Around the World with Tempranillo: Wines from Beronia, Bokisch, Harney Lane, No Girls, Zuccardi paired with Moroccan Lamb Shanks

5 Tempranillo from 3 countries

Which grape had the most new plantings in the world from 2000-2016? You’d probably never suspect it, but here’s a hint: Nov. 10 would be a great day to have a glass of wine made from it! If you guessed, TEMPRANILLO, you’re correct!  Held annually on the second Thursday of November, International Tempranillo Day celebrates the versatile Tempranillo grape, the fourth most planted grape in the world Continue reading →

#MerlotMe on #MerlotDay: Rutherford Hill + Seared Ahi Tuna

 

Rutherford Hill Merlot

After a week of cool drizzly weather, a very warm fall day caught me by surprise. Fortunately we had some fresh ahi tuna in the fridge to sear and present on leftover lobster risotto and a salad with blueberries and cranberry stilton to pair with two wines Continue reading →

Fall Flavors: 2 Cecchi Chianti Classico Paired With Instant Pot Bolognese #ItalianFWT

2 Cecchi Chianti

As the days grow shorter and the weather cools, warm fall flavors prevail to bring comfort. A red meat sauce with complex flavors and depth like a bolognese on pasta can be satisfying but time consuming so we turned to our trusty instant pot. And what wine? Chianti Classico because Continue reading →

Champagne Day 2022: Celebrating with Champagne Henriot

Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain

Happy Champagne Day 2022! Continue reading →

Let Light Shine: Diwali Party + Calligraphy Pinot Noir

Diwali and Calligraphy Pinot Noir

Do you do Diwali, the five-day festival of lights observed throughout South Asia and by South Asians scattered around the world? Coinciding with the conclusion of harvest and the new moon, Diwali acknowledges the “darkest night” and commemorates the triumph of light over dark, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance.

Held annually in late October or early November with the new moon which this year is Oct. 24 or Oct. 25 (depending on where in the world you are!) Celebrants consume  Continue reading →

Falling for Fall with Four French Wines plus Instant Pot Beef Bourguignonne Pot Pie #Winophiles

4 French wines for fall with beef pot pie and cherry tomato salad

A few days after the equinox in 2019, Sue and I few from LAX to CdG to compete for Team USA in the World Wine Tasting Competition. In Champagne and the Loire, the weather was already turning from warm harvest days to drizzly ones as picking came to a close.

Quite a contrast to the previous year when I was in Champagne Continue reading →

Smoked Lamb/Beef Meatloaf Says #MerlotMe with Sonoma’s Decoy and Washington’s Pedastal #WinePW

#MerlotMe

Before I left for Italy to attend Terra Madre and the Wine Media Conference where I spoke about Slow Food and Slow Wine followed by a press trip to  Alto Adige, Sue and I met to participate in #MerlotMe with early arriving wines… and while I’ve been in Italy, they continued to arrive! Plus I actually tasted some fabulous merlot here in Italy that I’ll be sharing later in the month. 

But for now, here’s two wines we enjoyed, Continue reading →