Berlin is a thrilling city that pulsates with excitement. It is a city of culture whose orchestras and museums are renown throughout the world. Culturally, Berlin, the one time capital of the Prussian Empire, is home to many festivals, diverse architecture, contemporary arts, and nightlife. Today I am joined by friend and fellow sommelier, Liesel…
Our founding father’s certainly appreciated quality liquor. Most did not follow the colonial custom of drinking rum. Benjamin Franklin brewed beer. Thomas Jefferson was also a brewer and set up large vineyards at Monticello. George Washington had his own recipe for porter, a dark brown bitter beer brewed from malt that has been partly charred….
“I was totally dumbfounded by your call,” Elena Boiko, my longtime friend and fellow sommelier, smiled. “Gregory Alonzo willing to share his private bourbon stock with me?” she playfully teased. “I thought American men preferred to imbibe in bourbon and smoke cigars when they shared in man talk.” “Now when have you known me to…
From one of my fave educational sources, Ian Blackburn of LearnAboutWine.com, I received an invitation to attend a VIP luncheon with 16 other vinophiles followed by a tasty tour of the STARS of Santa Barbara held in the beautiful Beverly Hills Peninsula Hotel. Winemaker Luncheon There were seventeen names on the guest list, four winemakers…
If you send me wine I will taste it. If I don’t like it I won’t mention it as I know how much effort, talent and work goes into winemaking. Suffice it to say, I must have liked these because I did spend time evaluating the color, aromas and flavors: 2007 Vines on the…
As summer’s warmth gives way to the glorious colors of fall, I know that this in my last beach trip for the year. Overlooking the sandy beaches of Durres, the sunset was no less striking. From the veranda of our bungalow, my friend and fellow sommelier, Kalina Novac, and I enjoyed an assortment of fresh…
If you’re new to reading me I try and do these one-bottle-posts because I firmly believe that the time it takes to review a wine in no way compares to the time a winemaker takes in making said wine. That seemingly obvious statement is my way of paying due respects to any and all winemakers. …
The day before I left the U.S. to chaperone my daughter’s show choir at the Olympics, I signed up for my friend Denise Lowe’s Spanish Wine Tasting Class. I’ve interviewed Denise many times about her work as a wine educator and festival sommelier, but never attended one of her educational tasting classes. Below are the…