Worse fates there have been!
The Divisadero corridor, a pulsing San Francisco neighborhood north of the Panhandle is for those in-the-know a culinary and entertainment hot spot anchored by the eponymously named Nopa, one of the best-loved and most-consistently creative dining spots in the city. Heading up Nopa’s precision-crafted and highly-expressive wine program is Chris Deegan. I recently spoke with him about […]
June, the first act of a familiar estival trilogy, at times seems solely to exist as a place holder – one designed to energize an eager audience patiently anticipating the excitement and invigorating heat of yet another summer. Minds begin to fill with fanciful thoughts of leisure in exotic places – of white, sandy beaches, mountain […]
The year is 1852. Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire has just become the 14th president of the United States. California is a newly minted addition of the American Union, its Sierra foothills teeming with wild-eyed fortune seekers clawing at a purported cache of inexhaustible gold bullion. In the northern valleys of Napa and Sonoma, waves […]
Valentines Day, like many modern translations of history has not been immune to whimsical adaptations of reality that have transformed its significance from dubious religious rite to that of a full-blown celebration of the affectionate impulses of humankind. It is believed that this most intimate of mid-February observances has its enigmatic roots in late 5th […]
In the Republic of Venice part one, the delightfully expressive wines of the great northern Italian district of Soave took center stage. Yet, in the land of Shakespeare’s Capulets and Montagues there is another dominant voice of the vine that has celebrated the Veneto’s rich wine heritage for centuries – Valpolicella. Flanked to the west by […]
This is the first in a two-part series on the wines of the Veneto. The Republic of Venice, through commerce and conquest, flourished for nearly eleven-hundred years! From the late seventh-century until its collapse in the late eighteenth century the Venetian city-state was one of great power and influence. Its strategic position at the intersection […]
Every individual recalls the moment that they succumbed to wine. It is unique and unforgettable like a first kiss or the sensation of absolute freedom when a bicycle is unshackled from training wheels! Mine came in 1988 in the raucous halls of the Salon de l’Agriculture in Paris – an agricultural extravaganza where every conceivable, […]
Many vineyard lands in the world regale our senses with wines that proffer the joyful frivolity of effervescence. Legions are those who have sworn fealty to their refined expression as witnessed in the consistently captivating and oftentimes remarkable wines of Champagne. Yet the land of Gaul is not alone in delivering delicious sparkling wines to […]
I recently sat on the tasting panel of a leading, national wine magazine to blind taste fifty wines. As each taster assessed the wines’ merits and provided their personal analysis I was thrust back several years to a time when I had led a series of wine classes. Each session began with the importance of […]
Boris Champy is a soft-spoken winemaker whose focused demeanor speaks of a passion motivated by a singular objective - to seize each opportunity and create world-class wines . He currently directs a team of like-minded individuals at one of Burgundy's most prestigious domains - the house of Louis Latour. I spoke with him in late March about his career in the industry. (This is the second … [Read More...]
