Thanksgiving 2021: Eight Wines to Enrich Your Holiday Feast
It is another year to be grateful, and with Thanksgiving 2021 upon us, we must reflect on the fact that although the Pandemic is still here, we still need to be careful. This year we are able to get together with close friends and family comfortably. I think the virtually sharing of wine and meals […]
The Best of Pet Friendly Palm Springs
The best time to travel to Palm Springs begins in the fall when the weather cools and continues through May. The days are glorious with the backdrop of the San Jacinto Mountains and it is the ideal time to partake in the numerous outdoor activities Palm Springs offers. This timeframe is also perfect for bringing […]
Utopia Vineyards: The Best of Ribbon Ridge AVA
The smallest AVA in Oregon is Ribbon Ridge. The AVA. consists of about 5.25 miles with approximately 500 acres of vineyards located on the northeast side of the Chehalem Mountains. It is contained within the Chehalem Mountains AVA. and consists of 34 vineyards and ten wineries. Ribbon Ridge earned its designation in 2005. The most […]
Dogs and Wine: What Dog Represents Riva Leone Barbaresco
Continuing my dogs and wine series after recently enjoying the Mack & Schühle Riva Leone Barbaresco DOCG, I decided this was the perfect wine to represent another dog breed. This Italian wine showcases a Nebbiolo from Piedmont. Behind the Brand Riva Leone was an ambassador for wines of the Langhe region. He represented these wines […]
October Is A Merlot Celebration
October is the month to celebrate Merlot and recognize the amazing qualities of the Merlot grape both as a single variety and as a blending grape. Now in its ninth year, Merlot Month has brought back some esteem for this noble grape as people worldwide celebrate through the promotion of #merlotme. The movie Sideways snubbed […]
Italian Food And Wine Pairing Adventure
What could be better than an Italian food and wine pairing? Last month a group of LA Wine Writers discovered Italian wines from the Taub Family Wine Selections at Marino Restaurant in Los Angeles. We toured across Italy like Stanley Tucci’s series “Searching for Italy,” where he visits different regions of Italy to discover the […]
Dierberg Star Lane Winery: A Family’s Legacy
In 2011 I first visited the Dierberg Star Lane Winery winemaking facility. At the time, I was duly impressed with the grandeur of this iconic property. Several years after that visit, I traveled back to Hermann, Missouri, to observe Dierberg’s other production house and the philanthropy Jim Dierberg extended in revitalizing the history and the […]
Wine And Dogs: What Dog Represents L’Ecole Frenchtown
We often say people look like their dogs. Have you ever wondered what dog would represent a particular wine? I will begin my quest to pinpoint the match between wine and dogs. I am starting with L’Ecole No 41 Frenchtown. The wine consists of Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec Petit Verdot and Grenache. It is […]
Prima Materia: Bringing Italy to Lake County
California Wine Month is the perfect time to showcase boutique wineries that strive to do something different, setting the winery or the winemaker apart from others. One such winery is Prima Materia because owner/winemaker Pietro Buttitta shows us how to grow Italian grape varieties in Lake County. Pietro Buttitta Pietro is a self-taught winemaker, but […]
Travel Writing Award-Winning Article
My article Escape to the South Willamette Valley won the Bronze Award in the Illustrated Story Category at the North American Travel Journalists Association’s 29th Annual NATJA Awards Competition. This award has special meaning because it is my first award for my travel writing. In the past, I have won awards and Certificates of Excellence […]