Food

In my last column, we opened the wine book on the big, stately and beautiful wine country of Sonoma and stretched our legs at Jordan Winery, the 1,200 acre Bordeaux style winery and vineyard just north of Healdsburg.  This week …

Seafood salad is served all over Italy: anywhere near the sea and with ready access to seafood, which is most of the country. This is also a traditional dish for Christmas Eve, but in the case of a hot day …

This year is shaping up to be a landmark one for Temecula Wine Country in its quest to not only be a recognized destination for excellent wines, but for big time music venues.  Concerts on the green have been stepped …

Bologna: la grassa, la dotta, la rossa. Apt nicknames for the capital of Emilia-Romagna, which boasts a rich culinary tradition (grassa meaning fat), the oldest university in the Western world (hence dotta: learned), red roofs and left-leaning politics (as in …

Prospect Street in La Jolla is squeezed with many restaurants vying for prominence.  Some have a west-facing view of the Pacific which may give them an edge, but only one has that “wow” look, with curb appeal reminiscent of a …

3,793 restaurants from around the world recently earned awards for their wine lists from the leading wine publication in the world, Wine Spectator.   The Grand Award is the publication’s highest honor for a wine list that sommeliers “take to …

On my first few visits to Montalcino, I would pass a little closed door in one of the walls of the village.  I was never able to catch it open to learn what was behind this mysterious door. Finally a …

  Today, more than 12,000 U.S. wine shops have a presence on the web. But just 14 states allow consumers to order wine from out-of-state retailers.   Eleven states prohibit residents from ordering wine from out-of-state wineries. Four states ban …

In travels near and far, I meet a lot of wine consumers who love this classic beverage and want to learn more, but questions do persist about content.   Transparency is always a good thing in any product.  I expect …

The fridge is stocked; the pasta machine is at the ready; and the pasta is drying.  I am expecting a house full of company tomorrow and it won’t be long before the house is buzzing with voices big and small. …