"When I wrote the book," explained wine merchant Kermit Lynch, "I thought the oenologists were going to take over." We were chatting about Adventures on the Wine Route, Lynch's seminal tour of France that can be found on every wine enthusiast's bookshelf. When the book was released in 1988, Lynch
What if I told you there's a region with 6th-generation family-owned wineries, passionate young winemakers, and distinctive red and white wines that are truly reflective of their terroir? What if I told you these wines can be had for under $20? That the reds are ageworthy, but can be drunk
In Italy, people go crazy for anything “organic.” Food, wine, buildings, the economy, the environment, clothing... it all has to somehow be “green” or “natural.” In the collective imagination, “organic” is synonymous with health and cleanliness. It is respectful of nature’s rhythms -- much more so than the ordinary things
"This democratization of wine is great," asserted Jancis Robinson, one of the world's leading wine authorities, over coffee one recent morning. Robinson was in Washington, D.C., to promote the seventh edition of The World Atlas of Wine, the indispensable reference book co-authored with Hugh Johnson. Robinson has spent the last
A colleague at The Miami Herald pointed us to her favorite place, the House of India, on a side street in downtown Coral Gables, Florida. There, in the 1970s, we discovered swoon-worthy, cloud-light samosas, fiery vindaloos, crisp papadum, sweet mango chutney, and what came to be viewed by our family
The exciting news about the 2013 Napa Valley wine grape vintage is … that it was pretty darned dull. No killer frosts struck in the spring to menace tender new shoots. No monster heat waves mauled the ripening grapes in the summer. And even the labor shortage that growers had
I used to make lousy cocktails. Not anymore. I didn't go to a bartending class. Instead, I just paid attention to what good bartenders do, and took a few simple steps. Now I'm going to share. This is not going to be a cocktail geek piece. These are things anyone
You love wine – you love Piedmont, right? Home not only to regal Barolo & Barbaresco, but also to the more accessible (and frequently more attractively priced) Barbera D'Asti and Barbera Monferrato – not to mention charming Moscato D'Asti and Asti. But there's so much more to be had of