To market, to market. It has been held on a Monday morning for as long as anyone can remember, and in these parts the vast common memory stretches back for centuries.
In November 2006, The Viking Life partnered with Gourmet magazine to host a special luncheon to benefit the New Orleans Restaurant Renewal Fund. The Magazine of Good Living opened its doors to 16 food enthusiasts, who indulged in a one-of-a-kind epicurean experience in the Gourmet Private Dining Room.
There’s something about the beginning of a new year that causes us to reflect on our lives. These reflections often prompt us to make resolutions to change or improve some things. This almost always involves a four letter word - that’s right - FOOD.
The first guideline for serving sparkling wine is: Do it. Don’t think you have to wait for a special occasion to open a bottle of bubbly. Too many people believe sparkling wine is only for birthdays, anniversaries, and other infrequent celebrations.
Inviting friends to a wine tasting at home is an informal way to socialize, share some good food and wine, and maybe learn a little something in the process. You don’t need to make it a serious, professional-style tasting with white tablecloths and score sheets unless you want to.
If you want to join the ranks of wine collectors who put bottles away for the future, you’ll need to provide your selections with the optimum conditions for aging. Proper storage improves the chances that your wines will delight, not disappoint, when you open them.
Like many of the top wine regions in Europe, the 2005 vintage has worked its magic on the wines of the Loire Valley, and there are more outstanding vinous choices currently available from this bucolic region than has been the case for a generation.
In keeping with this issue’s theme, the decision before me was how to prepare a meal of authentic French provincial cuisine with which to pair appropriate French regional wines.
Provence. The name itself conjures up images of azure blue skies, golden fields of sunflowers, gnarled cypress trees reaching for the heavens, a seascape dotted with fishing vessels, and the pervasive bouquet of lavender, roses, and the sea.
The warmth and comfort we find so desirable in our cuisine during those cold, stern months contrasts sharply with what we find splendid in the summer.