This Fourth of July weekend I found myself happily sipping wine in my hometown of Fairborn, Ohio with a few of my high school friends. While many wine offerings were up for grabs, the hit of the night was a blended wine from California called Crossfire from JanKris winery. A red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot, my former classmates found the wine to be smooth on the palate and easy to enjoy. What a great decription for a [...]
When the days start heating up - I head for my favorite Japanese restaurant. Why? 'Cause its sake season. Honestly, nothing beats the heat better than chilly sushi and a glass of ice cold sake (ok maybe a perfectly chilled glass of rose) . For me, that means a trip to Shaker Square. Simple and chic, the stark white tables at Sasa Izakaya & Asian Bistro puts the focus on food and drink - and rightfully so. Boasting a stellar list of sakes made from [...]
When we hear the words "wine cocktail," most of us pull up memories of sipping sweet wine spritzers with our mothers or (better yet) cracking open wine coolers sometime in the early 80s with our college friends. Yet today's wine-based cocktails are anything but dated. Trendy blends,punches and wine cocktails are being mixed up using interesting recipes that include Sake, Champagne, Prosecco, Vermouth, Sherry a variety of juices and yes - club soda. And with good reason. Making red, white or rose wine into [...]
Here we are again - 90 degrees, on a deck in Lincoln Park and we are looking for something that is sip-worthy. In a word, rose. Come on. Its pink, it's light in body and it hits the spot when wine consumption takes the role of quenching thirst! So what's in our glasses? A spicy rose crafted from a native Greek variety called St. George...the label reads Zoe. Other grapes would make good rose choices as well - take Grenache [...]
Having just spent 9 days in the Napa Valley, I can tell you about two topics that filled the valley air; the drastic change in weather from killer frost to searing heat, and the passing of an America Icon. Just before I arrived, the winemakers and grape growers were consumed with chatter about the wide-spread frost that devistated vines in the region. In a matter of days, the chatter began to heat up - literally. By mid-week the temperatures hit [...]
Boston Wine Expo, South Beach Food & Wine Festival, Apsen Food & Wine - all perfect opportunities to sip, sample and learn about wine. Trouble is - many wine lovers have a difficult time trying out more than a handful of wines before they suffer from palate fatigue or (worse yet) a major wine buzz. So how do professionals taste 50-100 wines in a day? Real professionals spit when sampling wine. The same holds true for professional training. I always require WSET [...]
You may have heard - and how could you not given all the press the wine has received - that the Bordeaux 2005 vintage is stellar. In fact, non-stop chatter among those "in-the-know" has caused most top chateau to sell out before the container-laden boats even hit our shores. As top collectors gobble them up fast to build impressive cellars that most of us can only dream about where, you may wonder, does this leave the rest of us? No worries. I have a plan. Typically, excellent [...]
I am in Napa Valley right now attending the Master of Wine seminars and want to share a few new found finds. First, if you are considering a trip to Napa Valley, consider staying in Yountville. The town is cute as a button and the Villagio Inn rocks. Rooms are moderately priced, the pianist in the lobby (Frederick Nighthawk) is awesome and multiple restaurants are located right across the street including Ad Hock, Redd, Bistro Jeanty, Bouchon and more. Best part. [...]
In response to the day's snowfall, we ordered in lunch from Moxie located just four doors away; partly because it is too cold to venture out and partly because Jonathan Bennett has revamped a school lunch favorite that reeks of those precious snow days - grilled cheese & tomato soup. While this version is all grown up, (think fresh mozzarella with sundried tomato and pesto) the fact that we sated our palates in a school (wine not whine) brings back fond food memories. It also creates an interesting [...]
When I lived in New York City, I passed a friendly man working the same corner every morning on my way to the subway. Each morning he would smile, shake a paper cup full of change, and ask "What's the best city?" To which he would respond, "generosity." If that did not drum up enough change, he would quickly follow up with "And what's the best nation?" You guessed it, "donation." I often think of this only-in-NYC-scene when I give a donation [...]
