by Scott W. Clemens | Oct 9, 2014 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog, Wine Reviews
To arrive at the wines for this year’s PINOT NOIR SUMMIT we tasted over 400 Pinots. We weedled that list down to the top forty-four wines, which ranged from $20 to $60 with an average price of $32. My favorite dozen were: Asuncion Ridge Vineyards, 2010 Estate, Central...
by Scott W. Clemens | Oct 9, 2014 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog, Wine Reviews
2012 Dry Creek Vineyard, Clarksburg, Chenin Blanc: In the mid-1970s Chenin Blanc was more popular than Chardonnay. But as it fell out of fashion Dry Creek Vineyards never gave up on it. They’ve been producing a Clarksburg Chenin for decades, and the current...
by Scott W. Clemens | Oct 9, 2014 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Brennan’s in New Orleans ingredients: 64 fresh asparagus spears 2 cups cold water 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 2 pounds lump crab meat, picked over to remove any shell and cartilage 1⁄4 cup (1⁄2 stick) butter Mousseline Sauce (recipe below*) Freshly grated Parmesan...
by Scott W. Clemens | Oct 1, 2014 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog
While attending the Alba Wines Exhibition, I took the opportunity to visit Cantine Giacomo Ascheri, which quietly became a destination winery with the 2007 opening of a hotel and restaurant on-premise in Bra (the capital of the Roero area and the center of the Slow...
by Scott W. Clemens | Oct 1, 2014 | Travel, Travel blog
text ©2007 by Scott W Clemens I’ve been planning a family vacation to Ireland. In the past I used Frommer’s travel guides to research our destinations and lodgings, as well as brochures provided by my travel agent. This time I decided to do most of my planning on the...
by Scott W. Clemens | Oct 1, 2014 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog
Text and photos © Scott W Clemens For the epicurean traveler, Northern Italy is a revelation of spectacular vistas, romantic hill towns, unexpectedly diverse cultures, wonderful food, and a plethora of finely crafted wines from indigenous grapes. To get an idea of the...
by Scott W. Clemens | Sep 28, 2014 | Travel, Travel blog
(Favorite Day Trips from San Francisco — Part Three) text and photos ©2013 The San Andreas Fault, where the North American Plate meets the Pacific Plate, runs through the Santa Cruz Mountains, which separate San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. San...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 24, 2012 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog
In the early part of my career as a wine writer, when I was reviewing wine for both Vintage magazine and Wine & Spirits Buying Guide, I tasted around 450 wines a month at the office, and I received a few samples at home from producers wishing to be reviewed....
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 15, 2012 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog
©2012 The San Francisco International Wine Competition is the largest international wine competition in the United States. This year it took a staff of 80 to keep the wheels turning flawlessly, so the 49 professional wine judges could taste through a record...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 9, 2012 | Travel, Travel blog
Text and photos © 2009 by Scott W. Clemens The view north from Timber Cove Inn One of the things I like most about San Francisco is that you can get out of the city and into the country in short order. Within half an hour you can be on the fringes of...
by Scott W. Clemens | Sep 13, 2012 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog, Wine Reviews
©2012 The San Francisco International Wine Competition is the largest international wine competition in the United States. This year it took a staff of 80 to keep the wheels turning flawlessly, so the 49 professional wine judges could taste through a record...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 14, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
LAVERBREAD AND COCKLE FRITTERS 5 oz. Self-raising Flour 1 Egg 1 oz. Parmesan Cheese 1 T Laverbread 4 to 5 oz. Shelled Cooked Cockles 1 litre Sunflower or Grapeseed Oil Make a batter with the flour, egg, salt and pepper and a little...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Gold is an expensive commodity today, but none more so than Welsh Gold, for it is the rarest of all. After a history spanning 4,000 years, the last gold mine in Wales closed in 2007. Guided tours are available of the Dolaucothi mine in central Wales, first worked by...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
From our vantage point it’s easy to see castles as romantic reminders of knights, damsels and the quest for the Holy Grail — the Renaissance Faire view of the past. The reality is that castles were built to keep enemies out, and they give us a window...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Graham Tinsley, Castle Hotel Ingredients for 4 people 4.5 lb. Mussels 2 large shallots 1 clove of garlic 3.5 oz. Dry White Wine 7 oz. Double Cream 1 oz. Chopped Fresh Parsley Method 1. Clean the mussels by removing all the barnacles and the beards from the...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Dickens’ description of Ye Olde Bull’s Head in The Uncommercial Traveller is as follows: “Take the old-established Bull’s Head with its old-established knife-boxes on its old-established sideboards, its old-established flue under its...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog
Taking a cooking class in a foreign country is one of our favorite ways to learn something of the country’s culture and cuisine. Taking a cooking class in Wales from an Italian chef may seem an odd exercise, but how often can you get instruction from a...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Makes 18 Crescente can be served with prosciutto, salami, tomato and basil or a fresh cheese. This dough does not have to be used up straight away, as it will keep for 2 days. Ingredients for crescente 1 lb. ‘0’ grade...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Makes 8 Ingredients 8 large ripe figs 1 tsp. rum per fig A dusting of ground cinnamon per fig 1 T mascarpone per fig 1 tsp. of brown sugar per fig Unsweetened cocoa powder Petal the figs by cutting them in...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
Serves 10-12 as a nibble Ingredients 1.25 lb. Caerphilly cheese, grated 1 lb. day-old white breadcrumbs 8 T finely chopped spring onions 5 eggs separated 4 heaped T finely chopped parsley 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves 4 level tsp. English mustard...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio 5 oz. Self-raising Flour 1 Egg 1 oz. Parmesan Cheese 1 T Laverbread 4 to 5 oz. Shelled Cooked Cockles 1 litre Sunflower or Grapeseed Oil Make a batter with the flour, egg, salt and pepper and a little water, add the grated parmesan...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Serves 6 Ingredients 1 cantaloupe ½ lb. parmesan ¼ lb. arugula extra virgin olive oil balsamic vinegar Method Cut the melon in half, remove the seeds and cut the melon into thin slices. Cut the skin away. Divide...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Serves 4 1 lb. tagliatelle per person 1 lb. thinly sliced butter nut squash or pumpkin 5cm long 4 shallots finely chopped extra virgin olive oil 12 to 20 leaves fresh marjoram 12 large basil leaves shredded salt and freshly ground...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
I highly recommend procuring the services of a local guide for at least a part of your trip. Our tour guide, Idwal Jones, was a veritable fountain of information on Welsh history and culture, and of course most helpful in the matter of pronunciation and...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Serves 4 24 Oysters 3.5 oz. Butter 1 Shallot Finely Chopped 1 T Finely Chopped Parsley Juice of ½ Lemon Salt and Freshly Ground White Pepper 7 oz. Laverbread 2 oz. Fresh Fine White Bread Crumbs Open the oysters reserving half...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Llangollen is one of the most beautiful villages in Wales, and perhaps the hardest to pronounce, given that the double L in Welsh is pronounced something like an aspirated “thl” and takes some practice to get even half right. The homes and businesses are of another...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
The two most obvious attributes of any country, those that most reflect the culture, are architecture and language. In Wales, where bilingualism is mandated by law, the Welsh language is everywhere around you. Every sign, menu and brochure is printed in both...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
While the 2010 Course at Celtic Manor Resort near Newport, in South Wales, was built expressly to handle the crowds of enthusiasts and media for the 2010 Ryder Cup, it is just one of many to choose from. With over 200 courses in Wales, you...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Trains stir romantic visions of travel, the anticipation of new sites to see, the excitement of being bound on a journey. The irony of our love of steam trains is that from a 21st century perspective they evoke a time of leisurely travel, while...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog
Text and photos ©2009 The two-lane road to Penderyn winds up the mountain and across a broad, windswept heath at the edge of Brecon Beacons National Park in southern Wales. It’s a forbidding landscape, barren except for coarse grass grazed by scattered sheep. The...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Text and photos ©2009 With more than 40 food festivals annually, 50 Farmers’ Markets operating weekly, and inviting restaurants around every corner, Wales is foodie heaven. If you find yourself in Cardiff in late September, you must visit The Great British...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Text and photos ©2009 When my great-grandparents, Sarah Sims and Ebenezer Beynon, emigrated from Wales in 1869, they brought with them an engraving of their hometown of Merthyr Tydvil (Tydfil in Welsh), that has hung on our walls since before I was born. It’s an...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 9, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Graham Tinsley, Castle Hotel BRAISED CONWY MUSSELS Ingredients for 4 people 4.5 lb. Mussels 2 large shallots 1 clove of garlic 3.5 oz. Dry White Wine 7 oz. Double Cream 1 oz. Chopped Fresh Parsley Method 1. Clean the mussels by removing all the barnacles and the...
by Scott W. Clemens | Mar 20, 2009 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog
Despite the appearance of tradition in the wine business, few family-owned operations have survived more than 200 years. Politics, wars, economics, tax laws, family squabbles and miss-steps by managing members have often led to takeovers by multi-national...
by Scott W. Clemens | Mar 12, 2009 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog, Wine Reviews
The following tasting notes accompany my article, Traveling Across Spain with the Osborne Bull. To learn more about Osborne’s wine operations, as well as some of Spain’s finest restaurants, click here. BODEGAS MONTECILLO of Rioja Crianza 2003: A typical...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 7, 2008 | Travel, Travel blog
text and photos © 2008 You’ll hear a lot about Cajun and Creole culture in Louisiana. They’re proud of their traditions and unique character, but for an outsider it’s hard to get a grasp on who and what is one or the other. Creole refers to any descendant of those...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2008 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
(Serves 12) from Matt Brewton of The Savvy Gourmet in New Orleans Ingredients: 3 bunch collard greens, washed 4 tbsp butter 2 c. onion, diced 1 c. celery, diced 1 c. bell pepper, diced 1/4 c. garlic, minced 2 c. all-purpose flower 2...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2008 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
(Serves 12) from Matt Brewton of The Savvy Gourmet in New Orleans Ingredients: 1, 6 lb. chicken, broken down into 8 pieces 11⁄2 pounds andouille sausage 2 c. all purpose flour 2 c. canola oil 2 c. onion, diced 1 c. celery, diced 1 c....
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2008 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Couchon in New Orleans Ingredients: 1 cup Butter 2 cups Sugar 4 each Eggs 4 teaspoons Vanilla 4 cups Flour 4 teaspoons Baking Powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1 cup Milk 8 cups Peaches, peeled &...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2008 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Couchon in New Orleans Ingredients: 1 1⁄2 c. flour 1 1⁄2 c. oil 2 c. diced onion 1 c. diced green pepper 1 c. diced celery 3 T. chopped garlic 1 1⁄2 gal. pork or chicken stock 1 1⁄2 lbs. okra sliced crosswise 1⁄2 inch wide and seared in lard until lightly...
by Scott W. Clemens | Jul 10, 2008 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog
When the Rutherford Dust Society was formed in 1994, it was with the thought that the Rutherford appellation brought with it that ineffable sense of place. Legendary Beaulieu winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff coined the term Rutherford Dust to describe the unique...
by Scott W. Clemens | Jan 5, 2008 | Travel, Travel blog
Part Two: Palawan Text and photos © Scott W Clemens I have to admit when I received an offer to visit Palawan I had to get out a map. Even when I found out where it was, I expected to find a bustling island with strong Asian influence (afterall, it lies across...
by Scott W. Clemens | Jan 5, 2008 | Travel, Travel blog
Part One: Day Trips from Manila text and photos © Scott W Clemens Unique and whimsical Jeepneys are ubiquitous in Manila , providing cheap transportation to the masses. A country’s cuisine reflects the various influences that have passed through its borders, and is as...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2007 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans (6-8 servings) 2 c. (about 48) shucked oysters 2 quarts cold water 3⁄4 c. (11⁄2 sticks) of butter 3⁄4 c. chopped celery 1⁄2 c. all-purpose flour 1/3 c. Herbsaint or Pernod 8 oz. fresh spinach leaves, washed, stemmed, and...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2007 | Recipes
from Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 8 slices Canadian bacon (or ham) 8 Holland rusks 2 cups Marchand de Vin sauce (recipe below) 8 poached eggs (recipe below) 2 cups Hollandaise sauce (recipe below) Method: Melt butter in a...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2007 | Food blog, Recipes
Ingredients: 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell and cartilage* 1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped pimentos 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon dry mustard 4...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2007 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Brennan’s in New Orleans photos ©2008 Scott W. Clemens In the 1950’s, New Orleans was the major port of entry for bananas shipped from Central and South America. Owen Edward Brennan challenged his talented chef, Paul Blangé, to include bananas in a...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 5, 2007 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From St. Landry Parish, Louisiana Ingredients: 1 (4-6 lb.) hen, cut into pieces Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning 4 T. oil 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced 1 stick margarine 4 T. flour 1 large onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 4 cloves...
by Scott W. Clemens | Oct 31, 2007 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog, Wine Reviews
text and photos ©2007 by Scott W Clemens Alba is always full of life. It’s a tourist town, in the best sense of the term — full of local color, interesting shops, tiny little restaurants that spill out onto the street, and a festival of one sort or another happening...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 14, 2006 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog, Wine Reviews
text and photos ©2006 Though Barbera is among the top tier of wine grape varieties in terms of quality, it receives very little attention from either the wine press or wine consumers. Not that it isn’t widely planted; it’s just unappreciated. In...
by Scott W. Clemens | Oct 1, 2004 | Travel, Travel blog
I considered myself well traveled, and certainly I’ve seen much more of the world than anyone else in my family. But to be truthful, I’d always played it safe. Having had a smattering of romance languages in school, I focused on North and South America,...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 10, 2002 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
photos by Scott W. Clemens One wonderful sponge cake opens the way to a splendid possibility of desserts and composed cakes. That is why it is a building block for a terrific amount of dessert making at my house. But the cake is also lovely enough, in purity, to...
