Food

Last week I got to thumbing through my very first wine columns  some 9 years ago.  The wine world has changed so much since those halcyon days when life was a little calmer, prosperous and most of the wine we reported on was …

In May 1964, Nutella changed forever the image of Italians’ favorite snack: bread and chocolate.   An icon of Made in Italy in the food industry, one of the most appreciated worldwide, Nutella celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It …

“Discover Beaujolais” read the campaign slogan.  It caught my eye because Beaujolias is one of the oldest wine brands in the world, crafted by respected wine makers in eastern France above Lyon for something like 2000 years.  It’s squeezed into an area dominated by Burgundy in the north, and the Rhone wines …

Save your energy for visiting with your guests with this simple brunch menu.  Instead of the usual Bloody Mary, serve your guests a Bloody Monty.  This drink, based on Amaro Montenegro, is ideal for brunch.  Nibble on Crostini with Gorgonzola …

Finally, spring is in the air! After a long and arduous winter for so many of us, you can feel moods and spirits lighten. There is a spring in our step as the weather begins to warm and the morning …

A friend of mine recently passed me the official site map for  Temecula that I speculate could have been printed in the 80’s.  It showed 12 wineries, some 25 less than are counted today in the winegrowers brochure, an amazing growth record. …

I pay attention to an e mail from Jim Barrasso, the energetic  owner of Firefly Grill and Wine Bar in Encinitas. Barrasso has a keen sense of wine bargains and occasionally will share this good fortune with his  customers. One day recently he flashed …

I may need a few household things, but when I am finished at the COSTCO in Carlsbad, I have my few things PLUS  nearly a case of a variety of wines to fill the cart. Sound familiar?  The Carlsbad COSTCO has the 2nd largest …

The road map to find my great 8 wines for the first three months of the year took me to many road shows, wine bars, resorts and restaurants. Wineries are teaming together to tell their story along with a taste …

With a beautiful spring day in full bloom, I finally had time to plant my new little herb garden – basil, oregano, parsley, tarragon, mint, rosemary and more.     As I planted each little plant, I smiled at the …