I had the chance to interview Brian Boitano about his new cookbook, “What Would Brian Boitano Make?“. You can read the highlights on Foodista. Brian was very generous with his time but, in the interest of not having a blog post longer than War and Peace, I couldn’t include everything. So here’s a few more [More]
Northern Rhone White Wines: Reflecting on the Unforgettable
How had I neglected Northern Rhone white wines? I guess I was too busy penning love letters to the Loire Valley further up north in France. But the region from Vienne south to Valence (map) is home to some of my favorite fancy white wines ever. My reflection and rediscovery started while on a trip [More]
Hungry For Words: A Food Writing Workshop With Kathleen Flinn
I thought I’d celebrate my nomination in the Best Writing on a Wine Blog category for the 2013 Wine Blog Awards with a post about…writing about food? Well, it’s about writing, and applicable to wine writers and writers in general. (See all the nominees and vote; you have until May 24th at 11:59PM.) Kathleen Flinn [More]
2012 Raisins Gaulois: Just Add an Ice Bucket
What, red wine in the summer? From the rosé freak? Yes, when it’s the 2012 Raisins Gaulois. Created in Beaujolais at the legendary Domaine Marcel Lapierre, it’s a light and lively red wine that is a perfect partner for an ice bucket. I’m not saying cool it down to arctic temperatures, but with a nice [More]
Wine Anxiety, Anti-Juiciness, and Wanton Vintage Disregard
I wouldn’t characterize my friend Amy Pennington as having wine anxiety. First of all, I’m no doctor/sommelier; it’s probably illegal for me to make such a diagnosis. But she certainly is able to articulate questions and concerns that enthusiastic, regular wine drinkers have when they are confronted with miles of shelves crammed with wine. Which [More]
Wine on Airlines II: Sparkling Wine Not Bringing Me Down
I previously had a fine experience when it came to wine on airlines, courtesy of a cheerful glass of a French Vermentino as well as a sparkling wine, Henkell Trocken, on Lufthansa. (Details with a side of Will Ferrell and Graham Greene.) And now, armed with the knowledge to ask for sparkling wine if I [More]
Gluten-Free Cheese Straws and Sparkling Rosé Forever
I’m not sure I should have titled this post “Gluten-Free Cheese Straws and Sparkling Rosé Forever.” Really, it was just the “Gluten-Free” part I was concerned with. Because these cheese straws and cheese crackers are so good that there’s no need to compartmentalize them. Good food is good food, period. They just happen to be [More]
What Is Madeira? A Sweet Wine Like No Other
If you want to know the answer to the question, “What is Madeira?”, who better to ask than the Chris Blandy, CEO of the Madeira Wine Company? Chris previously helped me understand why Madeira was so popular in Colonial America. But he told me so much more that I had share the rest. So to [More]
