Serendipity in Bordeaux
Les Kellen is the owner of the Villa St. Simon Guest House in the town of Blaye, situated about 50 kilometers north of the city of Bordeaux, France. Both Blaye and…
The Elegant Barrel
To learn about the world of oak, I drive to a town named Castell’Alfero on the outskirts of the north Italian city of Asti. Inside, Eugenio Gamba stands wearing a…
A Book and a Bottle – The Middle East Meets Australia
It's time again to deviate from talking about the characters in my forthcoming book Vino Expressions - People, Wine, and Loving Work, and match a book with a bottle of wine. …
Chile’s Gravity Castle
I eat breakfast at an outdoor table. The view of the expansive Colchagua Valley below…
Pre-Thanksgiving Pairing: Pink Grapefruit, Avocado & Watercress Salad – with a Riesling
Summer has long drawn to a close and winter is circling in. It’s time to take a break from writing about people involved with the world of wine, and just enjoy…
The Magical Little Wine Store of Jarnac
Charles Capbern-Gasqueton meets me by the River Charente in the town of Cognac in southwest France. He is tall and broad-shouldered. He has wavy dark hair, wears a loose red…
Another Book and a Bottle
Ready to crack open a new book and uncork a fresh bottle? Let's go with non-fiction again. The book is titled Priceless - How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen…
Corner Lot Wine
The heat registers in the mid-90’s. It is July. Today, the first blast of blistering summer heat hits the town of Sonoma in northern California. By 7:30 P.M. it has cooled…
The Alpine Cave
It is mid October. The sun is about to dip below mountains, but the light is still bright. Leaves have autumn colors. The white Alps look gorgeous. The temperature is…
Straw Bale Wine
Last week a group of about twenty people worked above 8,500 feet elevation in the Zuni Mountains of New Mexico. We built a straw bale house. We huffed and puffed and stacked…