2017 Riva Leone Barbaresco Paired With Italian Fare and Friends #ItalianFWT

This month, the Italian Food, Wine and Travel crew continues its exploration of the Big B’s of Italy by diving into Barbaresco! Our host this month is Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles. You’ll find her invitation post here. Barbaresco At A Glance Produced from the Nebbiolo (nebby-oh-low) grape variety Named after a wine growing region…

Book Review: What’s Good A Memoir in Fourteen Ingredients by Peter Hoffman + Food and Wine Pairings

This evocative, educational, insightful and inspiring memoir was a joy to read. “Chef Peter Hoffman is the curious cook’s cook. As the former chef/owner of Savoy and Back Forty restaurants, he trail-blazed farm-to-table cooking in New York City. His opinion pieces have been published in the New York Times, Edible Manhattan, and Food & Wine. Hoffman served on the boards…

2018 Jorge Ordoñez & Co. Moscatel Old Vines Botani + Trout Tartine with Stone Fruit #WorldWineTravel

This month, the World Wine Travel group of writers will be taking a virtual trip to Andalusia in southern Spain. See my invitation post here. My wife and I visited the region in 2013 during a three week visit in Spain that started in Barcelona and ended in Andalucia, visiting Sevilla and Granada. We planned to visit…

Wines of Andalucia Preview #WorldWineTravel

This month, the World Wine Travel (#WorldWineTravel) group of writers continues its virtual tour of Spain with a with a visit to Andalusia in southern Spain. For more information about Andalusia see my invitation post here. Andalusia Wine Spanish viticulture originated in what is now known as Andalusia around 1100 BC when Phoenicians founded a trading post…

2012 Ridge Estate Merlot + Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak #WinePW

It’s October! And that means the Wine Pairing Weekend group of writers, in collaboration with the #MerlotMe producers will be singing the praises of Merlot. According to Jeff Burrows who will be leading the charge again this year…” we’ll continue our quest to raise the visibility of this fine grape in wine drinker’s consciousness“. You can see…

Absence Makes The Palate Grow Fonder – Getting Reacquainted with Cava

I have a confession to make. It’s been years since I’ve had Cava. That’s not to say that it’s been years since I’ve had Spanish sparkling wines. I have, but they haven’t been from the Cava D.O. They’ve been from Cava’s Spanish market share competitors, Conca del Riu Anoia , Clàssic Penedès, and most recently Corpinnat….

An Invitation to Explore The Wines of Andalusia with #WorldWineTravel

In October the World Wine Travel group of writers will be taking a virtual trip to Andalusia in southern Spain. About Andalusia This vibrant region is the most populous in Spain, and has a colorful history. Its strategic position at the gateway to the Mediterranean and its proximity to Africa have made it a target…

2016 Artazu “Pasos de San Martín” Navarra + One Pan Spanish Chorizo and Shrimp #WorldWineTravel

This month the intrepid #WorldWineTravel group of bloggers continues its 2021 virtual exploration of Spain with a visit to the Navarra wine region in northern Spain, hosted by Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles.  About Navarra Situated in Northern Spain, Navarra’s vineyards can be found from the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains to the Ebro River Valley (which it…

Wine of the Week: 2020 Prima Materia Barbera & Aglianico Rosé

As a wine enthusiast, it’s fun to share my interest in unfamiliar, unsung wine regions and/or grape varieties. My Wine of the Week, the 2020 Prima Materia Rosé checks both of those boxes. About Lake County AVA Lake County is located in Calfornia’s larger North Coast AVA, just north of Napa and Sonoma counties and to the east of Mendocino County. Clear…