Is it just me or did Thanksgiving sneak up on us this year? Seems folks are scrambling around this year, maybe because it is the earliest possible day in November for Thanksgiving. So with that in mind, I will give you a lot to read and no specific recommendations with lots of personal opinion in… Continue Reading
What To Drink With Indian Food
I was approached by someone recently to pair and talk about wines that went well with Indian food. Pooja had (fortunately) heard good things about me and was hosting a dinner that was in part social and networking. I have paired wine with Indian food before and have even wanted to do a video because… Continue Reading
Honor Thy Fathers
I often talk of and write about the personal and connective aspect of wine and food. I don’t care if you ate at some restaurant that’s hot just because you were supposed to go there or because it was cool to be there, and you didn’t express any sense of awe or delight in doing… Continue Reading
Winner Winner Turkey Dinner
Not sure what to make for Thanksgiving? Or what wine to pair with it? Maybe you just love turkey dinners with all the trimmings. Or a great night out with friends. Maybe you are ready for a fun night out finally after all the Election Day angst. We are pretty confident this dinner will get… Continue Reading
Me and Antonin Scalia — A Wine Story
My college friend Dave Moran invited me a couple of years back to be a judge in the International Wines for Oysters Competition at the historic Old Ebbitt Grill ahead of their incredible (and incredibly fun) annual Oyster Riot in our nation’s capitol. It was also going to be pretty cool to get a view of the… Continue Reading
My Annual Tips for Tippling with Turkey and the Trimmings
For many, wine isn’t just something you drink while in your jammies watching The Good Wife to help you unwind after a crazy day. It is food, or at least an important component to a great meal and arguably the greatest meal of the year for many is Thanksgiving dinner. So to help alleviate some… Continue Reading
What is a Claret Jug? What is a Claret?
Congratulations to American Zach Johnson on his victory this week in the Open Championship, also referred to as the British Open. His gutty victory earned him a $1.8 million purse (not an actual purse) and the famed Claret Jug (an actual jug), the oldest and most coveted piece of hardware in golf. From 1860 to… Continue Reading
Notes from the First (of Many?) Grapes Unwrapped-Able Baker Pairing Things
I try not to repeat myself, unless its a really good joke that I will beat until its all used up. I sat down to plan three seatings for a wine and dessert pairing presentation with Ellen Gray and Julie Johnson Pauly of The Able Baker and although we tasted a handful of wines to… Continue Reading
The 2015 NCAA Sweet Sixteen Game Analysis (Based on Wine Only)
I love wine. I love basketball. So once again this year, I will use wine as my criteria for breaking down the Sweet Sixteen matchups. As always, I will attempt to keep my own basketball knowledge and basketball biases out of the analysis. Here are the Thursday games. Midwest Regional, Cleveland, OH. Wichita St.-Notre Dame.… Continue Reading
Good Wines for Anti-Valentines
Let’s face it…it’s not a fun day for everyone. Many consider it a contrived “Hallmark Holiday”, whether or not they have a special Valentine (or Valentines). And some aren’t feeling the love on Valentine’s Day, or feeling much of anything. Others still may be pretty down about it. But if its a day you aren’t… Continue Reading