by Ron Kapon
I have had the good luck to interview many dairy farmers in Vermont over the past several years. They are a breed of their own- working dawn to dusk seven days a week, 365 days a year. Their commute is a pathway to the barn, their transportation is a 30 year-old John Deere tractor and their office is the milking parlor. Paperwork is not their thing, and computers are typically an unwelcome intrusion in the tried and true ways they grew up with.Most dairy farm families trace their roots back generation after generation and many old-timers were born in the same farmhouse where they still live today. They are good neighbors, steadfast stewards of the land and fiercely self-reliant individuals. I love the results of their hard work every bit as much – cheese. And that got me thinking. Why n...
by Paul Hodgins
Do you love the wines of Paso Robles but hate the grueling four-hour drive to get there?Now you don’t have to leave O.C. to visit a Central Coast wine maker.Pozzuoli Vineyard & Winery opened its new tasting room on Saturday. It’s in a nondescript storefront on Redhill Ave. in Tustin, but the place is far from humdrum on the inside.That’s because the owner and winemaker, Enrico Pozzuoli, is also an architect; his office is right next door. He has created a space that’s intimate and welcoming – imagine a boutique winery tasting room somewhere in the rolling hills of the Central Coast.Pozzuoli’s output is small, only about 500 cases a year at present. Right now, he’s pouring his available wines from a shiny new enomatic wine machine behind the bar. Like a lot of Central Coast vi...
by Eat.drink.evolve
Who doesn’t love that first seasonal sip of hot cocoa when the old-man winter blows his first blast of chilly air? And who among us isn’t downright giddy the first time after the long winter that we dine alfresco with the sun hitting our faces, sipping a happy little number that matches our everything’s-looking-up mood?Even coming out of this mild winter, we welcome spring 2012 with open arms. We’ve enjoyed the warm, spicy, decadent wines of winter, but are more than eager to move outdoors and bring with us wines that reflect the wonderfully fickle moods of spring. As we watch the lawn green before our eyes, we want to taste the herbaceous grassy notes in our Sauvignon Blancs. We want a Pinot Gris that is as crisp and refreshing as the breeze that flows into the newly opened windo...
by Edan Barulfan
While celebrating 64 years of independence, Israel is a country still in search for identity. On the one hand, there are great achievements in almost every aspect (infrastructure, agriculture, science and hi-tech), not a small task for a country which started almost from scratch, growing from less than half a million inhabitants on its date of foundation, to approximately 8 million today, mostly immigrants from entirely different backgrounds and orientations; on the other hand, a country constantly in turmoil, wars and terrorism threats from the outside, and quite an unstable political system from the inside.The situation of the Israeli wine scene is by no means different, though developing rapidly, the relatively young industry remains unsecure of its future goals. While modern wine produ...
by Rosie Carbo
Hundreds of wine lovers attended The Grand Tasting at the Sugar Land’s 9th Annual Wine & Food Affair. An elegant ballroom at the Marriott Hotel Sugar Land, just south of Houston, set the stage for an extraordinary soiree Friday night. This affair will go down in my monthly “wine” diary as an affair to remember. It was billed by organizers as “the hottest ticket in town,” and it was that and more. The distribution of wines from around the globe left me speechless. Dozens of celebrity chefs from the best restaurants worked diligently throughout the evening to prepare dishes paired with the huge selection of wines. Texas wines took their place among the wines from Sonoma, Napa, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, Italy and Spain to name a few. ...
by Laura Ness
Set at arguably one of the most naturally beautiful spots on earth, The Pebble Beach Food & Wine Classic just needs to exist to draw a devoted crowd of epicures from the world over. Who wouldn’t want an excuse to spend a couple of days overindulging along 17-mile drive, basking on the Pacific’s edge? The event doesn’t need to have Tyler Florence, Guy Fieri, Todd English or Anne Burrell to coax money from the wallets of the well-to-do, but it doesn’t hurt, either. A celebrity chef hot dog tasting would easily command $350 a pop. Pebble appeals to the epicures of the world, offering the opportunity to snap a photo with, say Michael Chiarello, and slap it on Twitter. It also offers the chance to sample wines from all over the globe, along with cuisine from some of the top chefs from ...
by Keith Miller
Traditional Wine Producers…Or, The Old School OG’s… I responded to a post on the Guild of Sommeliers topics page that asked the question, ‘Name a producer from Italy that has two or more generations under their belt, that has not succumbed to the whims of the present, and makes distinctive wines that are world-class?’ I mentioned the winery AR.PE.PE, certainly a contender for one of the most unique, compelling ranges of wines from the Valtellina region of Lombardia in north-central Italy. Their wines, made from the Nebbiolo grape (the local name for the variety is Chiavennesca), are aged in chestnut oak for 2 to 12 years, and released only when the family deems the wines ready for consumption. But, it got me thinking…When it comes to wine producers across the world, who, and w...
by Keith Miller
Oregon is like the middle child—on the map it’s between California and Washington, at your local wine shop it’s between the same two places, and yes, on the wine list at your favorite restaurant it will typically be that middle child AGAIN! Pay attention to the middle child this time.The top five varietals from this region—which many people forget—are Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and the one Oregon is famous for—Pinot Noir. When you look at the section dedicated to Oregon in your store or on a restaurant wine list many of you may not recognize the winery names. What do you see are varietals such as “Riesling” or “Pinot Noir,” neither of which you think you like. Many people say they don’t like Pinot Noir from Oregon because it isn’t fruity enou...
by Rosie Carbo
In mid-March, Galveston Island’s 3rd annual Food & Wine Festival kicked off with the “Man vs. Wine-Blind Tasting” event. The competition resulted in selecting and subsequently toasting the three best reds and two best whites. On Thursday, Galveston Island will follow up with a spectacular four-day food and wine festival spread across several indoor and outdoor venues. Chief among the locations involved is “The Strand,” also known as the Uptown Entertainment District in historic downtown Galveston. The fun begins with La Chaine des Rotisseurs dinner at Shearn’s at Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa and Convention center. Moody Gardens is a fun-filled paradise with an aquarium, rainforest, 3D theater and museum. The invitation-only dinner is for me...
by Sidd Banerji
The trade and tourists' route from Rome,the capital city of Roman Empire, to up north for Paris, used to pass by Siena and Ferenze(Florence).Despite scantier population those days, the region was strategic and agriculturally important.Landlords,nobles and local Castle owners gathered around various nodal points.Today's Chianti region is a closely held central region amidst plenty of nature and boundless land for vegetation.Within the lap of such a verdant nature,spread with beauty of nature at its peak amongst green valleys and hilltops are the widely popular wine producers of the world famed Chianti Wines.Simple and agrarian even today,the present population still shows the simplicity and innocence of village atmosphere.Predominantly grape growing areas with olive oil plantations all arou...
