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Priorat makes some of the most concentrated wines in the world. Did you know that Priorat has some of the lowest density plantings of anywhere else in the world? Priorat's climate is incredibly hot and dry. This means that the vines struggle during the growing season,...
Riesling can get a bad rap, especially those from Germany. They aren't all sweet though, and those that are can use that sweetness to balance out the incredibly high acidity. Let's step into the world of German Riesling! The Rheinhessen in particular. This is an area...
The Loire Valley is a one of a kind, enormous wine region in northern France. The region extends along the Loire River, the mouth of which ends on the western boarder, in the Atlantic and extends over 200km east, a few hours south east of Paris. Because this region is...
Welcome to Sicily! One of the craziest wine regions in the world. Sicilian wines are amazing. I found this wine when I was consulting for a corporate wine and food event - pairing wine and barbecue! This wine is a great, great wine and if you can get your hands on it,...
What could be better in Summer than a Rosé wine spritzer? I know you can drink Rosé all year long, but really - let's be honest. It's just the best in Summer. This is a quick 2-minute little cocktail to get you ready for a relaxing and low-key weekend. If I could sum...
photo credit Chablis is a white wine Region with fabulous, bright and zesty Chardonnays. Chablis (sha-blee) is a region located in North-Central France. An outlier to Burgundy considering that Chablis is geographically (and viticulturally) closer to Champagne....
Australian wines are exceptional values and truly coming into their own. This country has a ton of land mass - but due to it's latitude, winemaking can take place in very specific regions. That means that pretty much anything in the center and North Western coasts are...
Let's talk about White Burgundy. 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 You may recognize some of the village names, and some names may look like gibbersih. These were found at a local shop and all under $30! (Okay the Saint Romain is $32, but pretty close!) What To Expect from Most White Burgundy in...
Wine temperatures can confuse the best of us - but does it really matter? The short answer to that question is, if you want to get the most out of your wine, yes. If you don't really care and want your wine cold, then no, but you might be missing out. I always tell...
Phew - that title was a mouthful! Welcome to the beautiful Italian language. The wines, the people, and the views are always spectacular so there's a lot to be appreciated about Italy. Especially in the Chianti Classico region! Can we say GREAT VALUE?! I'm a bargain...
The Willm Gewürztraminer Reserve comes from Alsace - one of my favorite wine regions. Someday I will take a trip to this dry and sunny region and visit Willm, Zind-Humbrecht, Domaine Jean-Louis Schoepfer, along with countless other wineries. Did you know that Colmar,...
It's Cava a Big Deal Time for another review and a bit more info about Spanish wines. (Yay, Spain!) In case you missed my last wine review, I talked about Spanish Rioja and one of the aging categories (Crianza) and the types of grape varietals that are in the blend....
First things first. What the heck do all those words on the label mean? Rioja? Crianza? Beronia? Let's dive into that so you can have an idea on what to expect for this wine, before you even taste it. In case you didn't hear - I wrote a book! In it, I'll show you how...
Have you ever spent a small fortune on a bottle of wine, whether at a restaurant or at a bin auction, or even at your local store, and it just tasted... off? I recently had the amazing opportunity to try a 2009 Hermitage by E. Guigal (Hermitage = Syrah grapes). By...
Hello Everyone! I am so excited to announce that I have just started the WSET 3 course and hope to sit for the exam in July (if everything goes well! *fingers crossed*). What is WSET? 3? WSET stands for Wine & Spirits Education Trust. There are 4 levels, the 4th...
Spring is here! While some may be anticipating swimsuit sales, warm weather and spring break, my mind is on fresh produce and what those beverage professionals call "transitional wines." What's a transitional wine anyway? It's the way we talk about what to drink when...
As a subscriber, you get access to questions and answers from other subscribers. Have your own questions? Submit them here!Your Question: I really like the heavy tannins/earthiness of the Nebbiolo and Negroamaro wines. However, almost all of my experience with these...
It seems like every year each publication has an idea about which wine (instead of wines) will be the next big holiday must-have. This year? My bets are on South African Chenin Blanc. Last year it was rosé, for the past decade it’s been Beaujolais Nouveau, and then...
I love tiramisu in all forms, but the classic combination of ladyfingers, chocolate, coffee, and custard is my favorite. This recipe deviates from the original by adding masala to the custard, and by soaking the ladyfingers in espresso and marsala rather than just...
Homemade ladyfingers are quite easy to make. To make things even easier, I take this recipe and spread it out onto a prepared 1/2 sheet tray. This way you don't need a piping bag or tip. You can cut squares using a knife, or cut with biscuit cutters to fit whatever...
Easy Pizza Dough? Is there really such a thing? Nancy Silverton talks in her Chef's Table episode about how she spent 10 years perfecting the Mozza Pizza Dough.... so can it really be easy? (PS if you haven't gone to Mozza in LA -- add it to your bucket list). While...
This is a classic cinnamon ice cream. Egg yolks and a mix of heavy cream and half and half make this rich and decadent. So I'm giving you the disclaimer now: if you're the type of person that likes the "light" or "fake" ice cream stuff -- go get some fro-yo. This...
As a wine educator, Martha Stewart Wine Co sounded really interesting to me for a number of reasons. I'll let you know that I am an affiliate with Martha Stewart Wine Co, but I only started recommending her products after going through this experience. This blog post...
Portuguese Wine is some of the best and most memorable wine I've ever tasted. One of the most memorable experiences I've had was perhaps at a Michelin Star restaurant, at The Yeatman, in Porto. Every course was served with a Portuguese wine to match. And every wine...
If you're looking for an easy flourless chocolate cake recipe, look no further! This dense and fudgy cake is best served cold with a light dollop of sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries. A client of mine asked for this as an add-on to a wine tasting and tapas...
Sometimes I just crave a good, hearty fall kale salad. Do you? This salad is paleo-friendly, gluten-friendly, dairy-free, allium-free, and grain-free. Whew! That's a lot of "free's" If you want to spice up the salad - I won't be offended, see below for my...
Viura (also known as Macabeo) is a native Spanish white grape that has quite a history! In Penedes, and a few other areas of Spain, this grape is known as Macabeo. You can also find Macabeo in Rousillion, France! In Valencia, Rioja, and Rueda, this grape is called...
Apple and Squash Soup means that fall is HERE y'all! I'm going to be honest with you for a minute. Soup gives me a bit of PTSD. Is that odd? Sous Chef Jobs Here's the deal though. When I was a Sous Chef at a restaurant (that shall remain nameless) I had to make two...