A Sommelier's Guide to Wine+Food
First Step: Discovering adult beverages — Whether the first drops of alcohol come from Mom and Dad’s liquor cabinet or out of a hose at a frat house, we all get our sea legs and learn the hard way. Chances are it’s not with the good stuff, but rather something cheap that’ll get the [...]
On Thursday Feb. 23rd 6-8pm PST I’ll be leading an online wine tasting featuring the wines of Mendocino county. All you need is wine to join in…not necessarily from Mendocino but it’s better if you do. The organizers of ReverbCON asked if I’d do this tasting to give more awareness to the wine region way [...]
Several years ago there was a blind tasting pitting Colorado wines against California wines. A handful of Master Sommeliers tasted 3 whites and 3 reds from each state to see how Colorado wines stack up. Wouldn’t you know it? The Colorado wines took first place in the white and red category. At that time I [...]
Randall is the longtime visionary winemaker for Bonny Doon winery as well as author of Been Doon So Long. I recently had a chance to sit down with Randall at his winery and taste through some 2009′s in tank. Randall would be fun to talk to on just about any subject, but in this first [...]
This recipe originally posted by Grgich Hills Estate Winery . INGREDIENTS FOR RIBS: 4 bone beef short ribs Kosher salt & fresh cracked black pepper 2 carrots, peeled 1 yellow onion 2 stalks of celery thyme parsley 2 bay leaves 1 TSP black peppercorns beef broth 1 cup red wine 1 stick cinnamon vegetable oil [...]
Sommeliers the world over have turned their backs on stocking their cellars with that same old swill from Bordeaux. Forget Burgundy, no one can afford it anyways. Collectors are stocking their cellars with the hottest collectible wine in 2012 — Zinfandel. Zinfandel, known for its aging potential is taking over America’s hearts and minds. This [...]
Jane Portalupi and her winemaker husband, Tim Borges met as kids in northern California over thirty years ago. As grown ups they married and started Portalupi Winery in Healdsburg, California. Tim and Jane set out to craft wines worthy of their Italian heritage yet stay true to their location in Sonoma. I love working with [...]
About an hour southwest of Barcelona is Spain’s Priorat wine region. With centuries of history and its proximity to a major city you might expect an experience much like driving to Napa from San Francisco. But upon arriving in Priorat, you’ll discover a unique place that history seems to have forgotten. Immediate impressions of the [...]
Back in 1987 five friends got together with a vision to create a winery in Mexico that would be at a luxury level, yet be inherently Mexican. Hans, Richard, Eric Manuel and Tomas found a plot of land approximately 300 miles south of San Diego and 30 miles inland from the Pacific at an elevation [...]
. Thanksgiving is America’s iconic meal but, at times, it can border on generic. With the main course already decided and side dishes usually dependent on family traditions, wine is the perfect opportunity to add some creative ‘juice’ to the menu. After all, this is a special occasion – one that calls for anything but [...]
. Every year we’re faced with the all-important question of which wines to serve on Thanksgiving day. Not just during Thanksgiving dinner but throughout the day. As we get together to give thanks on this American holiday, it’s useful to point out how France helped shape our history. Not only did the French give us [...]