Champagne holds a timeless and special place in the universe of wine, and it is a wine with which so many milestones in life are shared and measured. For hundreds of years the unique sparkling wines of these rolling hills east of Paris have captured the imaginations of artists and courtiers, and the world has been a richer place for the addition of a bit of bubbly.
California cabernet sauvignon has never been more popular than it is in the first decade of the twenty-first century. But has it ever been better than it is today?
Melbourne, Australia, 1870 AD. Despite the fact that you drink wine regularly at your large and stately home and that wine grapes had been planted here since the arrival of the first European settlers in 1788, none of what you drink is Australian.
In 1973, while writing the wine column for the Washington Post, I received a phone call from James Bear, then Curator of Thomas Jefferson’s restored home at Monticello.
The Mediterranean diet has long been hailed as a model for how to eat for healthy living. One of the pillars of the Mediterranean diet is olive oil, and often it’s the only fat present in the diets of people described as healthy for how they eat.
Great food is synonymous with the holidays. Whether creating a celebratory feast, a cocktail party to ring in the season, or edible gifts for family and friends - the kitchen is an active place this time of year.
My first Christmas in Loro Ciuffenna was fun, Elvis on the stereo and snow on the mountain. Menu decisions were complicated as my so-called mother-in-law Angiola’s response to "What do you make for Christmas dinner?" was "Niente speciale." What? Nothing special?
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the weather, the clothes, and of course, the food. Food and fashion are both incredibly seasonal.
Chefs love all changes of season because they provide a whole new palette of colors and flavors to play with, but fall is an especially popular time of year because the produce actually requires some coaxing from the chef in order to be tasty.
U.S. Farm Raised Catfish has certainly come a long way from the backyard fish fry. These flaky filets are becoming a common sight on white tablecloths across the country.