When confronted with the sheer variety of wine in stores or on restaurant lists, choosing the right bottle can be an overwhelming experience. A few basic guidelines to help you select a bottle that suits your personal preferences can go a long way.
Aging Exotic Matter in a Custom Wine Cellar
If you posed that question to a restaurant sommelier, or anyone passionate about collecting and maturing wines, they would say NO! They might even ask, Why would you want to try to keep anything but wine in your wine cellar? And imply that to do so would be to risk your entire collection. And they would have some good arguments.
Let’s Keep Bourdain’s Vision Alive
As the late cultural chef, Anthony Bourdain, advised, “Don’t be afraid of random acts of hospitality… be open, without judgement or fear. Walk in their shoes, or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.”
The Somm of All Cheers
Cakebread Cellars, one of the great Napa Valley estate wineries, celebrated the 10th anniversary of their most premium label Dancing Bear Ranch with the release of their 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, a vintage receiving 99 points from wine critic Robert Parker
Crossing The Andes By Bus
Crossing the Andes has long been the stuff of legend; a daunting task for the bravest pioneer climbers. The steepness to such high elevation and the harsh climate amidst rugged rock faces throughout this imposing South American range have provided a barrier that is especially difficult to traverse. If you’re a passenger in a coach on the trans-national highway, you often have serious doubts about whether you’ll reach your destination.
Cappadocia: A Moonscape Viewed From Above
In the dry, dusty centre of Turkey, as the first light hits a strangely sculptural sandstone landscape, a giant nylon orb peeks over tall, spindly stone fingers. Then another, then scores more. Within minutes, the dawn sky is filled with 100 hot-air balloons; a candy-coloured kaleidoscope that is as mesmerizing as the strange moonscape above which it floats. A daily occurrence in one of Turkey’s tourism hotspots.
The Wine Bank
Beneath an old palace in the heart of Piedmont rests one of Italy’s great secret wine treasures. La Banca del Vino is Italy’s first interactive wine museum that covers all regions and all styles of local wine, bringing the encyclopedic regional detail of Italy’s complex wine story into clear focus. The only problem is that its administrators no longer want this great facility to remain a secret.
In Praise of the Blend
Knowledge is power, and it couldn’t be more true when it comes to wine. A few thoughts on blends and how some may truly warrant our attention.
Spreading Christmas ‘Cheer’
Want to have some fun with your Yuletide ‘cheer’ this holiday season? Here are some ways to ignite your sense of adventure and explore the many options available for your holiday happy-hour.
Grape Expectations
South Australia’s Barossa Valley becomes a tapestry of colours in autumn – green, yellow, gold and rich red/ brown – stitched to a quilt of rolling vineyards, scattered with old-world colonial homesteads.