As you might have noticed, I’ve been laying low for the past week or so, studying for my Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) exam in September. Just to set the record straight, I don’t feel like any of these fancy certifications are necessary to enjoy wine, but I was fortunate enough to earn a CSW scholarship when I took the top prize at the 2009 “Battle of the Palates,” a blind tasting competition sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners back in May. So even though I would’ve probably never signed up for this coursework on my own, I have [... read more ...]
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I'm still due for a trip up to Diamond Mountain, although Sonoma is more likely in my near future. I'm working on all kinds of different projects, and should hopefully deliver something five days per week through the summer. Do stay tuned.   |
Terra in St. Helena, CA: Requiring pants since 1988 (not a bad thing at all, really). If you ever want a truly visceral Napa Valley experience, I recommend strolling into Pancha’s in Yountville after midnight on a weekday. More than any other place in wine country, Pancha’s is the home-away-from-home for the hospitality industry. It’s where cooks and servers go to get a drink after work, and where cigarette smoking indoors is still the norm (and not just prevalent, but practically required). Above all else, it’s a bar where people know people, and the close-knit, insular nature of [... read more ...] It’s been over a year since I reviewed “The Billionaire’s Vinegar” by Benjamin Wallace, and so when I learned about Michael Broadbent suing Random House for libel this week, I had to revisit my notes on this best-selling book. Although many details of the text remain a bit hazy, I certainly don’t see what the 82-year-old Broadbent stands to gain from this lawsuit, nor do I see how he can possibly win. From what I do recall, “The Billionaire’s Vinegar” seemed extremely well-researched and impeccably thorough. I would certainly recommend the book to anyone who has not yet read [... read more ...] Handsome devil: winning smile, ornery tendencies. As I have mentioned on this blog before, I’ve been living without television for quite some time, which means that Bravo’s “Top Chef” phenomenon has mostly passed me by. I did meet Marcel Vigneron from Season Two when we were both in chef school, and I can safely say that I established my dislike for him long before the rest of America did. Marcel’s pompous bravado was no act for television, but he did prove great for ratings, which cannot be denied. Still, from my own perspective, it simply proves that the [... read more ...] 2003 Ridge Del Carlo Zinfandel: Originally offered as a Ridge wine club release, I purchased this bottle from their Lytton Springs tasting room without ever previewing it. For the most part, it’s rare that I would ever buy before tasting — especially from a tasting room — but I’ll often give Ridge Zinfandel the benefit of the doubt. Given its Dry Creek pedigree (one of my very favorite appellations), it seemed like a worthy gamble. That being said, the wine was good, but not remarkable. Although I cannot remember the specifics in terms of pricing, it was most likely [... read more ...] |
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