The Movie That Helped Put The Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country On The Map Celebrates A Decade Of Cult-Like Popularity In 2014 (SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, Calif.)–In a single sentence, seven words to be exact, the character of Miles emphatically uttered the phrase, “I am not drinking any [EXPLETIVE] Merlot!” and in doing so immortalized the…
As the verdant slopes of Mt. Meliton stretch down to mingle with the crystal clear waters of Toroneo Bay, 475 hectares of the largest Greek vineyards lie in amphitheatre-like formation. The “Slopes of Mt. Meliton” vineyards are some of the largest in Europe and a model of organic viniculture…Domaine Porto Carras. The vineyards of Domaine…
Once again I was trying to make everyone happy with a creamy, meat-filled, pasta dish. (And, if you’ve been following Chef 101 you know that I prefer to be dairy free. It’s not, after all, an allergy as my doctor thought. But after a year without dairy I didn’t miss it – or the bloated…
An interesting thing that happens at large wine events: camaraderie grows as wines are consumed, people tend to become chattier and want to share their discoveries of the day. So instead of just keeping track of what I was digging at the Family Winemakers Pasadena tasting, I listened to the buzz coming from Santa Clarita…
While it’s fresh in my mind, I wanted to jot down some notes for wine 101ers on the Carmel-by-the-Sea Wine Walk adventure I’m on right now! So I’m sitting in a small outdoor shopping mall courtyard, as I just finished my last tasting of the day, at Wrath. Time to enjoy the cool weather, the…
I am sure that it has crossed your mind on many occasion why wine smells and taste certain ways. What I also find interesting is that wine smells and tastes like virtually every fruit except grapes. With this in mind, how do vintners develop aromas of vanilla or flavors of cherry? The answer is quite…
Inhale for a minute. Now do it again, but this time imagine that you have traveled to Chile and an expert chef has made you a 5-course meal with no less than shrimp empanadas, corn and coconut soup, basil-scented mashed corn tamale, sea bass, pheasant breast stuffed with Porcini mushrooms, chorizo laced risotto in a…
I remember the day I came home from Georgetown University. I was so proud of my MA Degree and wanted to share my joy with my grandparents. When I pulled up to the horseshoe drive, I was greeted by my grandfather who had been working on his roses. After the customary pleasantries, Gramps asked me…
To those that know me it is no secret that I am in love with Paso Robles. Yes, I still collect wines from France and Italy but Paso is growing to become a second Napa Valley in my opinion. This area has a wide variety of wines to select from over 300 vineyards producing many…
Instead of attending as media during the day, this time I opted to dress up, bring my hubby, and see what it’s like to attend http://www.LearnAboutWine.com’s STARS of Santa Barbara wine tasting event at night, like normal people. I quickly discovered that the crowd didn’t walk around with notepads or cameras, so I easily got…