Archive for the ‘Wine Places’ Category
A new issue by the University of California Press entitled, "The Finest Wines of Champagne: A Guide to the Best Cuvees, Houses and Growers," and written by Michael Edwards represents the things I love most about that civilizing relic we call the "Book". While a paperback in form, the book is sturdy, making it durable, yet portable. Inside the pages are thick and have a coating that delivers a sheen and, more importantly, hold and display the ink beautifully. The…
I'm a sucker for traditions where wine is concerned. I like wine-related tradition and I like traditions that fortified with wine. I most recently continued a tradition using wine. At a particular spot on Lake Tahoe in a 1962 Mahogany Coronado, I and friends stopped the boat, lifted a glass of Champagne and toasted the weakest of the three Corleone brothers, Fredo, who met his demise at the hands of his brother Michael's bodyguard, Al Neri, while saying the Hail…
If there was ever a type of wine organization that would benefit from instituting a blog to communicate their work and fulfill their mission, it's the appellation association. Such association are, ultimately, founded and run to promote the financial interests of the wineries and growers within the borders of the appellation. By raising the profile of the appellation, building the value of its grapes and wines and working to attract visitors to the region, the appellation association supports the efforts…
I don't know if I'm right, but I suspect I am when I say that the vast majority of visitors to my Sonoma Valley come here with the intent of visiting one of America's most historic wine regions and tasting wine. But let's face it, sometimes the good tourist is wined-out and wants to spend at least one day resting their drinking arm. Believe it or not, there are things to do in Sonoma Valley that doesn't involve standing in…
Growing up, my parents, George and Alverna, never threw dinner parties, unless you consider the family and close friends that made the pilgrimage to our home on Thanksgiving and Easter to feast on Turkey and roasts a dinner party—I don't. There is something of a hint of obligation in attending a holiday gathering. Attendance at the "Dinner Party" is neither obligatory nor infused with the kind of tradition that holiday gatherngs impose. The Dinner Party—a good one— is, and should…
