This is the third in what will be a series of five posts about my visit to Champagne Day 1 – Guided tour of Reims Cathedral and Champagne dinner Day 2 – C.I.V.C., Roger Coulon, and Veuve Clicquot ______________________________________________________________________ Last month, I had the privilege of traveling to the Champagne region in France as a guest of the U.S….
Category: Wine and Food Pairing
Champagne Chronicles-Day 2
I recently had the privilege of traveling to the Champagne region in France as a guest of the U.S. Champagne Bureau for the 2014 Champagne Harvest Media Trip. Here’s what the Champagne Bureau said about the trip… The trip to Champagne will be an opportunity for you to learn more about the production of Champagne and…
Champagne Chronicles – Day 1
Dreams do come true. When I first got into the “wine thing”, as I call it, I dived head first into the pool of knowledge. One of my resources was Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible. And one of my favorite chapters in that tome is “Champagne“. Ever since then, the Champagne region has been on my…
Rosé of the Week; 2013 Waterkloof Circumstance Cape Coral
Summer is officially here! Rosé season is in full bloom, although truth be told, it’s Rosé season for me pretty much year-round for me! With that in mind, I’m cranking up my annual series of weekly “Drink Pink!“ Rosé tastings. It’s my quest for the best Pink Porch Pounders! This week’s rosé is the 2013 Waterkloof Circumstance Cape Coral. The…
A Perfect Pairing: Shrimp Ceviche and Saké
See the photo below? It’s a Shrimp Ceviche Tostada from one of my favorite local Mexican joints and a glass of SakéOne G Joy Junmai Saké. And together, they were a perfect pairing! The Food If you’ve not had the pleasure of enjoying a Ceviche Tostada, it’s exactly what it sounds like – ceviche, which is…
A Taste of Bodegas Contino
Last fall, my wife and I spent 17 glorious days in Spain. It was the trip of a lifetime. Our itinerary included Barcelona, San Sebastian (amazing food), Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, and Granada (The Alhambra is a must – simply awesome!). Of course, being the winos, we also squeezed in some time in La Rioja. Our…
#DrinkPink Rosé of the Week; 2013 Bodegas Ostatu Rosado
Rosé season is in full bloom, although truth be told, it’s Rosé season for me pretty much year-round for me! With that in mind, I’m cranking up my annual series of weekly “Drink Pink!“ Rosé tastings. It’s my quest for the best Pink Porch Pounders for $20 or less! This week’s rosé is the 2013 Bodegas Ostatu Rosado. The…
My New Everyday Bubbly; Kirkland Prosecco!
A friend of mine, who adores sparkling wine, especially Prosecco, IM’d me last week. The message said “Martin go get yourself 2 bottles of Costco brand prosecco…….it will blow your mind for the price….I was just shocked”. He drinks a lot of Prosecco. That’s high praise. Since my wife and I were hosting a wine…
#WineWednesday Review-Geyser Peak Uncensored
Geyser Peak Winery was founded in 1880 as California’s 29th bonded winery by German immigrant Augustus Quitzow, one of Sonoma County’s pioneer winemakers. Geyser Peak is located in Alexander Valley in Northern Sonoma County. Although, they announced last month they will be moving to the former Alderbrook property in Healdsburg. The new Geyser Peak location will be near the…
Wine of the Week: 2009 Phillips Hill Pinot Noir Toulouse Vineyard
Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out. For this week, my Wine Of The Week is the 2009 Phillips Hill Pinot Noir Toulouse Vineyard. Winery Phillips Hill Winery is a small boutique (~1,000 cases/yr) winery focused on producing Pinot Noir,…