Wine Column
The Best of Wine, Spirits and Food!
A Sipping Vodka for the Ladies? I’m Star Struck
By Shellie Terry Benson – Let’s be honest. Vodka straight-up can be tough to take. It’s typically too strong to sip on its own, and it burns the mouth as soon as it hits the lips. It’s not surprising, then, that vodka comes in every sugary flavor marketers can think of — especially when selling […]
A Wine Journey, With Luck It Never Ends
By Ambrish Piare – Proprietor of Cafe´ Americano, Jalea and Ivory My personal wine journey began comparatively late because I was raised in Utrecht, Netherlands in a home where my parents believed that I should experience spirits only when I became legally of an age. In the Netherlands, one can publicly drink at 18 but […]
Dinner Party With Four Wines
By Sean Murphy, Proprietor, Beach Bistro and Eat Here We once had a baby-sitter who gave our son a time out for playing with his food. We kept our son and got rid of the baby-sitter. People like to play with their food. It gets way more fun when they can also play with their […]
A Wine Like Audrey Hepburn
By Sean Murphy, Proprietor, Beach Bistro – The wine-learning process is belabored by the sheer volume of “BS” in the conversation. Someone in the wine crowd is always out to impress. I recently encountered a patron in my restaurant who was determined to intimidate me with her wine knowledge. She was a self-proclaimed wine aficionado. […]
Holiday Libations Made Easy
By Robert Paul – As the holiday season is fast approaching, images of libations are dancing in my head. What, you thought we’d discuss sugarplums? Striving to be the good host, I like to greet guests with a flute of bubbly. It seems to create an upbeat mood and the gesture brings a smile to […]
Discovering a Culture Through Food and Wine
By Marsha Fottler – It’s a fact, culinary destination travel is on the rise as more food and wine lovers realize that one of the best ways to discover and fully experience a country and its culture is through the pleasures of the table. Sharing food and wine in a convivial setting just naturally leads […]
SNOB Wines, Not What You Think
By Michael DeLoach – SNOB is an acronym for the four major “green” wine designations: Sustainable, Natural, Organic, and Biodynamic. You may want to add some of these wines to your cellar or give them as Holiday gifts to friends who are earth-friendly in their wine choices. Here’s what you need to know. S is […]
Wine Shoppers: Which One Are You?
By Michael De Loach, President, Hook & Ladder Winery – Archetypes abound and the wine world is no exception. There are many varieties of wine drinkers, species of snobs and subsets of admirers, collectors, expounders and travelers. But by far my favorite group to study are wine shoppers. Which kind you are? Bargain Browser I’m […]
When To Decant Wine
By Robert Paul – The short answers is, you can (and should) decant wine more often than you think. Over years my wife and I have amassed a nice collection of wine decanters. They sit on the sideboard and sometimes in the china cabinet and a few I haven’t seen in years, which means they […]