DURHAM, N.C. -- In response to upscale travelers’ desires for more experiential and specialized travel, boutique travel provider CORK & TEE has launched its one-of-a-kind offering that blends the best of golf with behind-the-scenes wine and interactive culinary adventures. The company offers personalized independent itineraries to destinations worldwide for groups of two to 20 and will launch high-end packaged tours later in 2007. For more information, consult www.corkandtee.com.

"Both golf and epicurean activities are in high demand by a majority of luxury travel buyers," said Bruce Tepper, vice-president of Joselyn, Tepper & Associates and a frequent industry speaker on luxury and incentive travel matters. "Combining golf with wine-focused culinary experiences for upscale travelers is a very attractive marriage of concept and marketplace. I can see applications for such a high-end product in both the leisure and corporate group segments."

CORK & TEE's golf venues range from legendary courses including Pebble Beach and St. Andrews to hidden gems such as the Course at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, California and Sandpines on the Oregon Coast. Additionally, the company has designed a broad range of experiential epicurean adventures. Examples range from private tastings at future cult wineries and food-wine pairing instruction to memorable winemaker dinners, as well as personalized cooking instruction.

"Our boutique model delivers the utmost in personalized service so our clients may immerse themselves in their destinations and fully pursue their passions," said Gene Holland, a former PGA professional and co-founder of CORK & TEE. "We have inspected all the facets of our destinations including golf venues and accommodations and are equipped to handcraft unique destination-specific epicurean experiences to suit client needs. Our model already is proving attractive to both couples groups and incentive travel groups."

Initial destinations in the CORK & TEE portfolio include California, Oregon, Scotland and Ireland. Future destinations, the first to be announced later in 2007, will include Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa.

CORK & TEE is affiliated with The Travel Society, a Colorado-based enterprise that offers extensive support services and systems to elite travel companies nationwide. This strategic alliance links CORK & TEE to Virtuoso, a by-invitation-only global consortium of several hundred travel providers focused on delivering premium experiences to luxury travelers.