pages of Paul Theroux's 1979 best seller, this narrow-gauge line in southern Argentina has been a Mecca for steam-train lovers. "We're still running the same original engines from the year 1922," says El Maiten stationmaster Marcelo Ballerini. "Tourists arrive from all over the world to ride it." Threatened with extinction at various times during recent years, this fully steam-operated line running across the dry Patagonian steppes has been kept alive by Theroux's readers and a few locals who still board it along the way.
Known in Argentina as La Trochita (from trocha angosta, or "narrow gauge"), the old carriages run through the foothills of the majestic Andes mountain range. The El Maiten-Esquel run is a 6 1/2-hour ride through breathtaking scenery, with the majestic peaks of the snowcapped Andes in view part of the way. As much fun as the scenery is the train itself. Visitors can stand alongside the engineer as he operates the brakes and the burner on the steep grades along the way. For the less daring there are two shorter rides, El Maiten-Vuelta al Rio and Esquel-Nahuel Pan, each 31 miles long. You can avoid cancellations due to snow by booking Argentine spring and summer trips--when it's fall and winter in the U.S. (El Maiten train station: 011-54-2945-49-5190). --By Uki Goni