July 2015 Value Wines of the Month
Cartlidge & Browne 2013 North Coast Chardonnay: Value doesn’t mean dirt-cheap; it means better quality than expectations dictate. I suspect other reviewers have discounted this wine solely because of its reasonable price. Nonetheless, this Chardonnay is right in...
Bottled Sunshine at Mer Soleil
Festive afternoon on May 16th at the Santa Lucia Highlands Gala held on the beautiful grounds of Mer Soleil Winery, where scores of wineries and food purveyors gave us the best of what they have to offer. Rebecca King's superb cheeses enhanced the elegance of the...
Wine Finds
Here's a rosé to rave about, and this from someone who is not normally a rosé fan. I don't enjoy their slightly sweet, pinky-dinky quality...and then I found the 2014 Mourvedre Rosé from Tercero. Instead of the usual strawberry and/or melon aromas, this rosé...
June 2015 Value Wines of the Month
Cline Cellars, 2012 California, Cashmere: This blend of 35% Mourvedre, 24% Syrah, 23% Grenache and 18% Petite Sirah, Cashmere has an unusual cherry and peach nose and flavor, bright, round, and dry, with firm structure and everything in balance. Widely available and...
Hello Vino – the wine assistant
Many people consider wine pairing an art form because it takes months, sometimes years, to learn which flavorful wines work well with different kinds of food. With thousands of selections on the market, finding the perfect wine for certain meals can be extremely...
May 2015 Value Wines of the Month
Bridlewood Estate, 2011 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon: Despite the fact that my notes on this wine could describe a Pinot Noir, it does possess varietal definition. The nose calls to mind black cherry and cola, while on the palate it’s more reminiscent of mulberry....
Stellar Cabs — A Baker’s Dozen
I recently judged the 9th annual Cabernet Shootout, organized by Barbara Drady of Affairs of the Vine. 397 Cabernet Sauvignons, Cabernet Francs and Cabernet blends were entered. They came from 15 California AVAs, as well as 21 other appellations spread across Oregon,...
The Third Annual Rhône Shootout
A Personal Perspective For the third Rhône Shootout, a competition organized by Affairs of the Vine, last fall we tasted 247 wines made from Rhône varieties, that is, varieties that hail from the banks of the Rhône River as it flows from Switzerland...
Red in Montalcino
The Tuscan panorama is forever as we make our way on the strada. Here in Montalcino, vineyards, olive and fruit trees share the gentle verdant hills with medieval villages and castles. On one perch, historic Castello Poggio alle Mura (meaning walled hilltop) graces...
Brunello’s Origins
The famed terroir is situated about two kilometers from the imposing fortress in Montalcino. Five hundred meters of cypress trees frame the entry to Tenuta Greppo, home of Biondi-Santi wines in southern Tuscany. We join three other couples and Sabine, our...
Carrots in Scapece
This six-ingredient dish will joosh up your carrots and is equally delicious hot or cold. Plus, you can use those carrots that have begun to lose their crispness, so this one is an all-around winner! Perfect as a warm side dish, equally delicious as a cold picnic...
Maris and Kaspars Jansons: Two of “Rītiņš’ Boys”
Amsterdam is known as "Venice of the North" because of its canals and Riga is known as "Paris of the North" because of its post-Communist culinary Renaissance. The pioneer of this Renaissance is Mārtīņš Rītiņš, who through his show on national television brought...
Martins Ritins: The First and Still Brightest Star of Latvia’s Culinary Sky
Riga, the capital of Latvia, and the surrounding Riga-Gauja Region are the European Capital of Gastronomy for the year 2017. From April 20-23 “Live Riga”, the city’s Tourist Board, invited me and five Finnish journalists for a full-immersion tour of the cultural and...
SpringHouse in Alexander City, AL: Dining in Rustic Elegance
Executive Chef and General Manager Rob McDaniel and the decision-makers of Russell Lands on Lake Martin combined to design a restaurant that is luring diners off the beaten path who come for a visual as well as a culinary feast. Located at 12 Benson Mill Road in...
Spice Hacks
Flavor enhancement with spices rather than salt: these recipe hacks should allow you and your family to drastically reduce sodium intake while pleasing the taste buds with newer, sharper, spicier delights. Important thing—I know I've said this before—is to use...
Rome’s New Michelin Stars
The 2017 red Michelin guide for Italy includes 74 restaurants in Rome. The top one, as mentioned in my last month’s article is Heinz Beck’s “La Pergola” with 3 stars; another is Anthony Genovese’s “Il Pagliacco” with 2 stars at Via dei Banchi Vecchi 129a, just across...
Pasta Primavera Prima Donna
We're always on the prowl for variations on the classic pasta primavera, that culinary catch-all for vegetables in sauces that marry well with pasta. I've developed this one for its speed of prep while presenting a complex flavor profile...it's the separate mushroom...
Rome’s Best Rooftop Restaurants: “Some Enchanted Evening”
Most cities around the world count numerous skyscrapers and many of these hugely tall buildings house restaurants with panoramic views on their top floors. Rome, because of its underground rivers, has no skyscrapers, but nonetheless counts numerous rooftop...
Eating Like a Local in Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, has an entire culture built around fabulous dining. The problem, however, can be hunting down unique dining establishments without being directed to crowded, touristy restaurants. Online reviews can be helpful, but of course those are...
Bison & Beef: a marriage made in heaven
As the child of frugal German immigrants, I ate a lot of meatloaf as a child, only we called it falscher Hase, literally, fake rabbit. After WWII, when meat rations were still in effect, German housewives would mix up whatever meaty scraps they had, add lots of...
A Food Tour of rue Montorgueil—The Belly of Paris
The email said to meet where rue des Petits Carreaux and rue Réaumur cross...under the green arch...9:30 am sharp...rain or shine. Upon arrival, a young man approaches and introduces himself as Romain, my guide for the food tour of rue Montorgueil. To be honest, I...
Breakfast in Guadalajara
Earlier this year I spent several days in the historically rich capital of Jalisco, but I arrived in the middle of a national holiday, which brought a traffic tsunami that began taking its toll on the long, loud, dusty drive in from the airport to my hotel in...
“American” Fall Festivities in Italy
The United States and Italy have always shared only three holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, and Christmas, and one festivity Mardi Gras, not-to-be-missed in New Orleans and in Venice. Then, about two decades ago, for no apparent reason, but maybe because...
Postcard from Paris
I wouldn’t want to say that French trains and I don’t get along, but certainly our relationship has had something of the hit-or-miss about it. The first miss occurred before I even boarded a train. A Rail Europe agent had crowed about the ease of using an...
LIVING THE HIGH LIFE
“The hills are as alive” as ever. The residual summer snow on the crest of the mountains made it easy for me to envisage the winter season. A guaranteed white Christmas though snow has to be manufactured at times to satisfy the skiers. After a vigorous day out, be...
Who Invented Cappuccino?
That’s a good and still unanswered question. Most people think that cappuccino is an Italian drink, but few know that, yes, it may have been invented by an Italian, but definitely not in Italy, where it wasn’t even mentioned until the 1930s. Its birthplace was Vienna,...
Where to Stay Put in Mauritius
Mauritius is really a very unspoiled island and I highly recommend it whether for a honeymoon, a young family or in retirement. The hotels are excellent. The service is wonderful, the rooms thoroughly thought through and the food local, fresh and delicious. My...
Experiencing Leonardo and Nearby Treats in Rome
Born in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci on April 15, 1472, the oldest illegitimate son of a promiscuous wealthy notary and a peasant, Leonard was a polymath. His interests included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music (both performing and...
THE APPEAL OF SRI LANKA’S SOUTH
[raw]Kúpa-mandúka is the local phrase for one who never leaves his home, one ignorant of the world (literally, a frog in a well). But, for me, I knew Sri Lanka would be enriching and had to visit. I came first to the Wallawwa (www.thewallawwa.com). It’s just outside...
Bon Bini! Welcome to Beautiful Aruba
A Caribbean Delight When you step onto the Caribbean island of Aruba, you will hear the warm welcome, “Bon bini!” Aruba is like a fine host whose greatest pleasure is making sure that you feel at home, are well-fed, entertained, and satisfied. Whether you come to...