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March 5, 2013
SD 26: Tradition with a Modern Twist

“Our objective at SD 26 is to cook as Italians in Italy cook today. The closer we can get to the cuisine of terroir-driven produce, the better the food." – Tony May

Even for someone who loves authenticity in food, Italian-born New York restaurateur Tony May is the first to tell you that what’s traditional is a changing target.

January 27, 2013
HandCraft Artisan Collection: California Wines with a Dash of Italian Varietals

"I wanted to create wines that evoke the simple things in life, done well and with love.”

When California wine industry pioneer, Gasparé Indelicato planted his first grapes for Delicato Family Vineyards in 1924, he was already part of a long line of Italian winemakers. It is only natural that his granddaughter, Cheryl Indelicato, capture her family’s history with the launch of her own wines, HandCraft Artisan Collection.

November 30, 2012
The Zuani Stories

There is a good background story to this Collio winery, but the front story now being written is equally interesting.

Every winery has a story.  Or maybe two.

November 2, 2012
The Taste(s) of Chablis

We all know the taste of Chablis.  Except when it tastes different.

Chablis brings up an image of “purity” – Chardonnay purity, at its best – and one could certainly argue that if the world could have only one white wine to drink with food, it would be Chablis.  One could also argue that there are “better” whites, even more-luscious and more-complex Chardonnays produced just down the road along the Côte d’Or, but as a universal food white wine, Chablis can

July 21, 2012
Piemonte Pulls Some Corks

An old familiar wine region shows its diversity in a new road show.

I love Piemonte. 

It’s a beautiful place that makes many great wines.  The people are friendly.  The Alba truffle festival is to dine for. And as for those views of the Alps when Torino isn’t pumping out smog, well…

July 12, 2012
A Delicious Dilemma for Portuguese Wines

Good quality, good prices.  Now, how to you get people to try them?

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Portugal drinking fine wines and eating good foods as I talked with winemakers from up and down the countryside. My visit included wineries in the Douro Valley, the Vinho Verde area, Bairrada, and Lisboa, as well as sitting in on presentations by winemakers from Alentejo, which I have previously toured, and from Tejo, which I have not.

June 21, 2012
Discovering Colli Euganei

Out-of-way wine region provides a taste of Bordeaux in Northern Italy.

When I was invited recently to visit the Euganean Hills as an adjunct to Vulcania 2012, a conference in the town of Soave about wines grown on volcanic soils, I must admit I had never heard of it.  Or them.  So I pulled down my 10-year-old version of the Oxford Companion to Wine to look it up.  It wasn’t there!  Silly me – try the Italian name, “Colli Euganei.”  It stil

May 4, 2012
Three Winegrowers of Italy

Tasting wines with three producers provides a contrast in styles and in the philosophies of winemaking.

Sometimes juxtaposition is a funny thing.  A couple of weeks ago, I met separately with three winemakers who had no relationship with each other except they are all from Italy and all were in New York City on the same day.  And yet, I felt as through in a few hours I had sliced through a good part of what makes up the Italian wine scene.

February 12, 2012
Mendoza's Glittering DiamAndes

Many Bordeaux wine families have branched out in recent years with estates in Chile and Argentina.  For Jean-Jacques Bonnie, winegrowing is universal in philosophy, if different in practice.

I had met Jean-Jacques Bonnie just once before, about two years ago in Mendoza, but there was no mistaking which table was his when I briefly sat down at the bar in the Brasserie Cognac in Manhattan last week and glanced around the room – the long, wavy blond mane that a 19th Century cavalry officer would have loved was unmistakable, that and the fact that a large decanter of red wine was

January 13, 2012
All About Wines of Chile

The story of Chilean wine begins over 450 years ago when Spanish settlers first arrived in Santiago.

A brief history…. 

November 24, 2011
The Burgundy Continuum

Take a great vintage from a great producer and forget about georgaphy.  Most likely, you'll find great bargains in classic Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.

Although Burgundy has two basic grapes

November 11, 2011
Abruzzi: A Wine Region Ripe for Discovery

“Even . . . sommeliers need to taste and study these wines, to know the producers, who is traditional and who is not.”

Heading east over the Apennines and away from Rome’s chaos and glory, one finds the bucolic province of Abruzzi.

July 28, 2011
The Kingdom of Navarra~Kingly Wines

The Kingdom of Navarra is producing some noteworthy and delicious wines. 

  

June 16, 2011
The Once and Future Rioja

Rioja wines have been synonymous with unchanging tradition. These striking architectural symbols proclaim that style—and change—have arrived in Rioja. 

June 3, 2011
Doing the Right Thing

“We see [child obesity] not only in our citys’ waiting rooms and classrooms, but in our souring health care bills. It’s time for fast food promotions to stop contravening our efforts to change this reality.”

June 1, 2011
Poultry Processing & Pastured Poultry, with Jim McLaughlin-Cold Spring, NY

Essential knowledge for every backyard farmer.

Poultry Processing & Pastured Poultry, with Jim McLaughlin

Saturday, June 25, 9:30am – 4pm; $60, registration and advanced payment required, meet in the office

May 27, 2011
Latino All-Stars

A closer look at two of Latin America's most misunderstood spirits.

Cachaça: Brazil’s Megaspirit

May 24, 2011
Liquid Cool Defined

Mix two parts fruit, one part spirit, and liberal dash of sunshine-refreshment.

April 27, 2011
Reduce congestion and avoid collisions with a restaurant traffic pattern

Learn how to reduce conjestion while improving productivity and safety

It is the middle of dinner rush, a line of hungry customers curls around the back of the restaurant and the stack of clean plates is dwindling.

April 25, 2011
Winemaking with a Side of Veggies

As more estate wineries seek sustainability, they are growing vegetable gardens alongside their vineyards.  For Quivira winery, this is opening up opportunities with Sonoma restaurants as well as produce markets.

April 8, 2011
Greek Wines Go Native in the Peloponnese

The Peloponnese, the “hand” of Greece, almost cut off from the rest of the Balkan Peninsula by the Corinthian Gulf, has “fingers” that plunge deep into the Mediterranean. 

February 25, 2011
Coffee...Out of the Percolator...

A good cup of Joe . . . it’s delicious, it’s comforting, and it carries that jolt of caffeine we sometimes need to nudge us over our next hurdle. This popular brew, however, is not merely a reliable stimulant—it’s also a

February 21, 2011
Voices From the Floor

Like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, many servers feel they don’t get much respect. Not surprisingly, the Internet is filled with their scathing blogs as well as various forums where wai

January 26, 2011
Sardinian Flavor, Southwestern Success

It’s a long way from Sardinia to Texas—more than 5,000 miles, in fact, with an ocean and a continent in between. Despite this great divide, both of these territories share a local hero in chef and restaurateur Efisio Farris. 

January 18, 2011
The Famous Cocktails of New Orleans

When it comes to the cocktail, historically at least, New Orleans is arguably the most influential city in the world. Not only does it boast some amazing old bars and saloons, but it is also the birthplace of some of the most famous, inspiring, and complex cocktails being enjoyed around the globe today.