"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
When I first heard that wines were now being produced in Thailand I laughed it off as gimicky. A winery in the tropics? Seriously? But I was also intrigued. After some research I found out that CNN has reported about wine travels in Thailand, there are tour operators offering wine
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
Friends Josh Phelps and Carlo Trinchero had the idea to go into business together during Trinchero’s senior year of college. “Josh and I stayed in touch and simultaneously began getting into the wine business on our own. We both had that entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to start young and see
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
Ever tasted a boysenberry? What about cat pee? Can you easily discern Irish breakfast tea from English breakfast tea? And do you ever drink kirsch, the brandy made from sour cherries? If you're anything like me, your answer to all these questions is "no." Yet descriptors like these fill the