THE DINNER PARTY WINE TRAP / how I drank more than $650 worth of wine in one evening at home
By Larry Levine – I love the days and weeks of planning and then the cooking for dinner parties at home – dinners at which Jennifer and I host five or six friends. It’s more than just the food. It’s the warm gathering for evenings, when ideas are exchanged, laughter... Read More
WINING IN NEW YORK STATE’S FINGER LAKES / like Napa before it became famous
By Barry Wellman – Remember Napa Valley before it became famous in the 1970s after a wine tasting event in Paris found Napa’s top wines rivaled famous French cuvees? (If you don’t, read George Taber’s The Judgment of Paris.) There were some small wineries then of... Read More
FINALLY MEETING THE LITTLE (NOT-SO-OLD) WINEMAKER IN GAILLAC, FRANCE
By Barry Wellman – When I was a boy in the 1950s, I really believed in the “Little Old Winemaker” ad – he who carefully crafted great wines by himself – even though I had only tasted its one known competitor: sweet Manischewitz made from red Concord grapes.... Read More
FOOD BOOK REVIEW – Judgment of Paris / California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine
By Larry Levine – My introduction to good wine came under a shade tree at the Beringer Winery in St. Helena in California’s Napa Valley in 1963. It was the dawning of the glory days for California wine as well as for my own interest in and appreciation of wine.... Read More
CALIFORNIA’S “OTHER” GREAT WINE REGION / tasting in Sonoma County
By Larry Levine – They produce what may be the two best cabernet sauvignons in America – among the best in the world and they are just 34 miles apart. Yet, in many ways they couldn’t be more different in their approaches to almost everything having to do with... Read More
A DAY IN CALIFORNIA’S AMADOR COUNTY WINE COUNTRY – A guide to a wonderful wine and dine experience
By Larry Levine – It was one of those moments – a brief exchange with content far beyond the few words spoken. We were at Girl and the Goat in Chicago, perched on stools at the bar and chatting with the couple seated next to us. When they learned we were heading... Read More
ALEXANDER VALLEY COMES TO SANTA MONICA
By Larry Levine – The emailed invitation couldn’t have been more timely. Melisse was having a special wine pairing dinner featuring wines from the Alexander Valley in Northern California. It was one of those “life sends me a message” moments. The event was on my... Read More
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