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 [...]
This recipe will work with other white fish, but I chose Tilapia because it’s easy to find and it’s affordable. There’s a little fatty mouthfeel from the addition of mayonnaise along with a lemon citrus flavor, so I’m suggesting Sauvignon Blanc as a pairing. Chilean Sauvie B isn’t usually mentioned in the same sentence with [...]
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 [...]
In “Burgundy Time”, 2009′s would be considered too young with years of cellaring ahead of them. This 2009, however, is drinking nicely right now. I picked this 1er Cru up from Master Sommelier, Jesse Becker at Périphenique for about $50. Allen Meadows gives the best description of what to expect: “A high-toned, elegant and pure [...]
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 [...]
Each year everyone comes out with their top 100 wines list. They’re fun to peruse to see who picks what, but honestly how do rank 100 wines? And what’s the criteria that goes into picking them? This year I decided to pick my favorite 12 wines Related Articles: Colorado Cabernet — Come on Down! 2009 [...]