Recent Posts
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IF YOU PLANT IT, IT WILL GROW
It is said that one can grow wine in any location where a weed can grow (think of the Gruet, a wonderful sparkling wine from New Mexico), but in California, it just seems too easy. Holly’s mother in Santa Cruz has pear trees, persimmon trees and lemon trees that just seem to thrive without much attention. Her brother’s house is ... Read More » -
LIVING IN A WHEAT-LESS WORLD
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COME ON AND TWIST
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EARLY MOTHER’S DAY!
Who wouldn’t love this? Run away to New York City for the day: early train down, arriving just in time for a boutique Italian wine tasting, followed by the requisite walk through Times Square, a visit to the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station, and the evening train home. Time as a couple? Check! Seriously amazing wines? Check! Top it ... Read More » -
THE END OF THE MAYAN CALENDAR
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THE 12 WINES OF CHRISTMAS
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PUB LIFE
Somehow… Somehow… How? The first times I visited Ireland – at 20 years old, at 28 years old, and then again in my 40s – Irish pub culture escaped me entirely! If you know me at all, I am no stranger to bars or restaurants. A wine and food blogger, no less, completely clueless about the vital role that pubs ... Read More » -
PINK FOR FALL
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WHAT TO DRINK (BELATED THANKSGIVING EDITION)
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PEPE LE PEW
Pepe Le Pew – the dude that makes me like the French. Yeah, I had some tough intercultural episodes in France in college. Got a bit of a grudge still hanging on. Just being honest, you know. The French considered the Malbec grape a blending grape, not worthy of its own bottle. Short sighted. Stodgy. I prefer the young upstarts: Argentina, Spain, ... Read More » -
THE GIRL IS CRAFTY
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EVERYONE LIKES A BARGAIN
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FAMILY DINNER
Is our memory of food really an accurate rendering of a meal? Or do we indulge in the dangerous side of nostalgia -photoshopping away imperfections to create false versions that never really existed? Is my idea of my grandmother’s sweet potato pie true to how it actually was on the plate and in the mouth? Or have I set myself ... Read More » -
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
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A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
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ADVENTUROUS PALATES
When I said “I do” nineteen years ago, it was with full knowledge that I was marrying a hunter. Stephen had two uncles in particular who loved fishing and hunting, and he accompanied them many times out onto lakes and into woods, usually at ungodly hours of the day, or in unpleasant weather conditions. Our second date may have been ... Read More » -
I CAN’T REMEMBER YOUR VOICE…
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DO SOMETHING!